This assessment is designed to test and apply your newly acquired rock and mineral identification skills to the real world i.e. the field situation, to source site specific geological information and to hone your scientific report writing skills. The aim is to synthesize this information and produce a high quality geological field guide.

Scenario

You have been asked by your local Rotary Club, as the “geological expert”, to lead a field trip that will look at some geological features of interest in your local area. You are to produce a “Geological Field Guide” for participants.

This exercise may require some fieldwork within your local area.

HINT: Undertake an internet search to glean ideas from existing field guides in the published literature e.g. Australian Geological Society and other professional society field guides.

Further support material for this assessment task will be posted on Moodle along with some Exemplars. We will also discuss this assessment item during the weekly in-class and on-line Tutorials and on Moodle forums.

You will be assessed on your ability to write a well researched, succinctly written and well illustrated scientific document. Please view the course's Moodle site for the assessment criteria rubric associated with this assessment item. Carefully read the details outlined in the assessment criteria rubric, ensuring you think about how to address all the assessment criteria outlined in the rubric before commencing the assessment item. Prior to finalising your submission ensure that you check to see that you have addressed all of the assessment criteria outlined in the rubric.

The Practical Examination (1.5 hour duration plus 5 minutes reading time) will test your rock and mineral identification skills and geological map interpretation skills.

Distance Education/Flex students will undertake their Practical Examination during the second day (afternoon) of their Residential School. Distance Education/Flex students please bring your rock and mineral kits to the Residential School as we will be going over (revising) the practicals already attempted each week earlier in the term. If you have not attempted ALL of your practicals prior to the Residential School you will find it extremely difficult to pass your Practical Examination.

Internal (ROK) students will undertake their Practical Examination during week 7 (time and venue to be advised) if there are > 10 internally enrolled (ROK) students. If there are < 10 internally enrolled (ROK) students, these students will undertake the full 4 day Residential School ALONG WITH the Distance Education/Flex students and will undertake their Practical Examination ALONG WITH the Distance Education/Flex students.

You (individually) will be assessed on your:

• Ability to identify hand specimens of the more common rock forming minerals by applying your newly acquired knowledge of their diagnostic properties and the key tests used in their characterization.
• Ability to classify igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks
• Ability to interpret simple geological structures, geological successions and timing from geological and topographical maps
• Ability to read a geological map to make resource management decisions
• Ability to draw geological cross-sections
• Ability to operate some commonly used geological equipment e.g. geological compass, global positioning system, hand lens

This assessment item is designed to test the recently acquired rock and mineral identification, classification and mapping skills of small groups of students (Group Work) in the field. The Group Work will take the form of a simple geological field mapping exercise (transects) over a defined geographic area using some basic geological instruments. The operation of these instruments will be demonstrated at the onset of the mapping exercise.

Further details pertaining to the mapping tasks will be demonstrated to the combined cohort of Internal (ROK) and Distance/Flex students during the field trip component of the Residential School (04 to 05 May). Each Group are to submit a combined report online for assessment via Moodle. It will take the form of a short report, which includes maps, photos and field sketches.

The type and nature of field mapping activities to be conducted is dependent upon a number of variables, namely weather conditions and accessibility to geo-sites on the day. Consequently, some changes to tasks may need to be made on the day/s of the field trip.

Each group will be assessed on it's ability to:

• Conduct a simple geological mapping exercise in the field by utilising some basic geological tools e.g. geological compass, an aerial base map, global positioning system etc.
• Identify and classify the rocks and minerals observed at the delegated field mapping site
• Produce a geological map and cross sections based on the group's field observations and measurements
• Unravel the stratigraphic succession (rock record and history ) at the designated field site and to relate this to Plate Tectonics theory.

Please note that some aspects of these criteria may be altered on the day due to unforeseen circumstances i.e. inclement weather conditions, tidal conditions, accessibility of geo-sites or other factors.

During the course of 2 days of field work (04 to 05 May) a number of sites of geological interest in the Rockhampton area will be visited. At each of these geo-sites you will be asked to make notes on the rocks and minerals encountered, their geological ages, the geological features observed and to take photographs and GPS positions for your records. This information will be recorded on Tablets, CQU to provide, as well as in field notebooks.

The objective of this assessment item is for you (individually) to relate your field observations to the major geological events that have occurred in central Queensland i.e. relate to the central Queensland stratigraphic column of geological events in (see page 6 in Willmott, your text book). You will need to relate the rocks and landforms you encountered during your field work to their corresponding geological time periods. These, in turn, are to be related to geological events. This information is to be placed into your field report which each member of the class is to submit i.e it's an individual assessment item.

Further details as to the tasks to be performed at each of the field sites visited will be outlined during the onset of the Residential School and during the course of the field trips. Tasks may alter on the days/s due to unforeseen circumstances e.g. inclement weather conditions, accessibility to geo-sites etc. Instructions on the use of Tablets and other geological equipment will be provided both prior to and during the 2 days of field work.

This assessment item is to take the form of a Field Report. Marks will be awarded for:

• Adequacy and accuracy of field descriptions
• Neatness and clarity of field sketches, photos and maps
• Ability to present a coherent and logical geological sequence of events and the ability to place these within the prevailing plate tectonic model.
• General presentation and layout of the report
• Readability and grammar
• Use and adequacy of referencing.

Note: this assessment item will be discussed further during Moodle forums and tutorials both prior to and after the conclusion of the residential school field trips.