This course will explore frontier geoscience problems in a holistic manner. In this course you will develop skills needed to define and interpret Earth's history, and past and present environmental change. You will learn about the application of chemistry to the Earth Sciences. Major areas covered include elemental transport by water, the chemical composition of rocks and the use of isotopes as tracers of geological processes. This course will test your ability to synthesise course content and demonstrate an understanding of interactions between solid Earth materials and surficial processes.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Understand the behaviour of elements in a geochemical context and relate this to how elements redistribute within the Earth.
2. Learn to think of Earth chemistry in terms of interactions between reservoirs.
3. Understand the major processes that form and modify the Earth's crust and mantle.
4. Use isotopes to trace geological processes and age date specific events.
5. Evaluate published geochemical and isotopic data.
6. Understand the theory and applications of analysis of materials.

Research-Led Teaching

The practical components of this course will support students, alone and within team, to analyse and evaluate both geochemical data and geological materials. Students will synthesise their own observations with those of the literature, and apply the concepts and principles of geology and chemistry, in order to create their own geochemical and environmental reconstructions.

The lecturers are world experts and active researchers in their respective fields of geochemistry and will bring their enthusiasm and knowledge into this course, providing students with the most up to date and accurate information.

Field Trips

none

Additional Course Costs

none

Examination Material or equipment

none

Required Resources

none

Recommended Resources

Recommended student system requirements 

ANU courses commonly use a number of online resources and activities including:

• video material, similar to YouTube, for lectures and other instruction
• email and other messaging tools for communication
• print and photo/scan for handwritten work
• home-based assessment.

To fully participate in ANU learning, students need:

• A computer or laptop.
• Headphones for your laptop computer
• Reliable, stable internet connection. Broadband recommended. If using a mobile network or wi-fi then check performance is adequate.
• Suitable location with minimal interruptions and adequate privacy for classes and assessments.
• Printing, and photo/scanning equipment

For more information please see https://www.anu.edu.au/students/systems/recommended-student-system-requirements

Staff Feedback

6 of the practicals will involve an assignment or short quiz. In most instances, the assignments and correct (or wrong) answers to quiz questions will be discussed at the end of each practical (or latest in the next practical), providing instant feedback to each student.

The course comprises three short written assessments in weeks 5 and 10. These asessments will be returned, where possible, within one week, and correct and wrong answers will be discussed in class.

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). Feedback can also be provided to Course Conveners and teachers via the Student Experience of Learning & Teaching (SELT) feedback program. SELT surveys are confidential and also provide the Colleges and ANU Executive with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Introduction to the course, chemical basics: the Periodic Table, what is geochemistry, origin of the elements, chemical composition of the earth, igneous geochemistry	Practical: Variation Diagrams (Harker Plots)
2	Earth’s atmosphere, Origin, Evolution and Element transport.	Practical: Rain is not the same: tracking variations in rainwater across continents
3	Weathering systems and principles of chemical reactions, soil horizons and biogeochemical cycling Including a brief overview of Groundwater systems	Practical: Geology and sustainability Geology’s influence on agriculture: why the buffering capacity of rocks matters. Understanding how groundwater influences urban sustainability and health
4	Redox reactions, transition metals, activity-activity diagrams	Practical: Tracking redox in the environment using Eh-pH diagrams
5	The chemical composition of minerals, major and trace elements in minerals, fractionation in rocks	Practical: Working with major element data from Electron Probe Micro-Analysis (EPMA), compulsory lab visit (CAM -EPMA lab)
6	Trace elements in rocks and minerals, their distribution, substitution in minerals, partitioning, fractional melting and crystallization. Continental crust formation	Practical: Trace element analysis by LA-ICPMS (compulsory lab visit J7), modelling fractional melting (marked assignment)
7	Radiogenic isotopes as timekeepers and tracers, radiogenic decay, dating using radiogenic isotopes, some important radiogenic isotope systems in geosciences	Practical: Radiogenic isotope analysis at RSES, calculating radiometric ages (compulsory lab visit SHRIMP facility J5)
8	Tracing Earth processes with isotopes – reservoirs on Earth, new heavy stable isotopes and applications	Practical: Tracing mixing in earth reservoirs with isotopes I
9	Deep Earth and Deep Time – Geochemistry and key Earth events	Practical: Tracing mixing in earth reservoirs with isotopes II
10	Ocean Geochemistry: circulation, element fluxes, and balances, element profiles)	Virtual Field Trip to the Pilbara: The Geochemistry of Archean Oceans and Banded Iron Formations
11	Reservoirs and Fluxes: chemical composition, reservoirs and elemental fluxes; black smokers; biomineralization	Marine oxygen isotopes and delivery of carbon to the global oceans
12	Geochemical feedbacks: systems diagrams, stable isotopes of carbon, the stability of our planet in periods of catastrophic change	How geochemical feedbacks stabilize the climate, control the biosphere, cause major perturbations and mass extinctions

Tutorial Registration

No registration required.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Learning Outcomes
Group and individual assignments and quizzes in practicals	35 %	1,2,3,4,5,6
First Written Assessment	22 %	1,2,3,4
Second Written Assessment	27 %	1,2,3,4
Final Written Examination	16 %	1,2,3,4

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines , which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Integrity Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Guideline and General Information 
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure
• Code of practice for teaching and learning

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the Academic Skills website. In rare cases where online submission using Turnitin software is not technically possible; or where not using Turnitin software has been justified by the Course Convener and approved by the Associate Dean (Education) on the basis of the teaching model being employed; students shall submit assessment online via ‘Wattle’ outside of Turnitin, or failing that in hard copy, or through a combination of submission methods as approved by the Associate Dean (Education). The submission method is detailed below.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Participation

Participation in the practicals is essential, and assessments or assignments associated with the practicals count 40% towards the final mark. Permission for absence will be granted e.g. if there is a clash with other courses and certificates/evidence is provided.

Examination(s)

Please note, that where a date range is used in the Assessment Summary in relation to exams, the due date and return date indicate the approximate timeframe in which the exam will be held and results returned to the student (official end of Semester results released on ISIS). Students should consult the course wattle site and the ANU final examination timetable to confirm the date, time and venue of the exam.

Assessment Task 1

Group and individual assignments and quizzes in practicals

Due date: In most instances, assignments will be handed in at the end of weekly laboratory classes. Larger assignments are due one week later.

Details of Task: The course will include six practicals/laboratory sessions with assessable components, including assignments and short quizzes. In most sessions, students will receive immediate feedback on their assignments or quiz results. The majority of assignments are individual, some are performed in groups. The best five assessments flow towards the final mark (each 7%).

Assessment Task 2

First Written Assessment

Due date: The assessment will be held in week 5.

Details of Task: For continued learning and early feedback of progress, the course will include two short written assessments, each covering ~1/3 of the course. The first written examination will cover the first 4 weeks of the course and will be held in week 5. The total assessment time (reading and writing) will be 50 minutes.

Please check the course Wattle site to confirm the date, time and location of the exam.

Assessment Task 3

Second Written Assessment

Due date: The assessment will be held in week 10.

Details of Task: The second written assessment will cover the second 5-week block of the course and will be held in week 10. The total assessment time (reading and writing) will be 50 minutes.

Please check the course Wattle site to confirm the date, time and location of the exam.

Assessment Task 4

Final Written Examination

Due date: The exam will be held in the examination period

Details of Task: The final written examination will cover the last 3 weeks of the course and will be held in the examination period. The total assessment time (reading and writing) will be 50 minutes.

Please check the course Wattle site and the ANU Examination Timetable to confirm the date, time and location of the exam.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of the ANU culture as a community of scholars. The University’s students are an integral part of that community. The academic integrity principle commits all students to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support, academic integrity, and to uphold this commitment by behaving honestly, responsibly and ethically, and with respect and fairness, in scholarly practice.

The University expects all staff and students to be familiar with the academic integrity principle, the Academic Integrity Rule 2021, the Policy: Student Academic Integrity and Procedure: Student Academic Integrity, and to uphold high standards of academic integrity to ensure the quality and value of our qualifications.

The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 is a legal document that the University uses to promote academic integrity, and manage breaches of the academic integrity principle. The Policy and Procedure support the Rule by outlining overarching principles, responsibilities and processes. The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 commences on 1 December 2021 and applies to courses commencing on or after that date, as well as to research conduct occurring on or after that date. Prior to this, the Academic Misconduct Rule 2015 applies.

 

The University commits to assisting all students to understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. All coursework students must complete the online Academic Integrity Module (Epigeum), and Higher Degree Research (HDR) students are required to complete research integrity training. The Academic Integrity website provides information about services available to assist students with their assignments, examinations and other learning activities, as well as understanding and upholding academic integrity.

Online Submission

You will be required to electronically sign a declaration as part of the submission of your assignment. Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records. Unless an exemption has been approved by the Associate Dean (Education) submission must be through Turnitin.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

No submission of assessment tasks without an extension after the due date will be permitted. If an assessment task is not submitted by the due date, a mark of 0 will be awarded.

Referencing Requirements

The Academic Skills website has information to assist you with your writing and assessments. The website includes information about Academic Integrity including referencing requirements for different disciplines. There is also information on Plagiarism and different ways to use source material.

Returning Assignments

Assignments will be returned and discussed in class during tutorials.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. Extensions may be granted for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Resubmission of Assignments

Is resubmission permitted? No

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information.
In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service – including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy.
If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes.

Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Access and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students