← Geology syllabus

EnglandGeology

Module 1: Development of practical skills in geology

3 dot points across 3 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How do we measure the orientation of a bed and calculate its true thickness?

Structural measurement: the definition and measurement of true dip, apparent dip and strike; the recording of orientation data; the calculation of the true (vertical and stratigraphic) thickness of a bed from its outcrop width, dip and the slope of the ground; the use of trigonometry in structural calculations.
A focused answer to the OCR H414 dot point on structural measurement. Covers true dip, apparent dip and strike, recording orientation data, and the calculation of the true thickness of a bed from its outcrop width and dip using trigonometry, with the common traps.
13 min answer →

How do we investigate the ground before building, and what conditions cause problems?

Engineering geology: the engineering properties of rocks and soils (strength, jointing and discontinuities, weathering and the behaviour of clays, sands and gravels); the purpose and methods of site investigation (desk study, boreholes, trial pits and core logging); the ground conditions that cause problems for foundations (weak or compressible soils, swelling clays, solution cavities in limestone, made ground and high groundwater); the role of foundations and the ground model.
A focused answer to the OCR H414 dot point on engineering geology. Covers the engineering properties of rocks and soils, the purpose and methods of site investigation (desk study, boreholes, trial pits, core logging), the ground conditions that cause foundation problems (weak or swelling soils, solution cavities, made ground, groundwater), and the role of foundations and the ground model.
13 min answer →

How do we record geology in the field and turn a map into a cross-section?

Fieldwork and maps: the recording of field observations (field sketches, measurements and logged sections); the interpretation of geological maps (outcrop patterns, the rule of Vs and the relationship between topography and dip); the construction of a geological cross-section from a map; the recognition of structures (folds, faults and unconformities) on maps and cross-sections.
A focused answer to the OCR H414 dot point on geological maps and fieldwork. Covers recording field observations (sketches, measurements, logs), interpreting outcrop patterns and the rule of Vs, the relationship between topography and dip, constructing a cross-section from a map, and recognising folds, faults and unconformities on maps.
13 min answer →