Typically, there are not prerequisite course. Essentially, the students should possess:

(a) knowledge provided through the previously taught theoretical course of ‘Geochemistry”.

By the end of this course the student will be able to:                    

• Understand the use of geochemical exploration for resolving environmental problems and to identify sources of metallic minerals on land and at sea, as well as for oil exploration.
• Understand the design and implementation of research to determine environmental conditions.
• Compose a scientific report on environmental problems of an area associated with the exploration of mineral resources.

Generally, by the end of this course the student will, furthermore, have develop the following general abilities (from the list above):

• Searching, analysis and synthesis of facts and information, as well as using the necessary technologies
• Autonomous (Independent) work
• Group work

Lectures

1. Geochemical survey for ore exploration on land: basic principles of geochemical exploration. Geochemical environments. Primary dispersions. Affinity forms and epigenetic forms of dispersion. Territories, secondary geochemical dispersions. Forms of secondary geochemical dispersion. Geochemical abnormalities in aqueous systems, runoff sediments, residual soils. Biogeochemical survey.
2. Geochemical survey for the detection of underwater deposits. Modern underwater deposits. Metalliferous sediments. Manganese nodules. Alluvial Phosphorus deposits.
3. Geochemical survey for oil exploration. Methods of surface geochemical exploration. Use of volatile hydrocarbons of special mineral carbonaceous adhesives. γ-irradiation measurements, iodine geochemical anomalies, biogeochemical abnormalities.
4. Environmental - Medical Geochemistry: types of pollutants, organic and inorganic pollutants, composition, behavior and fate of dispersible pollutants in water systems. Metal levels in organisms. Toxicity of metals. Sources of metal origin in the environment. Harmful effect of metals on human health. Characteristic metals, lead, cadmium, nickel, chromium, arsenic, mercury.

Laboratory work

1. Geochemical mapping
2. Utility of geochemical maps: agriculture, environmental protection, water supply, medicine, public health.
3. Soil quality and public health - Harmful effect of polluted soils. Water quality and public health.
4. Measures to protect public health.
5. Geochemical environmental quality criteria.
6. Specific criteria for food production environments.
7. Methodologies for estimating environmental geochemical conditions in soils.
8. Methods of estimating environmental geochemical conditions in aqueous systems.
9. Environmental conditions in special environments.
10. Methods of water body remediation.
11. Wastewater management. • Solid waste management.
12. Estimation of the impact of the disposal of solid waste in water systems.
13.  Assessment of the impact of the disposal of waste water on water systems. 

• Lectures, seminars and laboratory work face to face.
• Lectures: using slides for overhead projector and/or power-point presentations.
• Open eClass - Asynchronous eLearning Platform: storage and presentation of teaching material.
• Laboratories:  Students are assigned a thin section suite to work out an essay on the metamorphic conditions and processes of a specific study area.

• Use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) (e.g. powerpoint) in teaching. The lectures content of the course for each chapter are uploaded on the internet, in the form of a series of ppt files, where from the students can freely download them using a password which is provided to them at the beginning of the course.
• Use of polarizing microscope employed with a digital camera for capturing and analyzing representative images through the use of specialized software packages (ProgRes CapturePro 2.9.0.1 by JENOPTIC)

1. Written examination (75% of the final mark)
2. An essay comprising the outcome of the exercise assignments on the igneous conditions of a specific study area (25% of the final mark).

Percentages are valid t only when the student secures the minimum mark of 5 in the final written examination

Greek grading scale: 1 to 10. Minimum passing grade: 5.

Grades <3 correspond to ECTS grade F.

Grade 4 corresponds to ECTS grade FX.

For the passing grades the following correspondence normally holds:

Suggested bibliography:

1. Σημειώσεις του διδάσκοντα.
2. Σχετικές επιστημονικής δημοσιεύσεις
3. Κουκουλάκης, Πρ., Καλαβρουζιώτης, Ι., Κόκκινος, Π., (2017). Η Γεωχημική Συμπεριφορά των Βαρέων Μετάλλων στο Περιβάλλον. ISBN: 978-960-418-710-2
4. De Vivo, Harvey E. Belkin and Annamaria Lima (Eds) (2008) Environmental Geochemistry

Related academic journals:

1. Environmental Geochemistry and Health