Our Earth is a dynamic and formidable planet. In this course we travel through time and space to understand where we came from, how the Earth works at all scales (inside and out), what options there are for sustainable energy and some advice on where not to go on holiday. Join us on a 4.5 billion year journey!
The course will be organised around five major themes through the course, discussing wide-ranging geoscience topics that all have impacts on our everyday lives:
- We are stardust: Origin of the solar system and Earth’s place in it; how we know when events happened over the solar systems billions of year’s history; what rocks can we find on Earth and other planets and moons
- The Geotime Machine: Major events marking the history of climate and life on Earth; would we survive in the geological past?
- Dynamic Earth: How the Earth moves, how do we know what’s inside the Earth and other planets? How do processes inside the Earth impact the climate and environment on the surface?
- Dangerous holiday venues: Understanding what causes geohazards like earthquakes, volcanoes, floods, landslides, wildfires. Where is most as risk from these hazards and what steps
- Energy transition: Critical minerals, ccs, wind, geothermal. How do we get the energy and materials we need sustainably?
