This workshop comprises one or two days of field-based geology during typical QMDs.  Each day can be taken as a stand-alone workshop, but the learning outcomes will be maximised by taking two days together. 

 Each of Britain’s mountain regions shares a common geological history on the plate-tectonic scale and each one displays an aspect of this large-scale history that aids in interpreting the whole of British geology. Through a combination of direct observation, comparison with geological maps and cross sections, and discussion we will put the geology we see during the day into the context of the large-scale mountain building processes which produced the UK’s mountain areas, and their subsequent evolution.

Learning outcomes:

After a two-day workshop, candidates should:

1)    Have an appreciation of the plate-tectonic history which produced Britain’s mountain regions, and of how our hills fit into the broader context of the Caledonian (and Variscan) mountain belts in the USA and continental Europe.

2)    Have an appreciation of the mountain-building cycle; how periods of crustal thickening and deformation related to volcanic episodes and igneous intrusions

3)    Understand how continental-scale tectonic activity creates local rocks and geological landforms (metamorphic conditions, folding, faulting and deformation of rocks)

4)    Develop an appreciation of the post-collisional evolution of Britain’s mountains and the role of the North Atlantic plume in the 'recent' (last 200 million years) evolution of our mountains.

5)    Have some understanding of how to interpret geological maps.

6)    Have an appreciation of how local-scale and even hand-specimen scale details can be used to unravel ancient plate movements and mountain-building events

7)    Be able to observe and explain points of interest in the local geology, in terms of the processes which produced them and the general conditions (pressure, temperature, depth) under which they formed.

Equipment required:

Normal clothing, equipment and food for a typical walking QMD, plus helmet.  A 10-x magnification hand lens would be useful, but some will be available to borrow.

Workshop Provider Credentials:

David Dobson is a qualified ML and professor of Earth Materials at University College London.  He has published over 100 research papers in learned journals and has been teaching field geology to undergraduate and graduate students for over 2 decades.

Please contact David to book at: oneminutegeology@gmail.com

Price:

£70 per day

Ratio:

Maximum 1:5

Start

30/03/2023 09:00

End

30/03/2023 17:00

Total Days

1

Maximum Bookings

5

Bookings

5

Venue

TBC

Town

Fort William

County

Highland Council

Country

United Kingdom

Name

AMI

Phone

01690 720123

Email