EU Bundle: HAT608T + HAT609T

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.

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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

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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.

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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)

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- 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.

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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

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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.

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