Environmental engineering, mining and energy
- Mining geology and oil geology
Documentation of drillings. Classification of resources. Criteria for economic viability. Geology of hydrocarbon deposits. Analysis of sedimentation basins and oil systems. Analysis of source, reservoir and capping rocks. Oil provinces in Poland.
- Geophysical methods
Principles of applied gravimetry, interpretation. Applications of magnetic method in geology and mining. Geological interpretation of geoelectrical research. Methods of well geophysics, applications, correlation of data from different methods. Geo-radar method. Methodology of surface seismic surveying, principles of interpretation and application.
- Rock and soil mechanics
Components of stress and deformation in the elastic medium. Presentation of the stress with the Mohr wheel. Compressibility, load-bearing capacity and deformability of the ground. Classification of properties of rocks and rock masses. Testing methodology. Rheological properties of rocks. Rheological properties of rocks. Mechanisms of deformation.
- Environmental mineralogy and geochemistry
Classification of minerals. Chemical bonds in minerals, isomorphism and polymorphism. Mineralogy of atmospheric dusts and aerosols. The role of colloids in environmental geochemistry: sorption, ion exchange, specific surface area, isoelectric point. Carbonate geochemistry in the lithosphere, biosphere hydrosphere and atmosphere. Examples of global geochemical cycles of elements.
- Hydrology and hydrogeology
The relationship between rainfall, surface and underground water. The catchment area. Principles of water budget. Hydrogeological properties of rocks. Groundwater filtration. Darcy's law. Filtration coefficient. Groundwater resources. Hydrogeological maps.
- Monitoring and migration of groundwater and pollution
Environmental monitoring systems. Methods of measurement and sampling. Biological monitoring. Standardization and representativeness of sampling. Interpretation of results, forecasting, modelling, simulation in groundwater monitoring and pollution migration.
- GIS in water management and protection
The types of spatial data. Global positioning systems. GIS software. GIS in cartography. Examples of applications in water management and water protection.
- Foundations, geotechnics and engineering geology
Civil engineering mapping. The principles of examining soil as a foundation. Assessment methods of ground and slope stability. Classification of grounds. Water in the ground Effects of solid and liquid phase in the ground.
- Soil science, soil contamination and reclamation
Soil-forming factors. Construction of the soil profile. Classification of soils. Soil degradation factors. Classification of formations for the needs of reclamation. Methods of reclamation.
- Environmental chemistry
The processes of chemical weathering. Geochemistry of natural waters. The role of the biosphere in the elements' cycle. The effect of pH and Eh on the mobility of elements. Processes of sorption in the environment. Organic compounds in natural and anthropogenic environment. Calibration of analytical methods. Evaluation of water chemical analysis quality.
- Mineral sorbents in environmental engineering
Classification of mineral and organic sorbents. The methods of sorbents analysis. The causes and mechanisms of sorption of elements and compounds. Examples of applications of sorbents in remediation and environmental engineering.
- Mineral waste materials
The classification of waste. Waste disposal. Principles of recovery and recycling. Fuels from waste. Management of industrial, hazardous, radioactive and e-waste.
- Waste processing and biotechnology
Systematics of the processing operations. Examples of waste processing technologies. Biotechnologies of waste water treatment. Examples of bioremediation.
- Alternative energy sources
Nuclear power. Solar energy. Geothermal power engineering. The energy from biomass. Heat pumps. Examples of environmental hazards of exploration and extraction of unconventional fuels.
- Energetic technologies
Energy conversion processes. Condensing plants. Energy boilers. Steam turbines. Cogeneration plants.
Earth and related environmental sciences
- Regional geology of Poland and the world
Principles of regionalisation of geological structures. Geological regions in the context of plate tectonics.Geological structures of Europe. Division of Poland into geological regions. Geological structure of NEs of Poland. Overview of the geological regions of Poland.
- Structural geology and tectonics
Plate tectonics. Geological structures and styles of geological formation. Structural and tectonic levels, unconformity. The mechanisms of folding. Development of thrusts and nappes, faults and shear zones. Joint and fractures. Stress fields. Graphical presentation of structural measurements.
- Geology of mineral deposits
Principal types of deposits. Genetic classification of mineral deposits. Deposits of various mineral resources in Poland - examples.
- Sedimentology
Sedimentation processes and environments. Granulometric analysis. Facial analysis of clastic rocks. Flysh. Carbonate rocks: classification, formation, diagenesis, dolomitization. Sedimentology of evaporates. Sedimentary rocks as raw materials.
- Stratigraphy and historical geology with paleontology
Geologic time scale and the bases of its construction. Geotectonic evolution of the Earth. Paleontological characteristics of individual time intervals. Basic groups of fossils. Diagnostic forms. The great extinctions.
- Geological mapping and teledetection
Topographic and geological maps, cartographic mapping, classification of maps. Methods in geological mapping. Mapping of geological structures. Global Positioning System. Aerial and satellite remote sensing. Multispectral satellite scanners. Spectral indicators of rocks and minerals. Recognition of lineaments.
- Mineralogy, crystallography and crystalochemistry
Fundamentals of crystallography. Methods of characterization of crystal structures. Principles of crystallochemistry, chemical bonds in minerals, isomorphism and polymorphism. Classification of rock-forming minerals. Ores and ore minerals of Poland. Clay minerals.
- Hydrogeology and hydrochemistry with modeling
Groundwater filtration. Darcy's law. Pumping tests and methods of interpretation. Groundwater resources. Hydrogeological maps. Hydrogeochemistry of infiltration process. Water sampling and storage. Numerical hydrogeological and hydrogeochemical models and software.
- Petrology of rocks and mineral deposits
Igneous processes and the origins of igneous rocks. Conditions and processes of metamorphism. Genetic classification of sedimentary rocks. Provenance. Determination of pressures and temperatures of geological processes. Dating geological processes. Structures of ores. Formation of clay rocks.
- General geochemistry
The origin of the elements. Crystalochemistry of chemical bonds in minerals. Elements of thermodynamics. Geochemistry of igneous processes in plate tectonics. Geochemistry of the Earth surface. Isotopes in geochronology, geochemistry of stable isotopes. Organic geochemistry. Geochemical monitoring.
- Geomorphology and quaternary geology
Fundamentals of Quaternary stratigraphy. Glacial processes, mass movements, river erosion, eolic processes, karst processes. Anthropogenic landscape. Elements of Quaternary in Poland.
- Instrumental analysis of rocks and minerals
Principle of operation, specimens, applications and limitations of: optical microscopy, SEM and TEM electron microscopy, electron microprobe, X-ray powder diffractometry, infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy. Preparation and measurements in studies of clays and clay minerals. Examples of methods in gemmology.
- Geological exploration
Analysis of drilling logs. Geophysical anomalies generated by hydrocarbon fields. Correlation of geophysical data with geological and geochemical data. Geochemical prospecting of mineral deposits. Geochemical anomalies. Geochemical barriers.
- Principles of geophysical methods.
Principles of applied gravimetry, rules of interpretation. Applications of magnetic method in geological and mining research. Geological interpretation of geoelectrical research. Methods of well geophysics, applications, correlation of data from different methods. Geo-radar method. Methodology of surface seismic measurements, principles of interpretation and application.
- Geology of oil and gas
Geology of hydrocarbon deposits. Analysis of sedimentation basins and oil systems. Genesis of conventional and unconventional deposits of fossil fuels. Basics of analysis of parent, reservoir and sealing rocks. Oil provinces in Poland.