GEO4131 – Geomechanics

After taking this course, you will be able to

• describe the mechanical properties, strength and stability of geomaterials under different conditions
• explain stress, strain, frictional sliding and instability
• explain rheological behaviour and flow
• apply yield and failure criteria to evaluate stability
• communicate results from your own lab work and published papers in oral and written form

Both master's students and PhD candidates can take this course.

Students admitted at UiO must apply for courses in Studentweb. Students enrolled in other master's degree programmes can, on application, be admitted to the course if this is cleared by their own study programme.

Nordic citizens and applicants residing in the Nordic countries may apply to take this course as a single course student.

If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures for international applicants.

PhD candidates from the University of Oslo should apply for classes and register for examinations through Studentweb. If a course has limited intake capacity, priority will be given to master's students who follow an individual education plan where this particular course is included.

The course has a max capacity of 20 students. If there are more than 20 applicants for GEO4131, applicants will be ranked after the following categories:

1. Master's students in Geosciences admitted to one of the following programme options (not prioritized order):
   • Applied Basin Analysis: Processes, Resources, and Evolution of Life (programme option)
   • Earth's Structures and Planetary Processes (programme option)
   • Environmental Geosciences, Geohazards, and Geomatics (programme option)
2. Other master's students at one of the following programmes / programme options (not prioritized order):
   • Geosciences (master)
   • CS: Geoscience (programme option)
3. PhD candidates from the University of Oslo (MN-faculty)
4. Other programme students at the Department of Geosciences, UiO
5. Exchange students and other students at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences
6. Others

Applicants will be ranked by the number of ECTS-credits within each category: all applicants within category 1 are ranked before applicants in category 2. If there are space limitations in the course, available places will be given to students selected randomly within the same category.

The course includes laboratory work. A laboratory safety course must be passed before you can do the laboratory exercises:

• HMS0503 – Laboratory Safety

• MAT1100 – Calculus
• FYS1001 – Introduction to Physics
• IN-GEO1900 – Introduction to Programming for Geosciences

The course includes lectures 2 hours per week, as well as practical exercises and labs 2-4 hours per week. 80% of the exercises must be approved before sitting the final exam. Up to 2 lab reports must be submitted, which count towards the final grade.

The students will participate in a short compulsory excursion, organized by the teachers. Students will write an assignment and give an oral presentation in connection with the excursion, which count towards the final grade.

Attendance at the first lecture is compulsory. Students who fail to meet are considered to have withdrawn from the course unless they have previously given notice to the course responsible.

We reserve the right to change the teaching form and examination of the course in semesters where 5 or fewer students have been admitted.

As the teaching involves laboratory and/or fieldwork, you should consider taking out a separate travel and personal risk insurance. Read about your insurance cover as a student.

• Participation in the excursion and submission of 80% of the exercises must be approved before sitting the final exam.
• The written assignment and oral presentation in connection with the excursion count 20% towards the final grade.
• Written laboratory reports count 20% towards the final grade.
• A final written exam counts 60% towards the final grade.

Mandatory assignments are valid for 5 semesters starting from the semester they were approved the first time.

It is possible to take the exam up to 3 times. If you withdraw from the exam after the deadline or during the exam, this will be counted as an examination attempt.

It will also be counted as 1 of the 3 attempts to sit the exam for this course if you sit the exam for one of the following courses:

• GEO3131 – Geomechanics (discontinued)
• GEO4130 – Engineering Geology and Geomechanics (discontinued)
• GEO9130
• GEO9131

Students who can document a valid reason for absence from the regular examination are offered a postponed examination at the beginning of the next semester.

Re-scheduled examinations are not offered to students who withdraw during, or did not pass, the original examination.