The course aims to give the students a comprehensive overview of the geology of the oceanic crust. It shall cover the principles of ocean crust formation, how the crust matures and how it is eventually altered by volcanic activity, sedimentation and fluid flow. It will inform about the formation of marine mineral deposits (in particular the massive sulfides but also manganese nodules and crusts) and fundamentals of deep-sea exploration and research. After the course the students
- have a good overview of the current state of deep-sea research and know how the ocean crust is formed and matures
- have knowledge about the geology and petrology of the oceanic crust
- are informed about marine mineral deposits formation as well as aspects of deep-sea mining (incl. environmental impacts etc)
- be able to interpret data from deep-sea exploration as e.g. maps and water column data and have a basic understanding of the methods used for exploration and sampling of the deep ocean
This course will be a series of lectures that give the theoretical background paired with real-world examples from recent, seagoing expeditions. The course will encourage discussion and active participation and the students will carry out several interpretation tasks (e.g. from hydroacoustic data or petrological aspects) in a series of assignments.