This is an archived handbook for a previous year. The current undergraduate and postgraduate handbooks can be viewed using the links above.
Undergraduate Handbook 2025-2026 (archived)
Module GEOL1061: MATHEMATICAL METHODS IN GEOSCIENCES
Department: Earth Sciences
GEOL1061: MATHEMATICAL METHODS IN GEOSCIENCES
| Type | Level | Credits | Availability | Module Cap | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tied | 1 | 20 | Available in 2025/2026 | Durham |
Tied To
- F600: Geology
- F630: Environmental Geosciences
- F643: Geoscience
- F644: Earth Sciences
- F645: Climate Science
Pre-requisites
- • NOT available to students who have passed Mathematics A level at grade B or above, or who have a comparable qualification in Mathematics.
Corequisites
- None.
Excluded Combinations
- NOT available to students who have passed Mathematics A level at grade B or above, or who have a comparable qualification in Mathematics.
Aims
- To ensure that students on degree programmes in geosciences have an adequate background in mathematics and can apply their mathematical knowledge to the solution of problems in geosciences.
Content
- Manipulation and solution of algebraic equations that relate geological variables.
- Applications of trigonometry to geological problems.
- Vectors.
- Sketching graphs of simple functions.
- Differentiation and integration of elementary functions of a single variable with geological applications.
- Plotting data.
- Basic statistical concepts: sampling, variance, random and systematic errors.
Learning Outcomes
Subject-specific Knowledge
- Students should be able to tackle applications of mathematics in the geosciences involving algebra, trigonometry, basic differential and integral calculus, plotting data, sampling and estimation of errors.
Subject-specific Skills
Key Skills
- Solve numerical problems using computer or non-computer techniques.
Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module
- The module is delivered through lectures.
- Summative assessment is 100% based on a 2-hour written examination.
Teaching Methods and Learning Hours
| Activity | Number | Frequency | Duration | Total Hours | Attendance Monitored |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lectures/labs | 20 | 1 per week | 3 Hour | 60 | Yes |
| Preparation and Reading | 140 | ||||
| Total | 200 | ||||
Summative Assessment
| Component | Component Weighting | Element | Length/Duration | Element Weighting | Resit Opportunity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Examination | 100% | Unseen written examination | 2 hours | 100% |
Formative Assessment
Class tests 45 minutes each.
Students who do not attend monitored activities shown under Teaching Methods
and Learning Hours, or who fail to complete the summative or formative
assessment(s) specified above, may be subject to the Academic Progress
procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be
required to leave the University.