Module manager: Daniel Morgan
Email: D.J.Morgan@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) View Timetable
Year running 2026/27
L1 core modules from the Geology programme.
Successful completion of Level 1 Geology/Environmental Geoscience (or equivalent for International Study Abroad)
This module is not approved as a discovery module
This module will consider the nature of chemical exchange between solid minerals and their surroundings such as fluids, melts or the atmosphere. The atomic structure of minerals determines what elements can fit into the crystal and underpins the study of geochemistry, the behaviour of stable and radiogenic isotope systems, and the behaviour of mineral systems under the effects of heat and pressure, be that metamorphism, melting, or fluid transport. The module has four aspects: Mineralogy is the understanding of mineral structures and the means by which we study them, including crystallography, mineral stability, and thermodynamics. It controls partitioning and elemental behaviour in the Earth system. Metamorphic geology is concerned with how minerals replace each other as conditions of pressure and temperature change within the Earth. Tectonic processes, whilst slow, subject crustal rocks to extremes of pressure and temperature that drive rock recrystallisation. Each recrystallisation is accompanied by shifts in texture (how minerals grow together) and mineralogy, reflecting the conditions under which they formed. Igneous petrology is concerned with magmas and the rocks which they form. In some sense, magmas are the engine by which plate tectonic processes move heat and mass in parts of the Earth system. Igneous processes may trigger metamorphism, but also concentrate metals, produce fluids and promote conditions appropriate to mineralisation. Volcanic environments and phenomena can provide detailed understanding of the processes involved in the eruption, transport and deposition of effusive and explosive deposits, and the subsequent reworking of these by volcaniclastic processes. This latter is exemplified through field context and understanding volcanic deposits part of the training prior to field mapping.
The aims of this module are to:
• Convey an understanding of mineral structures and how the atomic arrangement determines chemical properties of minerals
• Enable students to apply the knowledge of mineral structure, chemistry, and formation behaviours to understand solid-melt, solid-fluid, and solid-solid equilibria.
• Convey the skills to place igneous and metamorphic rocks into a tectonic framework from practical observations
• To demonstrate and train how rock histories and the sequence of processes to which igneous and metamorphic rocks have been subjected can be determined from hand specimen and thin section analysis
• To convey an understanding of the environments of formation, and transformation, for igneous and metamorphic rocks, and the processes that operate in them.
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following learning outcomes:
SSLO1: Explain the linkage between mineral atomic structure and geochemical behaviour
SSLO2: Explain the main tenets of (re)crystallisation in igneous and metamorphic petrology
SSLO3: Design analytical strategies to determine particular information regarding a sample using hand specimen and thin section observation or an array of geochemical techniques
SSLO4: Analyse geological rock hand specimens and thin sections and determine a sample’s geological history in a practical setting
SSLO5: Interpret sample observations in terms of “bigger picture” tectonic events and geological processes, their sequence and quantify their parameters (e.g., temperature, pressure, etc).
Skills Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following skills learning outcomes:
SKLO1: Technical skill: Specimen observation and interpretation using hand lens, microscope and geochemical analysis
SKLO2: Technical skill: Evaluate and quantify the conditions of formation of rock units in laboratory and field contexts
SKLO3: Technical skill: Synthesise observations and interpretations across several specimens to produce a sequential history of geological change
SKLO4: Sustainability skill: Undertake integrated problem solving
SKLO5: Work ready skills: Problem solving and analytical skills
• Ability to interrogate and synthesise complex datasets
• Ability to model complex natural systems involving spatial-temporal controls and deep time
• Ability to think in 3D
Lectures will focus on the following concepts, which will be reinforced and explored via weekly practical classes:
• Basic Crystallography, mineral groups, their structures and their classification, including isolated, sheet, chain, framework silicates, and clays.
• Analytical methods in geochemistry and petrology, the use of whole rock and mineral major and trace element chemical analyses.
• Phase petrology and mineral stability, including concepts in crystal structure and the interdependence of chemical behaviour, mineral structure and elemental partitioning.
• Applied phase petrology in understanding the conditions in which rocks form and equilibrate.
• Kinetics in geoscience and how kinetics can moderate the attainment of mineral equilibrium.
• Geochemical processes in geochemical cycles
• High-temperature and deep Earth fluids.
• Metamorphism from phase petrology, kinetic, tectonic and thermodynamic viewpoints.
• Igneous systems from phase petrology, kinetic, tectonic and thermodynamic viewpoints.
• Metamorphic environments of formation and governing processes.
• Igneous environments of formation and governing processes.
• Volcanic and plutonic environment and central complexes.
• From magma to tephra; fragmentation processes linked to magma properties; transport and deposition of pyroclastic density currents.
• Landscape responses to explosive volcanism: volcaniclastic processes, deposits and hazards.
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fieldwork | 5 | 6 | 30 |
| Lecture | 18 | 1 | 18 |
| Practical | 18 | 2 | 36 |
| Private study hours | 116 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 84 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 200 | ||
Private study will be a mixture of:
• independent reading of recommended text books,
• independent revision of lectures notes and recordings, and practical notes
• completing any unfinished work from practical classes
Formative feedback is available continuously from staff and demonstrators in practical classes and during the field class. Work from the field class is taken in for formative feedback on skills development relevant to mapping. Where possible, we also intend to deploy some online MCQs so students can monitor their own understanding from session to session.
| Exam type | Exam duration | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Unseen exam | 2.0 Hrs 0 Mins | 50 |
| Unseen Practical exam (Semester 2) | 2.0 Hrs 0 Mins | 50 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Exams) | 100 | |
Resits - Normally, capped second attempt resits will be assessed by a single resit paper covering all learning outcomes. First attempt resits will take the form of the component(s) failed.
Check the module area in Minerva for your reading list
Last updated: 30/04/2026
Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team