Integrating field

This fieldwork course takes place at the beginning of our Master’s program. It aims to characterize the sequence of processes involved in the formation and subsequent dismantling of the Variscan orogen through a thematic study of the Montagne Noire massif. Particular attention will be paid to (1) the study of deformation of the sedimentary cover and the geodynamic evolution of the basins; (2) the analysis of ductile deformation and associated metamorphism in the deepest crustal levels; and (3) the study of late-orogenic basins. This course consists of three successive stages: the preparatory phase involving the study of cartographic materials in the classroom, fieldwork and the writing of a report, and finally a critical review of the bibliography.

This field course has multiple objectives. Specifically, it aims to:
(a) get to know the new class of students arriving from different countries and with diverse cultural and scientific backgrounds, and to foster integration and class cohesion;
(b) assess the students’ general level of knowledge and identify their characteristics, personalities, affinities, and areas needing improvement, in order to better manage the class going forward;
(c) provide a general refresher on the basic techniques of field geology, specifically: reading and interpreting topographic and geological maps; observing and describing outcrops; measuring structural geological features (plans, lineations, …), interpreting landscapes, sketching outcrops and panoramas, cross-section mapping, logging sedimentary sequences, etc.;
(d) provide a foundation of knowledge in regional geology that will serve as a basis for a significant portion of the fieldwork to be conducted subsequently during the two years of the Master’s program;
(e) introduce the concepts of changes in scale in geology (from the mineral to the tectonic plate) and demonstrate the importance of multidisciplinary data integration.

Tectonics and Structural Geology (Bachelor's level)
Geological Mapping (Bachelor's level)
Field Geology Techniques (Bachelor's level)
Sedimentology and Sedimentary Petrology (Bachelor's level)
Magmatic and Metamorphic Petrology (Bachelor's level)

100% CCI: 1 seminar on structural and logical diagrams (10%); a field report (75%); a critical bibliographic analysis (15%)

Integration and Update
Reconstruction of the Regional Structural Scheme and Chronostratigraphic Timeline
Study of Cover Deformation and the Geodynamic Evolution of Basins
Ductile Tectono-Metamorphic Analysis
Study of Late-Orogenic Basins
Bibliographic Analysis and Critical Synthesis