ENAR13001 - Economic Geology

Showing: 2026 HE Term 1
General Information

Unit Synopsis

This unit is an introduction to geological resources: metals, non-metals, coal, oil and gas, and construction materials. It prepares you to assess and effectively communicate the geological setting, quality and grade of geological resources. The unit balances this with consideration of infrastructure and methods of accessing and extracting the geological resources in a socially, culturally and environmentally responsible manner. You will work individually and collaboratively to consider resource geology issues. You will investigate resource geology in a defined context and carry out standard sampling strategies and apply techniques for locating resources, grade control and resource estimation by undertaking sustainable practices.

Details

Level Undergraduate
Unit Level 3
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 2
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Prerequisite: ENAR12016 Earth Science OR PHYG12003 Geological Science

Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).

Class Timetable View Unit Timetable
Residential School Compulsory Residential School
View Unit Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 1 - 2026

Term 1 - 2026 Profile
Mixed Mode

Attendance Requirements

All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).

Assessment Overview

Recommended Student Time Commitment

Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task Weighting
1. Practical Assessment 25%
2. Written Assessment 25%
3. Presentation 20%
4. Report 30%

This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%).

Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades

Past Exams

Previous Feedback

Term 1 - 2022 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 100.00% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 60% response rate.

Feedback, Recommendations and Responses

Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.

Source: Student feedback
Feedback:
 Field trips to mine-sites and mining industry service industries provided insights into the industry and application of learnt theoretical knowledge.

Recommendation:
 Continue to offer authentic learning experiences during Residential Schools via continuing industry and mine site visits to demonstrate how theory learned is applied in "real world" mining practice.

Action Taken:
 In Progress
Source: Lecturer reflections
Feedback:
 Additional material and information on conducting resource estimations.

Recommendation:
 To source and add additional examples of resource estimations into teaching material.

Action Taken:
 In Progress
Unit Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  1. Critically discuss Australia's energy resources, metallic and non-metallic minerals and their role in the economy
  2. Characterise the major energy resources, metallic and non-metallic minerals, and their formation processes
  3. Create prospecting and exploration plans to identify energy resources and mineral deposits
  4. Evaluate and quantify mineral reserves
  5. Reflect upon Indigenous cultures and sustainable mining exploration practices
  6. Demonstrate effective and professional level communication and teamwork.
The Learning Outcomes for this unit are linked with the Engineers Australia Stage 1 Competency Standards for Professional Engineers in the areas of 1. Knowledge and Skill Base, 2. Engineering Application Ability and 3. Professional and Personal Attributes at the following levels:

Intermediate
1.1 Comprehensive, theory-based understanding of the underpinning natural and physical sciences and the engineering fundamentals applicable to the engineering discipline. (LO: 1I 2N 3I 4I 5I )
1.3 In-depth understanding of specialist bodies of knowledge within the engineering discipline. (LO: 1I 2I 3I 4I 5I )
1.4 Discernment of knowledge development and research directions within the engineering discipline. (LO: 1I 3I 4I 5I 6I )
1.5 Knowledge of engineering design practice and contextual factors impacting the engineering discipline. (LO: 3I 4I 5I 6I )
2.2 Fluent application of engineering techniques, tools and resources. (LO: 2I 3I 4I 6I )
2.3 Application of systematic engineering synthesis and design processes. (LO: 1I 2N 3N 4I 5I 6I )
2.4 Application of systematic approaches to the conduct and management of engineering projects. (LO: 2N 3I 4I 5I 6I )
3.2 Effective oral and written communication in professional and lay domains. (LO: 1I 2I 3I 4I 5I 6I )
3.3 Creative, innovative and pro-active demeanour. (LO: 1I 2I 3I 4I 5I 6I )
3.6 Effective team membership and team leadership. (LO: 1I 2N 3I 4I 5I 6I )

Advanced
1.6 Understanding of the scope, principles, norms, accountabilities and bounds of sustainable engineering practice in the specific discipline. (LO: 1N 3I 4I 5A 6A )
2.1 Application of established engineering methods to complex engineering problem solving. (LO: 2I 3A 4I 5I 6I )
3.1 Ethical conduct and professional accountability. (LO: 2N 3I 4I 5A 6A )
3.4 Professional use and management of information. (LO: 1A 2I 3A 4N 5A 6A )
3.5 Orderly management of self, and professional conduct. (LO: 1I 2I 3I 4I 5A 6A )

Note: LO refers to the Learning Outcome number(s) which link to the competency and the levels: N – Introductory, I – Intermediate and A - Advanced.
Refer to the Engineering Undergraduate Course Moodle site for further information on the Engineers Australia's Stage 1 Competency Standard for Professional Engineers and course level mapping information
https://moodle.cqu.edu.au/course/view.php?id=1511

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5 6
1 - Practical Assessment • •
2 - Written Assessment • • •
3 - Presentation • • •
4 - Report • •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5 6
1 - Communication • • • • • •
2 - Problem Solving • • •
3 - Critical Thinking • • •
4 - Information Literacy • • • •
5 - Team Work •
6 - Information Technology Competence • •
7 - Cross Cultural Competence • • • •
8 - Ethical practice • •
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 10
1 - Practical Assessment • • •
2 - Written Assessment • • • • •
3 - Presentation • • • • • • •
4 - Report • • • • •