Geology BSc(Hons): Field trips

Fieldwork is an important part of this course. It deepens your understanding of the subject and brings it to life in an exciting way. View our image gallery at the bottom of the page for an idea of what your fieldwork might involve.

Year 1

Isle of Wight

The entire School of Geography, Geology and the Environment visits the Isle of Wight for a long weekend in the autumn. This is a great opportunity to get to know other students and meet staff informally.

Each degree course has specific field destinations. Geologists will look at:

• rock formations from the Cretaceous period (approximately 146 to 65 million years ago), including dinosaur localities;
• sites vulnerable to land slippage, a major problem on the southern part of the island; and
• satellite images, comparing them with what can be observed from the ground.

Dartmoor

Around Easter time, you spend a week in the south west of England. Here you look at Dartmoor granite and Devonian rocks in the Torquay area, along with famous geological sequences in Dorset. 

North Downs

Shortly after the trip to Dartmoor, we introduce you to geological mapping in the North Downs, an area easily accessible from Kingston. 

Year 2

South Wales

Level 2 begins with a weekend trip to South Wales. Here you study tectonics (the processes affecting the structure of the Earth's crust) and sedimentary rocks.

North West Scotland

The main trip of Level 2 is a two-week excursion to Scotland. In the extreme North West Highlands you'll study some of the oldest rocks in the British Isles. The second week is spent on the island of Skye where there are some spectacular volcanic rocks, dating from a relatively recent period of activity. 

You will work in small groups to carry out a series of project-orientated exercises, which train geologists in a number of crucial skills such as geological mapping and geophysical surveying.

Year 3

Crete and Santorini

In the final year you are taken overseas to experience fieldwork that cannot be covered by British geology. In Crete and Santorini you'll study phenomena such as earthquakes and volcanic activity. There is evidence that a major eruption on Santorini caused a tsunami that adversely affected the Minoan civilisation (3000–1050 BC) in Crete, for example.

Image gallery