Field course of sedimentary-rock petrology in the Sudety Mts. 1300-WSPPSO

During the five-day field course, students will learn about a series of rock formations - above all sedimentary, but also pyroclastic and volcanic. Field observations are conducted in the area of the Central Sudetes, where the sedimentary successions occur above the crystalline units formed in the course of the Variscan orogeny. Active participation in the field course is a unique opportunity to trace the synorogeneous and postorogeneous history of the Polish part of the Sudetes recorded in the sedimentary rocks. Field studies take place in the area of the Bardo Structural Unit, the Intra-Sudetic Basin (including the Stołowe Mountains) and within the upper Nysa Kłodzka graben.

The course covers a number of issues concerning, in particular:
- Paleozoic sedimentation in the Bardo basin,
- Carboniferous-Permian molasse succession in the Intra-Sudetic Basin (including volcanogenic and coal-bearing deposits),
- lithostratigraphical profile of Cretaceous sediments and the development of the Stołowe Mountains geomorphology,
- tectonics and the sedimentary fill of the upper Nysa Kłodzka graben.

The field course is a perfect complementation to the knowledge about the history and geological structure of the Lower Silesian Block, acquired during lectures, classes or field courses conducted by the Institute of Geochemistry, Mineralogy and Petrology.

Type of course

elective courses

Prerequisites (description)

The following knowledge and skills are necessary to participate in the field course: - knowledge of regional and historical geology of the Lower Silesian Block, - free recognition of handheld specimens of minerals and rocks, - knowledge of the petrographic classifications of sedimentary and pyroclastic rocks, - free handling of terms used in petrology of sedimentary rocks, - interpretation of the sedimentary rock depositional environment based on textural features, lithology or basic sedimentary structures, - fieldwork skills.

Course coordinators

Beata Marciniak-Maliszewska

Learning outcomes

After the field course the student:
- knows the lithology of sedimentary rocks from the Central Sudety Mts. and can define their depositional environment,
- can relate the variability of the observed facies to regional events,
- knows the lithology of volcanic and pyroclastic rocks building the Intra-Sudetic Basin and is able to define their genesis,
- can describe the geological history of the units seen during the course,
- is able to compare the facies and the sedimentary environments of sedimentary rocks from the Sudety Mts. with other formations of the same age from different regions of Poland,
- can define the practical applications of rocks studied during the course,
- improves the skill of conducting geological field work and planning more detailed geological surveys.

Assessment criteria

To complete the field course the student is obliged to create a documentary sheet of a selected geological site, based on field observations and available literature. The students activity during the field course is also assessed.

Practical placement

none

Additional information

Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system:

Description of 1300-WSPPSO in USOSweb