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Exploration Field Skills (GEOL90045)

Graduate courseworkPoints: 6.25Off Campus

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Overview

Availability
Summer Term - Off Campus
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Geological mapping, core logging and the recognition of ore-related hydrothermal alteration mineral assemblages are essential skills for all mining industry geologists. This field-based course will examine core and surface exposures of a mixed volcano-sedimentary succession in the highly mineralised Cambrian Mount Read Volcanics and Dundas Group of western Tasmania.

This subject is taught as part of the Victorian Institute of Earth and Planetary Sciences (VIEPS), a collaboration between various Australian universities that share the teaching of graduate subjects in geoscience and atmospheric science.
 
This subject is taught by the University of Tasmania, and involves a field trip in Tasmania. In order to complete this subject, you will need to enrol via your University of Melbourne study plan, as well as register your enrolment with the home teaching institution.
 
You can find information regarding this subject, including important participation requirements and how to register as an external student, via the VIEPS website here: https://www.monash.edu/science/schools/earth-atmosphere-environment/honours/vieps

Intended learning outcomes

On completion of this subject, students should be able to:

  • Recognise in outcrops and in field maps and understand ore-related hydrothermal mineral alterations.
  • Recognise and interpret the succession of minerals and rock textures in cores.
  • Interpret geophysical core logs in terms of changes in rock types and properties.
  • Critically evaluate the formation of ore-forming rocks based on field data.

Generic skills

On completion of this subject, students should have developed the following generic skills:

  • Communication: The ability to communicate effectively in writing and orally
  • Critical thinking: The ability to think independently and critically
  • Problem solving: The ability to identify and solve problems
  • Analysis: The ability to analyse information and data

Last updated: 19 November 2025