EA1002 - Environmental Earth Science

Credit points:	03
Year:	2008
Student Contribution Band:	Band 2
Administered by:	Discipline of Earth Sciences

This subject looks at aspects of the environment that impact on people's lives. Topics include natural hazards such as volcanoes, earthquakes, mass wasting and tsunamis; the endowment, utilisation and sustainable use of Earth's mineral and energy resources; weathering, soil formation and associated environmental issues; groundwater movement and water resource utilisation; landform development through fluvial, glacial, aeolian and oceanic processes; and the development of life on Earth as recorded in the fossil record.

Learning Outcomes

• to equip students with the ability to recognise common regolith and sedimentary materials and appreciate the processes by which they formed;
• to provide students with a foundation knowledge to support advanced-level study in Earth Sciences;
• to provide students with an objective analysis of current environmental issues from an Earth System Science perspectives;
• to provide students with an overview of how the Earth functions as a dynamically interactive system.

Graduate Qualities

• The ability to think critically, to analyse and evaluate claims, evidence and arguments;
• The ability to adapt knowledge to new situations;
• The ability to define and to solve problems in at least one discipline area;
• The ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences;
• The ability to lead, manage and contribute effectively to teams;
• The ability to speak and write logically, clearly and creatively;
• The ability to calculate, produce, interpret and communicate numerical information;
• A coherent and disciplined body of skills, knowledge, values and professional ethics in at least one discipline area;
• The ability to use a variety of media and methods to retrieve, analyse, evaluate, organise and present information.

Inadmissible Subject Combinations:

EA1004 and EA1200 and EA1300 and EA1210

Availabilities
Townsville, Internal, Study Period 2
Census Date 05-Sep-2008
Coordinator:	Dr Haidi Beard
Lecturers:	Professor Bernd Lottermoser, Professor Nick Oliver, Dr Haidi Beard, Dr Richard Wormald, Dr Simon Richards.
Contact hours:	26 hours lectures 30 hours practicals
Assessment:	end of semester exam (40%); test (10%); assignment (10%); practical work and field exercises (40%).
Cairns, Internal, Study Period 1
Census Date 04-Apr-2008
Coord/Lect:	Mr Peter Whitehead.
Contact hours:	26 hours lectures 30 hours practicals
Assessment:	end of semester exam (40%); tests (10%); practical work and field exercises (50%).

Note: Minor variations might occur due to the continuous Subject quality improvement process, and in case of minor variation(s) in assessment details, the Subject Outline represents the latest official information.