Junior Year

View the full page

The lectures are designed to introduce the basic concepts for describing, classifying, and characterizing soils: their various components (minerals, clays, organic matter, living organisms); their physical properties (particle size distribution, texture, structure); chemical properties (clay-humic complex, CEC, redox), and biological properties (soil horizons and humus, root systems, plant nutrition, the role of bacteria, C/N ratio, soil fauna). We will study the factors involved in soil formation (climate, bedrock, living organisms, topography, time), the various processes of soil formation and evolution (weathering, humification, leaching, podzolization, pedoturbation, ferrallitization, etc.), the major soil classification systems, and the distribution of soils around the world. This scientific foundation will enable students to address current societal issues related to soils in the lab sessions: soil degradation (erosion, pollution, land conversion, compaction, etc.) and soil restoration (decontamination, phytoremediation, agroecology).

The field trip will provide an opportunity to apply the concepts covered in class.

Hourly volumes:

CM: 12:00 p.m.

TD: 9 a.m.

Land: 6 hectares

View the full page

The purpose of this course unit is to synthesize the concepts and knowledge acquired in L1 and L2 (stratigraphy, sedimentology, and the history of life) and to reinforce them with concepts from sedimentology, biostratigraphy, and anatomy. When combined, these concepts provide the keys to surface geology for analyzing and reconstructing ancient depositional environments and for interpreting their fossil content within a temporal context.

Number of hours:

CM: 6H

Practical Training: 12 hours

TD: 3 hours

LAND: 6 H

View the full page

This field course aims to illustrate, through the study of rocks from the Maures Massif, the fundamental concepts covered in the magmatic and metamorphic petrology course, and to apply techniques for characterizing deep, deformed crustal rocks. In the field, particular attention will be paid to (1) textural and mineralogical descriptions leading to rock identification; (2) characterization of the source and type of magmatism; (3) identification of protoliths and characterization of the degree of metamorphism; and (4) recognition of structural features and analysis of deformation.

A geological cross-section will be mapped through a diverse range of rocks, extending from surface detrital deposits to the base of the lower crust. The Variscan geological history of the Maures Massif will be supplemented by a study of Permian volcanism in the neighboring Esterel Massif.

Number of hours:

Land: 27 hectares

View the full page

View the full page

The first sessions are devoted to a review of the mathematical tools that will be used in the module. The course then consists of three parts: geothermal energy, gravimetry, and geomagnetism. The course combines theoretical and practical approaches. During the laboratory sessions, special attention is given to measurement and error estimation.

Hourly volumes:

CM: 15

TD: 30

TP: 9

View the full page

In the first part of this course unit, we will examine the origin and evolution of magmas from a petrological perspective (microscopic observations of rocks and minerals, phase equilibrium) and a geochemical perspective (composition of major and trace elements, as well as isotopic composition, of minerals and rocks) in various geodynamic contexts: oceanic ridges, hotspots, and subduction zones.

In the second part of this course unit, we will introduce the main variables and the various geodynamic contexts of metamorphism. You will learn to identify mineral reactions and interpret them using the geometric rules of chemography. We will discuss the concept of metastability and the influence of rock chemistry on their metamorphic evolution.

Hourly volumes:

CM: 9

TP: 18

View the full page

The course will cover the following topics:

• issues related to mineral resources in the global context,
• the main types of metal deposits, their formation processes, and mining operations,
• The environmental impacts associated with mining operations.

The objective of the lab sessions will be to become familiar with the main metal-bearing minerals (macroscopic observations and use of metallographic microscopes).

A field trip will round out the training by examining examples of metal deposits.

Hourly volumes:

CM: 9 a.m.

Practical Training: 12:00 p.m.

Land: 6 hectares

View the full page

This course unit aims to describe, based on relevant tectonic observations at various scales, the functioning of major tectonic systems: folded systems, thrust systems, large normal faults, ductile shear zones, detachment zones, extensional zones, and more complex systems. Particular attention will be given to regional case studies (France, the United States, Tibet-Himalayas).

Hourly volumes:

CM: 9:00 a.m.

Practical Training: 12:00 p.m.

Land: 6 hours

View the full page

This course involves conducting a project on a topic in Earth, Water, and Environmental Sciences. The topics will be defined by the entire L3 teaching team and will involve addressing scientific issues using data collected in the laboratory and/or in the field. The topics will be addressed by groups of 2 to 3 students and will be supervised by tutors throughout the L3 year as part of two complementary course units:

- The TEE 1 project in S5 will focus on literature review activities related to the topic and on acquiring the skills needed to write a scientific report and deliver an oral presentation.

- The TEE 2 project in S6 will focus more on processing experimental and analytical data, critically evaluating the results obtained, and interpreting them. The final presentation of the study will take the form of a final report and an oral presentation before a panel.

This project-based course unit, spread over the two semesters of the L3 TEE program, will provide students with their first opportunity to work independently; they can then apply this experience to their master’s program or directly to the professional world, depending on their career goals.

View the full page

This course provides students with the foundational knowledge needed to understand the transfer processes that affect our planet’s outer layer. Students will learn to interpret the evidence of these processes through the study of sedimentary rocks.

Hourly volumes:

CM: 3:00 p.m.

TD: 3 hours

Practical Training: 12:00 p.m.

Land: 6 hectares

View the full page

View the full page

This course unit aims to integrate the knowledge (in geology and analytical tools) acquired through the 5th semester of the bachelor’s program and to apply it to understanding the subsurface architecture and the fluid dynamics within it. It is organized around five main areas: 

-Introduction to near-surface recognition and characterization techniques applied to reservoirs (surface and well geophysics, hydrogeological measurements, analysis of sedimentary cores);

- Application to a real-world case study: an aquifer in the Languedoc coastal region;

- Collection of some of the data at an experimental site through dedicated measurement workshops (in the field);

- Processing, analyzing, and interpreting data collected using specialized software, as well as supplementary data from laboratory measurements;

- Synthesis and preparation of a report or poster.

Hourly volumes:

CM: 6 a.m.

TD: 6:00 a.m.

Practical Training: 6:00 p.m.

Field: 12:00 p.m.

View the full page

This learning unit will focus on the following concepts:

1) The watershed ( definition, geometric, geological, and physiographic characteristics; hydrological behavior)

2) Precipitation ( Definition of precipitation, concepts of showers and intensity, spatial analysis of point measurements (Thiessen, isohyets), temporal analysis of point measurements (return period, Montana))

3) Evapotranspiration ( interception, evaporation, transpiration, evapotranspiration, Turc and Thornthwaite formulas)

4) Infiltration (definition of infiltration capacity, characteristics of the unsaturated zone, concepts of water content, hydraulic conductivity at saturation, water potential, balance of forces and soil water status, factors influencing infiltration and water profiles, Horton’s law)

5) Runoff ( formation of surface runoff, runoff coefficient, subsurface flow, groundwater-river relationship, decomposition of flood hydrographs)

6) The hydrological balance (the water cycle and the hydrological balance at various spatial and temporal scales)

7) Hydrometry (principles and measurement techniques + fieldwork)

Hourly volumes:

CM: 12:00 p.m.

TD: 12:00 p.m.

Practical training: 6 hours

Land: 6 hours

View the full page

This course involves conducting a project on a topic in Earth, Water, and Environmental Sciences. The topics will be defined by the entire L3 teaching team and will involve addressing scientific issues using data collected in the laboratory and/or in the field. The topics will be addressed by groups of 2 to 3 students and will be supervised by tutors throughout the L3 year as part of two complementary course units:

- The TEE 1 project in S5 will focus on literature review activities related to the topic and on acquiring the skills needed to write a scientific report and deliver an oral presentation.

- The TEE 2 project in S6 will focus more on processing experimental and analytical data, critically evaluating the results obtained, and interpreting them. The final presentation of the study will take the form of a final report and an oral presentation before a panel.

This project-based course unit, spread over the two semesters of the L3 TEE program, will provide students with their first opportunity to work independently; they can then apply this experience to their master’s program or directly to the professional world, depending on their career goals.

View the full page

This course is primarily a hands-on training program in geological mapping in the field, divided into two parts:

1 - A two-day field pre-internship in the northern Montpellier region. Introduction to field mapping methods (measurement, plotting) and to surveying structural and sedimentary cross-sections in the St. Martin de Londres basin. Students are supervised in the field in small groups of 10, using project-based learning (supplementary work) and group-based field instruction (dialogue, interaction) led by an instructor who guides them in asking questions, identifying features, and plotting cartographic data.

2 - Deepening learning through an 8-day field immersion internship in the Alps (Digne region). Using project-based and flipped learning approaches (alternating between independent work and supervised days, i.e., rotating small groups), students learn to map a region of rugged terrain where the rocks are highly deformed, and field observations and spatial data are highly complementary. The full immersion in fieldwork allows for supervised work and daily monitoring of the students’ progress.

Hourly volumes:

CM: 2 hours (introduction to basic concepts)

Tutorial: 10 hours (3 hours of GIS, 7 hours of image analysis and cross-section creation)

Fieldwork: 60 hours (12 hours in St. Martin, 48 hours in Digne)

View the full page

- Hydrostatics ( Fundamental Principles of Hydrostatics, the concept of buoyant force, Archimedes’ Principle)

- Fluid dynamics (streamlines, trajectories, emission lines, flow rate, Reynolds number, laminar flow, turbulent flow)

- Hydrodynamics of ideal fluids (conservation of mass, conservation of energy with Bernoulli’s theorem, case studies: Mariotte’s vase, draining a reservoir, Pitot tube, Venturi tube)

- Hydrodynamics of real fluids ( causes of pressure drops and estimation of linear and singular pressure drops; generalized Bernoulli's theorem accounting for pressure drops)

- Hydraulic machines (pump operation, H(Q) characteristics, operating point)

- Free-surface hydraulics (hydraulic characteristics, Manning-Strickler formula, weir formula, calibration curves)

Hourly volumes:

CM: 10 a.m.

TD: 10:00 a.m.

Practical Training: 4:00 p.m.

View the full page

We will examine the main external and internal processes that contribute to the shaping of landforms:

• Weathering Processes
• Wind-Driven Processes and Landscapes
• Fluvial Processes and River Landscapes
• Glacial and Periglacial Processes and Landscapes
• Tectonic and Structural Geomorphology
• Slope Processes
• Karst landforms

Number of hours:

CM: 9:00 p.m.

Practical Training: 9 hours x 2 groups

Field: 6 hours x 3 groups

View the full page

The Geodynamics EU combines the presentation, study, and characterization of the major processes associated with the geodynamics of the solid Earth: mantle dynamics, plate tectonics, plate boundaries (detachment, subduction, collisions, oceanic spreading), and intraplate regions. These systems and processes are studied through natural examples at the scale of the crust and the lithosphere, with an emphasis on integrating the various data and tools used in Earth sciences (geophysics, geochemistry, structural geology, rock mechanics, petrology, etc.). Note: The hydrosphere, biosphere, and atmosphere are not covered.

The lectures are accompanied by tutorials focused on the analysis and synthesis of documents to characterize geodynamic processes, drawing on concepts covered in geosciences since the first semester.

Hourly volumes:

CM: 3:00 p.m.

TD: 9:00 p.m.

View the full page

View the full page

This course unit aims to integrate the knowledge (in geology and analytical tools) acquired through the 5th semester of the bachelor’s program and to apply it to understanding the subsurface architecture and the fluid dynamics within it. It is organized around five main areas: 

-Introduction to near-surface recognition and characterization techniques applied to reservoirs (surface and well geophysics, hydrogeological measurements, analysis of sedimentary cores);

- Application to a real-world case study: an aquifer in the Languedoc coastal region;

- Collection of some of the data at an experimental site through dedicated measurement workshops (in the field);

- Processing, analyzing, and interpreting data collected using specialized software, as well as supplementary data from laboratory measurements;

- Synthesis and preparation of a report or poster.

Hourly volumes:

CM: 6 a.m.

TD: 6:00 a.m.

Practical Training: 6:00 p.m.

Field: 12:00 p.m.

View the full page

This course involves conducting a project on a topic in Earth, Water, and Environmental Sciences. The topics will be defined by the entire L3 teaching team and will involve addressing scientific issues using data collected in the laboratory and/or in the field. The topics will be addressed by groups of 2 to 3 students and will be supervised by tutors throughout the L3 year as part of two complementary course units:

- The TEE 1 project in S5 will focus on literature review activities related to the topic and on acquiring the skills needed to write a scientific report and deliver an oral presentation.

- The TEE 2 project in S6 will focus more on processing experimental and analytical data, critically evaluating the results obtained, and interpreting them. The final presentation of the study will take the form of a final report and an oral presentation before a panel.

This project-based course unit, spread over the two semesters of the L3 TEE program, will provide students with their first opportunity to work independently; they can then apply this experience to their master’s program or directly to the professional world, depending on their career goals.

View the full page

This course is primarily a hands-on training program in geological mapping in the field, divided into two parts:

1 - A two-day field pre-internship in the northern Montpellier region. Introduction to field mapping methods (measurement, plotting) and to surveying structural and sedimentary cross-sections in the St. Martin de Londres basin. Students are supervised in the field in small groups of 10, using project-based learning (supplementary work) and group-based field instruction (dialogue, interaction) led by an instructor who guides them in asking questions, identifying features, and plotting cartographic data.

2 - Deepening learning through an 8-day field immersion internship in the Alps (Digne region). Using project-based and flipped learning approaches (alternating between independent work and supervised days, i.e., rotating small groups), students learn to map a region of rugged terrain where the rocks are highly deformed, and field observations and spatial data are highly complementary. The full immersion in fieldwork allows for supervised work and daily monitoring of the students’ progress.

Hourly volumes:

CM: 2 hours (introduction to basic concepts)

Tutorial: 10 hours (3 hours of GIS, 7 hours of image analysis and cross-section creation)

Fieldwork: 60 hours (12 hours in St. Martin, 48 hours in Digne)

View the full page

We will examine the main external and internal processes that contribute to the shaping of landforms:

• Weathering Processes
• Wind-Driven Processes and Landscapes
• Fluvial Processes and River Landscapes
• Glacial and Periglacial Processes and Landscapes
• Tectonic and Structural Geomorphology
• Slope Processes
• Karst landforms

Number of hours:

CM: 9:00 p.m.

Practical Training: 9 hours x 2 groups

Field: 6 hours x 3 groups

View the full page

The Earth system is often described as a series of overlapping layers, extending from the core to the outermost regions at the edge of outer space. It can also be thought of as a system in which rocks, water, air, and life coexist. First and foremost, the Earth system forms a whole, whose components are extensively interconnected across all scales of time and space.

The Earth and Environment module explores the interactions between the main components of the Earth system: the solid Earth, the hydrosphere, the atmosphere, and the biosphere. Its goal is to describe and explain some of the most striking interactions and to demonstrate the extent to which these complex processes and interactions shape our entire environment—including our daily lives, our safety (natural hazards and disasters), and humanity’s prospects for survival on Earth.

Number of hours:

CM: 30  

TD: 30   

TP: 12

Let’s assume 72 hours of in-person student instruction. This consists of 48 1.5-hour teaching blocks (20 lecture blocks, 20 discussion blocks, and 8 lab blocks).

The module is organized as a short introductory session followed by the three thematic blocks listed below, which occur in sequence throughout the module’s schedule:

1. Inner Earth
2. Outer Earth and Geological Hazards
3. The Outer Earth, the Hydrosphere, and Risks

View the full page

The Geodynamics EU combines the presentation, study, and characterization of the major processes associated with the geodynamics of the solid Earth: mantle dynamics, plate tectonics, plate boundaries (detachment, subduction, collisions, oceanic spreading), and intraplate regions. These systems and processes are studied through natural examples at the scale of the crust and the lithosphere, with an emphasis on integrating the various data and tools used in Earth sciences (geophysics, geochemistry, structural geology, rock mechanics, petrology, etc.). Note: The hydrosphere, biosphere, and atmosphere are not covered.

The lectures are accompanied by tutorials focused on the analysis and synthesis of documents to characterize geodynamic processes, drawing on concepts covered in geosciences since the first semester.

Hourly volumes:

CM: 3:00 p.m.

TD: 9:00 p.m.

View the full page