BASIN ANALYSIS

The course aims to provide students with sedimentary basin analysis methods for georesource exploration. Additionally, topics related to the potential for increasing the use of renewable energy (solar, wind) will be covered.

Contribution of the course to the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: GOAL 7: AFFORDABLE AND CLEAN ENERGY

Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all.

Target 7.2: By 2030, significantly increase the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.

Specifically, and with reference to the Dublin Descriptors, the course aims to provide the following knowledge and skills.

Knowledge and Understanding

By the end of the course, students will have knowledge of:

the main sedimentary and tectonic processes and their relationship to the evolution of sedimentary basins;

sedimentary basins and georesources;

geological modeling and visualization of sedimentary basins.

Ability to apply knowledge and understanding

At the end of the course, students will be able to:

use stratigraphic, sedimentological, and structural data to reconstruct the three-dimensional geometry of sedimentary bodies;

acquire, process, and interpret geophysical data to characterize and reconstruct the subsurface in 3D;

interpret the evolution history of sedimentary basins on the basis of stratigraphic, sedimentological, structural and geophysical data;

formulate operational assessments for the management and enhancement of georesources.

Making judgments

Students will be able to make reasoned decisions and apply methodologies to:

laboratory and field investigation techniques;

selection and use of geological data in the analysis of sedimentary basins (exploration and conservation of georesources, energy transition).

Communication skills

Students will acquire:

the necessary communication skills and technical and scientific language;

the ability to present a scientific topic, illustrating its rationale and results, using proper language and terminological rigor;

the ability to work in a team;

the ability to produce technical documents (reports and geological maps).

Learning Skills

Students will learn to update their knowledge through reading scientific publications, in English, in the various fields of geological disciplines integrating the knowledge in different sectors of geology.

Ability to independently consult databases, scientific literature, and regulatory references.

Ability to integrate new knowledge into operational contexts.

The course will consist of lectures, active and practical work also using interactive platforms (Mentimeter) and software (Backstrip, Microsoft Excel), field excursions, small group research projects on defined topics, seminars on selected topics. This will enhance knowledge and comprehension of course contents and acquisition of abilities.

If the course is delivered in blended or remote mode, appropriate adjustments may be made to the above, in order to ensure consistency with the syllabus

Plate tectonics. Makeup of the Earth: compositional division, rheological division. Basins in their plate tectonic environment. Classification schemes of sedimentary basins. The mechanics of sedimentary basin formation. Basins due to lithospheric stretching: pure shear, simple shear. Basins due to flexure. Isostasy. Foreland basins. Basins associated with strike-slip deformation. Tectonic control on sedimentation. Basin stratigraphy. Relative sea level change and accommodation. Driving mechanisms for stratigraphic patterns. Sequence stratigraphy and seismic stratigraphy. Seismic interpretation concepts. Basin analysis. Subsidence and thermal history. Energy resources and sedimentary basins.

Laboratory

The use of bathymetric maps and Google Earth to understand and classify sedimentary basins. Exercises on isostasy principle. Seismic stratigraphy: construction of chronostratigraphic diagrams (Wheeler). Exercises on geohistory and backstripping of sedimentary basins (use of Backstrip, Microsoft Excel). Introduction to the interpretation of seismic profiles (introduction to the use of software Petrel and GeoSuite).

2) Plate Tectonics – Haakon Fossen,  Christian Teyssier. Cambridge University Press

The exam consists of multiple phases (mid-term and end-of-course). In any case, the oral exam will cover all theoretical and practical topics covered during the course and may be taken even if the mid-term tests are not passed. The assessment of learning may also be conducted online, should the conditions require it.

To ensure equal opportunities and in compliance with current laws, interested students may request a personal interview so that any compensatory and/or dispensatory measures can be planned, based on their learning objectives and specific needs.

Students can also contact the CInAP (Centro per l’integrazione Attiva e Partecipata — Servizi per le Disabilità e/o i DSA) referring teacher within their department (https://www.cinap.unict.it/content/referenti).

MID-TERM WRITTEN EXAMS

The instructor will administer mid-term written tests lasting a maximum of two hours. The mid-course exams will include open-ended questions on the practical aspects of the course and applied exercises completed during the course. Grades from the mid-course exams, if higher than 18/30, will be included in the final grade.

FINAL EXAM

The final exam consists of an oral exam on the theoretical and practical content of the course. Any mid-course exam grades higher than 18/30 will be included in the final grade. The oral exam will evaluate the following: the relevance of the answers to the questions asked, the quality of the content, the ability to connect them to other topics covered in the program, the ability to provide examples, the student's command of technical language, and their overall expressive ability. The final exam may also include the completion of a short project.