GL 101 introduces students to geology, covering topics like the structure and evolution of Earth, its atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere. It examines geological processes like weathering, erosion, transportation and deposition that shape the Earth's surface. It also discusses Earth's internal processes such as earthquakes, volcanism and plate tectonics. GL 102 is a practical course that teaches students to interpret maps and conduct geological mapping exercises. GL 103 introduces students to crystallography, mineralogy and petrology. It covers the identification and classification of common rock-forming minerals, economic minerals, igneous rocks, sedimentary rocks and metamorphic rocks. It also discusses fossils, their

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PRINCIPAL SUBJECT AREA
GEOLOGY
100 LEVEL COURSES
GL 101 Earth Processes (3 credits)
Introduction to Geology. The universe, the solar system and the earth. Structure of the Earth. Earth's atmosphere, biosphere,
hydrosphere and lithosphere, their origin and evolution. Processes shaping the earth; the agents (rivers, oceans, glaciers and
wind), their actions (weathering, soil formation, erosion, transportation, mass movements and deposition) and the
landforms. Study of Earth's internal processes: earthquakes, volcanism, plutonism, deformation, orogenesis and
metamorphism, and their cause in the light of Plate Tectonics. Timescale of geological processes. Geological Time Scale.
Laws of Uniformitarianism and Superposition. Criteria to determine top and bottom of layered sequences. Unconformities.
Unravelling the past: relative and absolute dating, Geological history of Sri Lanka.
Recommended texts:
1. Press, Frank and Siever, Edmund (1994) Earth
2. Summierfield, M.A. Global Geomorphology
3. Moore, R.B., Lalicker, C.G. and Fishers, A.G. Invertebrate fossils
4. Nileds and Tucker, V.C.T. Palaeaontology-An Introduction
5. Ross, Kenneth P. Geochronology,
GL 102 Earth Processes Practical (1 credit)
(Prerequisite: GL 101)
Study and interpretation of topographic, orographic, geological, agricultural and land-use maps and cross-sections.
Introduction to geological mapping and 10-15 days of geological mapping exercise.
GL 103 Earth Materials (3 credits)
Common crystal forms, habits and twinning. Their Point Group symmetry and classification into crystal systems and
classes. Bravais lattices. Introduction to common rock-forming minerals, their composition, physico-chemical properties,
classification and identification. Economic minerals, their composition, physico-chemical properties and identification.
Introduction to igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks, their classification, mineralogy and texture, and
identification. Introduction to rocks of Sri Lanka. Introduction to fossils. Fossils, their preservation and interpretation.
Study of common fossil forms in the Precambrian and Phanerozoic, their identification and biostratigraphy.
Recommended texts:
1. Cornelis Klein Cornelius S. Hurlbut (1993) Manual of Mineralogy(21st
Edition)
2. Blackburn, William H. and Dennen, William H. (1988). Principles of Mineralogy
3. Ford, W.E. (1964). A text book of Mineralogy, 4th
Edition revised and enlarged
GL 104 Earth Materials Practical (1 credit)
(Prerequisite: GL 103)
Identification of common crystal forms, habits and twinning. Their Point group symmetry and classification into classes
and systems. Identification of common rock-forming minerals, economic minerals on the basis of physico-chemical
properties. Study of mineralogy and texture of igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks. Identification of common
fossil forms.