Syllabus
1. Origin of the oceanic and continental lithosphere. Basic geological and geophysical characteristic of the continental and oceanic lithosphere. Major morpho-tectonic elements of oceanic and continental earths crust. Important geotectonic cycles and their record in the continents. Orogeneses and orogens. Basic subdivision, their structural and metamorphic. Characteristic. Orogeny and magmatism. Types of sedimentary basin and reflection of orogenetic processes in sedimentary record. Paleogeographic reconstructions,
2. Main stages of Earths evolution and their particularities. Archaic and Paleoproterozoic cycles – origin of protocontinental cores. Mesoproterozoic up to Neoproterozoic amalgamation of Rodinia supercontinent. Break-up of Rodinia. Origin of Gondwana Supercontinent. Paleozoic accretion of continents. Origin of Laurussia, Laurasia and Pangea. Mesozoic break-up of Pangea,
3. Geology of Europe. Major geological units of Europe and their characteristic. Fennosarmatia. Caledonian collision of Laurentia and Baltica. Accretion of Avalonia. Variscan accretion of accretion of Armorican assemblage of microplates. Alpine orogeny. Major basins and platform evolution of different parts of Europe,
4. Geology of Asia. Principal geological units of Asia and their characteristic. Characteristic of protocontinental core units. Accretion of Asia during Baikal, Altaids and Alpine orogenic cycles. Principal basin types of Asia and their distribution and economic potential,
5. Geology of Australia. Principal geological units. Amalgamation of shield areas in the Precambrian. Accretion of Tasmanides. Alpine orogens rimming the margin of Australian plate. Brief outline to platform evolution of Australia,
6. Geology of Antarctica. Principal geological units and their evolution. Shied areas, Transantarctic orogen. Antarctic Gondwanides. Antarctic Alpides,
7. Geology of Africa. Principal basement unit. Protocontinental cores and their amalgamation during Mezoproterozoic and Panafrican orogenies. Mauretanides. South African Gondwanids. Alpine orogeny in NW Afrika (Atlas, El Rif). Principal platform unit and their evolution,
8. Geology of South and Central America. Principal geological units. Shields areas and their amalgamation. Paleozoic and Mesozoic accretion of terranes to the western margin of Amazonia craton. South American Gondwanids. Evolution of the Andes. Principal basin units,
9. Geology of North America and Greenland. Principal geological units. Evolution of Canadian Shield. Caledonian and Variscan accretion in E margin of the Canadian Shield (Appalachian Mts. System). Innuite orogene. Accretion of terranes along the pacific margin of the Canadian Shield during Paleozoic and Mesozoic. Alpine evolution of Pacific margin.
Annotation
Aim of the course is to obtain basic knowledge on geological structure of crust of individual continents and its evolution in a framework of plate tectonics. The emphasis is given on major periods of continental crust accretion throughout orogenic cycles since Archean to Cenozoic.
Geological evolution and structure of European lithosphere is shown in detail. Only basic information are provided about other continents.