Introduction to course:

This is the sub discipline of geology which deals with the study of the chemical composition of the earth and its rocks and minerals. The course is designed to acquire the knowledge about the distribution of elements in minerals and rocks and their dispersion in different environments. An element is material which has a particular kind of atom with specific electronic structure and nuclear charge, factors that determine their abundance in the rocks. Regarding distribution, it can only have direct evidence on the composition of the Earth's crust and indirect on the mantle and core. This will help the students in learning the geochemical characteristic of various rocks and their role in mineral exploration. One of the goals of geochemistry is to determine the abundance of elements in nature, as this information is essential to hypotheses development about the origin and structure of our planet and the universe. The course contents include: Geochemistry of igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks, modal analysis for classification, chemical characterization and identification of minerals, classification and distribution of elements in the earth crust, introduction to analytical geochemistry, causes for geochemical diversity in the igneous rocks, geochemical characteristics of igneous rocks as petrogenetic indicators, processes which modify the composition of primary magmas, geochemical characteristics of different magma series, geothermometry and geobarometry, metasomatic processes and environment.

Learning outcomes:

• On completion of the course the students should be able to analyze and classify different rocks on the basis of composition.
• And able to understand the distribution of elements in the earth crust to identify different rock forming minerals.
• Students should also be able to find major element fractionation and fractionation of stable isotopes and radiogenic isotope to explain how such data can be used to understand various geochemical processes and to trace the source of minerals, rocks and fluids.

Text Books:

1. Rollinson, H. R. (2014). Using geochemical data: evaluation, presentation, interpretation. Routledge.
2. Francis Albarède, 2009. Geochemistry an introduction, Francis Albarède Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon Institut Universitaire de France.
3. McSween, H. Y., Richardson, S. M., & Uhle, M. E. (2003). Geochemistry: Pathways and processes. Columbia University Press.

Course Start Date: January 13, 2020

Course End Date:   May 08, 2020

Class Timing：

Monday: 01:00 - 02:00 PM

Tuesday: 01:00 - 02:00 PM

Wednesday: 01:00 - 02:00 PM

Assessment Criteria:

Sessional: 20 (Presentation + Participation + Assignments)

Midterm exam: 30

Final exam: 50

Total: 100

• 75 % attendance is must for the students to appear in exam of Midterm and final
• Monthly attendance will informed to students
• Students are required be attentive in class
• Sessional marks would only be given according to the assigned criteria