Quaternary Geology
Period: first semester
Course Unit Contents: The course is developed along some main topics:
- Theory and methods of the Quaternary Geology.
- Principles and examples of allostratigraphy and Unconformity Bounded Stratigraphic Units (UBSU); stratigraphic and cartographic criteria for the survey
of the new geological map of Italy (CARG Project). The characterization of the unconformities, their ranking and their use in plan mapping and core correlation.
- Recognition, characterization and detailed mapping of the glacial, slope, colluvial, alluvial, lagoon and shallow-marine deposits.
- Description and log of stratigraphic cores (30, 50, 100 m) for reconstructing longterm evolution and their use in technical geology.
- Principles of soil formation and pedological mapping (French, FAO-UNESCO and WRB soil legends).
- Evolution of Italy and neighboring areas during the Quaternary.
- The use of georeferenced database for the production of maps (examples from the CARG project).
- Principles, techniques and tools for the survey of Quaternary deposits in the marine shelf for applied geology (sea-line planning, sands for beaches
renourishment.
- Software for producing, managing and analyzing the cartographic maps.
- Survey, elaboration and mapping of the data for producing of documents supporting the territorial planning (e.g. geo-hydrological hazard, environmental assessment related to new constructions (e.g. PAI and VIA in Italy).
- Methods and examples of geoarchaeological stratigraphy.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods: The course consists of lectures, fieldwork and classroom exercises.
FIELDWORK: During the course 3 days of fieldwork are planned, corresponding to one fieldtrip of 2 days between the end-moraine system of the Tagliamento glacier and the western sector of the Friulian Plain for training in the survey of glacial, alluvial and colluvial deposits; another 1-day fieldtrip is planned in the Alpine environments (probably in the Alpago area) for surveying slope, glacial and paraglacial deposits.
Also exercises in the computer lab are planned, with the use of the GIS software (QGis, ArcMap) and the Adobe Illustrator software, with the aim of creating the digital representation of the geological cartography and learn the fundamental operations to arrive at the preparation of a map prepared with the symbologies and the specific graphics required in the typical professional works and in the surveys of the national geological map of Italy (CARG project).