The School of Geosciences at The University of Sydney (Australia) presents
ARCHAEAN
an International Postgraduate Course
on Geological and Biological Processes in the Primitive Earth.

Introduction

The Archaean:
The Archaean holds a particular place in the Earth's history. From 4.03 Ga to 2.5 Ga, our planet evolved from a primitive and hostile terrestrial body to a differentiated and life-supporting planet. It was a time of creation as opposed to recycling and evolution that characterize the geology and biology of the following eras.
With the juvenile crust came the creation and early development of Life on Earth. Came also extraordinarily rich ore deposits by-products of complex geodynamic processes, some unique to the Archaean.
If the Earth's primitive history appeals to you, we invite you to Sydney in August 2003...

Course Program:
This exiting postgraduate course has 2 components:
•From Geodynamics to Biogenesis: a 5-day short course (4-8 August 2003) where biologists, physicists and geoscientists will present and debate the most recent research on the Earth’s primitive history;
•A Mission Through Time: a 5-day fieldtrip (10-14 August 2003) to the Pilbara (Western Australia), one of the oldest and best exposed cratons on Earth. A unique natural laboratory to study early geological and biological processes.

Course Audience:
The course has been designed not only for postgraduate students in Geosciences, but also students in Mathematics, Physics, and Life Sciences with a genuine curiosity for planet Earth. The participation of students from various disciplines will provide a dynamic learning environment.

General Information

Dates & Locations:
• 4-8 August 2003: "From Geodynamics to Biogenesis", the 5-day short course will be held at the University of Sydney.
• 10-14 August 2003: "A Mission Through Time", the 5-day fieldtrip will bring us to the Pilbara craton, Western Australia.

Course Fees:
• Short course: AU$ 3,000 (~ US$ 1,500) or AU$600 per day (~US$300)
• Fieldtrip: AU$ 3,000 (~ US$ 1,500)
• The whole package: AU$ 5,000 (~ US$ 2,500)

Deadlines and Discounts:
• 28 February 2003: Pre-registration (15% discount) with a 20% non-refundable deposit.
• 30 April 2003: Registration (10% discount) with a 20% non-refundable deposit.
• 30 June 2003: Final payment.

Course Assessment & Credit Point Equivalence:
• Assessment will be based on a 4000-word essay (deadline: 1 September 2003) and field reports when applicable.
• A certificate, summarising the course content, your results and ranking, will be delivered at completion of the course.
• This certificate will help you to claim an equivalent unit at your home university.
• The program for the 2003 edition is equivalent to a 4 credit-point subject (i.e: 24 hours of lectures, 36 hours of practical).

Travel Arrangements:
• Please note that participants to the fieldtrip must arrange their own airfare to the Pilbara according to specific schedules. Full details can be found below.

5-Day Short Course

Monday 4 August 2003 (8:30-9 am)
•The Past is the Future! by Patrice Rey

Monday 4 August 2003 (9-12 am / 1-4 pm)
•Morning: From the Big Bang to the FirstRock by Peter Barnes
•Afternoon: From the First Rock to the Primitive Continental Lithosphere by Patrice Rey

Tuesday 5 August 2003 (9-12 am / 1-4 pm)
•Morning: Numerical Modelling on the Geodynamics of a Hot Earth by Dietmar Mueller
•Afternoon: Archaean Continental Lithospheres: Structure and Origin by William Griffin

Wednesday 6 August 2003 (10-12 am / 1-4 pm)
•Morning: Non-Plate Tectonics Processes in the Archaean by Martin Kranendonk & Patrice Rey
•Afternoon: Plate Tectonics Processes in the Archaean by Derek Wyman

Thursday 7 August 2003 (9-12 am / 1-4 pm)
•Morning: The Mineral Wealth of Archaean Cratons by John Ridley
•Afternoon: The Genesis of Gold Deposits by Joel Brugger

Friday 8 August (9-12 am / 1-4 pm)
•Morning: Biogenesis and Early Life Processes by Malcolm Walter
•Afternoon: Archaean Biochemical Tracers by Adriana Dutkiewicz & Pascal Philippot

Friday 8 August (7:20 pm) -> Departure for the Pilbara

5-Day Fieldtrip

The Field:
The field component of the course will bring us to the Pilbara craton in Western Australia. The quality of the exposure, the primitive nature of its rock formations, and the natural beauty of its landscape will make this fieldtrip a unique life-time experience.

The Leaders:
Martin Van Kranendonk, Patrice Rey and Pascal Philippot

Travel Arrangements:
Please note that participants to the fieldtrip must arrange their own airfare to the Pilbara according to the following schedules:

Travel to the Pilbara:
• On 8 August 2003: Travel from Sydney to Perth.
• On 9 August 2003: Travel from Perth to Port Hedland and Marble Bar.
• Marble Bar, where we will be based while in the field, is a 2 hour drive from Port-Hedland.

The Fieldtrip:
• Day 1 (10 August 2003): North Pole - The 3.4 to 3.2 Ga old Warrawoona Greenstone, Underwater Volcanics, Hydrothermal Vent Systems - Stromatolites.
• Day 2 (11 August 2003): Streilley Pool - The oldest rock formation in the Pilbara and older erosional surface on Earth.
• Day 3 (12 August 2003): Cross-Section Through a Granite-Greenstone Belt
• Day 4 (13 August 2003): Marble Bar - The Warrawoona Syncline as aTriple Junction System
• Day 5 (14 August 2003): Marble Bar - Looking for Gold...

Travel Back to Sydney:
• On 14 August 2003: Travel from Marble Bar to Port-Hedland in the evening.
• On 15 August 2003: Travel from Port Hedland to Perth and Sydney.

List of Speakers