Licence 3

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The aim of these lectures is to introduce the basic concepts needed to describe, classify and characterize soils: their various constituents (minerals, clays, organic matter, living organisms), their physical properties (granulometry, texture, structure), chemical properties (clay-humus complex, CEC, redox), and biological properties (horizons and humus, root systems, plant nutrition, role of bacteria, C/N ratio, peda-fauna). We will study the factors involved in soil formation (climate, bedrock, living organisms, relief, weather), the different processes involved in 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 us to address current social issues concerning soils in TD: their degradation (erosion, pollution, artificialization, compaction, etc.) and their restoration (depollution, phytoremediation, agroecology).

The field trip will enable you to put into practice the concepts learned in class.

Hourly volumes:

CM: 12h

TD: 9h

Field : 6h

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The aim of this course is to synthesize the concepts and knowledge acquired in L1 and L2 (stratigraphy, sedimentology and life history) and to reinforce them with notions of sedimentology, biostratigraphy and anatomy. Taken together, these concepts provide the keys to surface geology for analyzing and reconstructing ancient depositional environments and interpreting their fossiliferous content in a temporal context.

Hourly volume :

CM: 6H

PRACTICAL WORK: 12H

TD : 3H

LAND : 6H

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The aim of this course is to illustrate, through the study of rocks from the Maures massif, the fundamental concepts taught in magmatic and metamorphic petrology courses, and to apply techniques for characterizing deep crustal deformed rocks. In the field, particular attention will be paid to (1) textural and mineralogical description 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 objects and analysis of deformation.

A geological cross-section will be drawn across a varied range of rocks, from surface detrital deposits to the base of the lower crust. The Variscan geological history of the Maures massif will be complemented by a study of Permian volcanism in the neighboring Esterel massif.

Hourly volume:

Field: 27h

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The first sessions are devoted to reminders of the mathematical tools that will be used in the module. The teaching is then divided into three parts: geothermal energy, gravimetry and geomagnetism. The approach developed combines theoretical and practical approaches. Particular attention is paid to measuring and estimating errors during practical work.

Hourly volumes :

CM: 15

TD : 30

TP: 9

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In the first part of this course, we'll look at the genesis and evolution of magmas from a petrological (microscopic observations of rocks and minerals, phase equilibrium) and geochemical (major, trace and isotopic element composition of minerals and rocks) point of view in different geodynamic contexts: oceanic ripples, hot spots and subduction zones.

In the second part of this course, we introduce the main variables and geodynamic contexts of metamorphism. You will learn to recognize mineral reactions and interpret them using the geometric rules of chemiography. We will look at the notion of metastability and the influence of rock chemistry on metamorphic evolution.

Hourly volumes :

CM: 9

TP: 18

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The course will cover the following topics:

• mineral resource issues in a global context,
• the main types of metal deposits, their formation process and mining,
• The environmental impact of mining.

Practical work will aim to familiarize you with the main metalliferous minerals (macroscopic observations and use of metallographic microscopes).

A field day will complete the training by studying examples of metal deposits.

Hourly volumes:

CM: 9h

Practical work: 12h

Field : 6h

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The aim of this course is to use relevant tectonic observations at different scales to describe the functioning of major tectonic systems: folded systems, thrusting, large normal faults, ductile shear zones, unstripping domains, extensive domains and more complex domains. Particular attention will be paid to regional case studies (France, USA, Tibet-Himalaya).

Hourly volumes :

CM :9h

Practical work:12h

Field :6h

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This unit involves carrying out a project on an Earth, Water and Environmental Science theme. The themes will be defined by the entire L3 teaching team, and will involve dealing with scientific issues using data acquired in the laboratory and/or in the field. Subjects will be dealt with by groups of 2 or 3 students, and will be supervised by tutors throughout the L3 year in the framework of 2 complementary UEs:

- the TEE 1 project in S5 will focus on bibliographical research on the subject and the acquisition of tools for writing a scientific report and giving an oral presentation.

- the TEE 2 project in S6 will be devoted more to processing experimental/analytical data, critiquing the results obtained and interpreting them. The final report on the study will take the form of a final report and an oral presentation before a jury.

This project unit, spread over the 2 semesters of the L3 TEE course, will give students an initial experience of working independently, which they can then transfer to their Master's course, or directly to the workplace, depending on their career plans.

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This course provides a basic understanding of the transfer processes that affect our planet's outer shell. The aim is to learn how to decipher the imprint of these processes through the study of sedimentary rocks.

Hourly volumes:

CM: 15h

TD : 3h

Practical work: 12h

Field : 6h

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This course aims to integrate the knowledge (geological and in terms of analytical tools) acquired up to the 5th semester of the bachelor's degree, and to apply it to the discovery of the architecture of the subsoil and the dynamics of the fluids it contains. It is structured around five axes: 

Introduction of near-surface reconnaissance and characterization techniques applied to reservoirs (surface and well geophysics, hydrogeological measurements, sediment core studies);

- Application to a concrete case study: an aquifer in the Languedoc coastal zone ;

- Acquisition of part of the data on an experimental site using dedicated field measurement workshops;

- Processing, analysis and interpretation of data acquired with dedicated software as well as additional data from laboratory measurements;

- Synthesis and report/poster writing.

Hourly volumes :

CM: 6h

TD : 6h

Practical work: 18h

Field : 12h

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This course will focus on the following concepts:

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

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

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

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 state of water in the soil, factors influencing infiltration and water profiles, Horton's law)

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

6) Water balance (the water cycle and water balance at different spatio-temporal scales)

7) Hydrometry (measurement principle and technique + field)

Hourly volumes :

CM :12h

TD :12h

Practical work:6h

Field :6h

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This unit involves carrying out a project on an Earth, Water and Environmental Science theme. The themes will be defined by the entire L3 teaching team, and will involve dealing with scientific issues using data acquired in the laboratory and/or in the field. Subjects will be dealt with by groups of 2 or 3 students, and will be supervised by tutors throughout the L3 year in the framework of 2 complementary UEs:

- the TEE 1 project in S5 will focus on bibliographical research on the subject and the acquisition of tools for writing a scientific report and giving an oral presentation.

- the TEE 2 project in S6 will be devoted more to processing experimental/analytical data, critiquing the results obtained and interpreting them. The final report on the study will take the form of a final report and an oral presentation before a jury.

This project unit, spread over the 2 semesters of the L3 TEE course, will give students an initial experience of working independently, which they can then transfer to their Master's course, or directly to the workplace, depending on their career plans.

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This UE is above all an apprenticeship in geological mapping in the field, built in two parts:

1 - Pre-apprenticeship in 2 days of fieldwork in the northern Montpellier region. Introduction to field mapping methods (measurement, transfer) and the survey of structural and sedimentary sections in the St Martin de Londres basin. Students are supervised in the field in small groups of 10, using project-based teaching (complementary work) and group teaching in the field (dialogue, interaction) led by a teacher who guides them in questioning, locating and transferring cartographic data.

2 - Further learning through immersion in an 8-day field course in the Alps (Digne region). Using project-based and inverted pedagogy (autonomous work alternating with supervised days, i.e. rotating small groups), students learn to map in a high-relief region where rocks are highly deformed, and field observation and spatial data are highly complementary. The total immersion of the fieldwork allows for supervised work and monitoring of the student's daily work.

Hourly volumes :

CM: 2 h (introduction to basic concepts)

TD: 10 h (3h GIS, 7h image analysis and cross-section construction)

Field: 60 h (12h in St Martin, 48h in Digne)

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- Hydrostatics (Fundamental Principle of Hydrostatics, notion of buoyant force, Archimedes' theorem)

- Fluid kinematics (streamline, trajectory, emission line, flow rate, Reynolds number, laminar, turbulent flow)

- Hydrodynamics of perfect fluids (conservation of mass, conservation of energy with Bernouilli's theorem, case studies: Mariotte vessel, emptying a tank, Pitot tube, Venturi)

- Hydrodynamics of real fluids (origin of head losses and estimation of linear and singular head losses, generalized Bernouilli theorem with head losses)

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

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

Hourly volumes :

CM :10h

TD :10h

TP :16h

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We will study the main external and internal processes involved in shaping landforms:

• Weathering process
• Wind power processes and landscapes
• River processes and river landscapes
• Glacial and periglacial processes and landscapes
• Tectonic and structural geomorphology
• Slope process
• Karst model

Hourly volume :

CM: 21h

Practical work: 9h x 2 groups

Field: 6h x 3 groups

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The Geodynamics course presents, studies and characterizes the major processes associated with solid Earth geodynamics: mantle dynamics, plate tectonics, plate boundaries (break-ups, subductions, collisions, oceanic expansion) and intraplate domains. These systems and processes are studied using natural examples on the scale of the crust and lithosphere, with emphasis on the integration of the various data and tools used in Earth sciences (geophysics, geochemistry, structural geology, rock mechanics, petrology, etc.) NB: the hydrosphere, biosphere and atmosphere are not covered.

Lectures are combined with practical sessions focusing on the analysis and synthesis of documents in order to characterize geodynamic processes, drawing on the concepts covered in geosciences since S1.

Hourly volumes :

WC: 3 p.m.

TD: 21 h

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This course aims to integrate the knowledge (geological and in terms of analytical tools) acquired up to the 5th semester of the bachelor's degree, and to apply it to the discovery of the architecture of the subsoil and the dynamics of the fluids it contains. It is structured around five axes: 

Introduction of near-surface reconnaissance and characterization techniques applied to reservoirs (surface and well geophysics, hydrogeological measurements, sediment core studies);

- Application to a concrete case study: an aquifer in the Languedoc coastal zone ;

- Acquisition of part of the data on an experimental site using dedicated field measurement workshops;

- Processing, analysis and interpretation of data acquired with dedicated software as well as additional data from laboratory measurements;

- Synthesis and report/poster writing.

Hourly volumes :

CM: 6h

TD : 6h

Practical work: 18h

Field : 12h

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This unit involves carrying out a project on an Earth, Water and Environmental Science theme. The themes will be defined by the entire L3 teaching team, and will involve dealing with scientific issues using data acquired in the laboratory and/or in the field. Subjects will be dealt with by groups of 2 or 3 students, and will be supervised by tutors throughout the L3 year in the framework of 2 complementary UEs:

- the TEE 1 project in S5 will focus on bibliographical research on the subject and the acquisition of tools for writing a scientific report and giving an oral presentation.

- the TEE 2 project in S6 will be devoted more to processing experimental/analytical data, critiquing the results obtained and interpreting them. The final report on the study will take the form of a final report and an oral presentation before a jury.

This project unit, spread over the 2 semesters of the L3 TEE course, will give students an initial experience of working independently, which they can then transfer to their Master's course, or directly to the workplace, depending on their career plans.

See full page

This UE is above all an apprenticeship in geological mapping in the field, built in two parts:

1 - Pre-apprenticeship in 2 days of fieldwork in the northern Montpellier region. Introduction to field mapping methods (measurement, transfer) and the survey of structural and sedimentary sections in the St Martin de Londres basin. Students are supervised in the field in small groups of 10, using project-based teaching (complementary work) and group teaching in the field (dialogue, interaction) led by a teacher who guides them in questioning, locating and transferring cartographic data.

2 - Further learning through immersion in an 8-day field course in the Alps (Digne region). Using project-based and inverted pedagogy (autonomous work alternating with supervised days, i.e. rotating small groups), students learn to map in a high-relief region where rocks are highly deformed, and field observation and spatial data are highly complementary. The total immersion of the fieldwork allows for supervised work and monitoring of the student's daily work.

Hourly volumes :

CM: 2 h (introduction to basic concepts)

TD: 10 h (3h GIS, 7h image analysis and cross-section construction)

Field: 60 h (12h in St Martin, 48h in Digne)

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We will study the main external and internal processes involved in shaping landforms:

• Weathering process
• Wind power processes and landscapes
• River processes and river landscapes
• Glacial and periglacial processes and landscapes
• Tectonic and structural geomorphology
• Slope process
• Karst model

Hourly volume :

CM: 21h

Practical work: 9h x 2 groups

Field: 6h x 3 groups

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The Earth system is often described as an association of superimposed envelopes, from the central seed to the most discrete zones at the edge of the vacuum of space. It can also be thought of as a system where rocks, water, air and life cohabit. The Earth system is first and foremost a whole, whose components are largely interconnected on all scales of time and space.

The Earth-Environment module is part of the exploration of couplings between the main components of the Earth system: solid earth, hydrosphere, atmosphere and biosphere. It aims to describe and explain some of the most striking interactions, and to show the extent to which these complex processes and couplings control our entire environment, right down to our daily lives, our safety (natural hazards and disasters) and the prospects for human survival on Earth.

Hourly volume :

CM: 30  

TD : 30   

TP: 12

i.e. 72 hours of classroom teaching. 48 blocks of 1.5 hours each (20 blocks of lectures, 20 blocks of lectures on practical subjects and 8 blocks of practical work).

The module is organized in the form of a short introduction to the module, followed by three thematic blocks which follow one another in the module's timetable:

1. Internal earth
2. Outer earth and geological hazards
3. Outer earth, hydrosphere and risks

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The Geodynamics course presents, studies and characterizes the major processes associated with solid Earth geodynamics: mantle dynamics, plate tectonics, plate boundaries (break-ups, subductions, collisions, oceanic expansion) and intraplate domains. These systems and processes are studied using natural examples on the scale of the crust and lithosphere, with emphasis on the integration of the various data and tools used in Earth sciences (geophysics, geochemistry, structural geology, rock mechanics, petrology, etc.) NB: the hydrosphere, biosphere and atmosphere are not covered.

Lectures are combined with practical sessions focusing on the analysis and synthesis of documents in order to characterize geodynamic processes, drawing on the concepts covered in geosciences since S1.

Hourly volumes :

WC: 3 p.m.

TD: 21 h

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