Environmental Geology unit (KEA348)

Hobart

Introduction

This unit has a strong focus on sustainability, social license, and environmental management related to natural resources; addressing themes such as i) the environmental impacts of mining and associated management challenges; ii) the mineralogical controls on the mobility of metal(loid)s in mine waste and environmental systems (i.e. lakes, wetlands, soils); iii) geophysical characterisation of inorganic and organic contaminants in groundwater; and iv) explores techniques for minimizing environmental impacts throughout the mining life cycle, from early ore characterisation through to mineral processing and waste management.

Summary

Unit name	Environmental Geology
Unit code	KEA348
Credit points	12.5
College/School	Sciences and Engineering School of Natural Sciences
Discipline	Earth Sciences
Coordinator	Doctor Owen Missen
Available as an elective?	Yes
Delivered By	University of Tasmania
Level	Advanced

Availability

Location	Study period	Attendance options		Available to
Hobart	Semester 2

Note

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Key Dates

Study Period	Start date	Census date	WW date	End date
Semester 2	5/7/2026	27/7/2026	30/8/2026	24/10/2026

* The Final WW Date is the final date from which you can withdraw from the unit without academic penalty, however you will still incur a financial liability (refer to How do I withdraw from a unit? for more information).

Unit census dates currently displaying for 2026 are indicative and subject to change. Finalised census dates for 2026 will be available from the 1st October 2025. Note census date cutoff is 11.59pm AEST (AEDT during October to March).

About Census Dates

Learning Outcomes

• Explain the principles, processes and products of rock-water interactions in the near-surface environment.
• Discuss and compare sustainable mining and resource development principles to formulate strategies that improve environmental, social, and governance outcomes.
• Collect, analyse, and interpret environmental data using a variety of geological, geochemical, and geophysical techniques.
• Assess, evaluate, and communicate risk about environmental and human health to diverse stakeholders.

Fee Information

Field of Education	Commencing Student Contribution 1,3	Grandfathered Student Contribution 1,3	Approved Pathway Course Student Contribution 2,3	Domestic Full Fee 4
050999	$1,192.00	$1,192.00	not applicable	$3,575.00

• Available as a Commonwealth Supported Place
• HECS-HELP is available on this unit, depending on your eligibility³
• FEE-HELP is available on this unit, depending on your eligibility⁴

¹ Please refer to more information on student contribution amounts.
² Please refer to more information on eligibility and Approved Pathway courses.
³ Please refer to more information on eligibility for HECS-HELP.
⁴ Please refer to more information on eligibility for FEE-HELP.

If you have any questions in relation to the fees, please contact UniConnect or more information is available on StudyAssist.

Please note: international students should refer to What is an indicative Fee? to get an indicative course cost.

Requisites

Prerequisites

KEA208 AND KEA209

Teaching

Teaching Pattern	2x1-hr tutorials (12 wks), 3-hr practical weekly (12 wks), 3 days field work.
Assessment	Case Study Presentation (10%)|Lecture quizzes (15%)|Practicals (35%)|Field Excursion Report (40%)
Timetable	View the lecture timetable | View the full unit timetable

Textbooks

Required

No textbooks are required. Soft copies of key papers will be uploaded to MyLO.

Recommended

These materials will be useful to your developing knowledge and understanding of the content in this unit, but you are not required to purchase them. When seeking sources of evidence to support your assignment work, you will find these a useful starting point Merkel, B.J., and Planer-Friedrich, B. (2008). Groundwater Geochemistry. A Practical Guide to Modeling of Natural and Contaminated Aquatic Systems Lottermoser B.G. (2010) Mine Wastes Characterization, Treatment and Environmental Impacts (3rd ed.), Springer-Verlag. Price M. (1996) Introducing Groundwater, Chapman and Hall.  Milsom J. (2003) Field Geophysics (3rd ed.), John Wiley & Sons. Fetter C.W. (2014) Applied hydrogeology (4th ed.) Pearson Education Ltd. Recent papers on environmental geology and geometallurgy in Tasmania include the following UTAS-led papers: Allen, C.C., Cracknell, M.J., Miller, C.B., Missen, O.P., Meffre, S., 2025. Practical Application of Geophysical Methods for Characterisation of Waste Rock Dumps. Mine Water and the Environment. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10230-025-01086-5  Appiah, A.A.A. et al., 2025. Geometallurgical Characterization of the Arthur River Magnesite Deposit, Northwestern Tasmania for Pathways to Production. Minerals, 15(3): 48. Appiah, A.A.A. et al., 2026. Recovery of magnesite from silicate gangue minerals via reverse flotation using a novel alkyl ether amine collector. Powder Technology, 469: 121886. Moyo, A., Parbhakar-Fox, A., Meffre, S., Cooke, D.R., 2023a. Alkaline industrial wastes – Characteristics, environmental risks, and potential for mine waste management. Environmental Pollution, 323: 121292. Moyo, A., Parbhakar-Fox, A., Meffre, S., Cooke, D.R., 2023b. Geoenvironmental characterisation of legacy mine wastes from Tasmania–Environmental risks and opportunities for remediation and value recovery. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 454: 131521. Musa, E.D. et al., 2025. Coarse Froth Flotation to Optimise Scheelite Recovery. Minerals, 15(11): 1183. Nascimento, S.C. et al., 2023a. Long-Term Impact of Historical Mining on Water Quality at Mount Lyell, Western Tasmania, Australia. Mine Water and the Environment, 42: 399–417. Nascimento, S.C. et al., 2023b. Geochemical, mineralogical, and geophysical methods to establish the geoenvironmental characteristics of the King River delta, Queenstown, Western Tasmania. Applied Geochemistry, 159: 105820. Nascimento, S.C., Cooke, D.R., Cracknell, M.J., Miller, C.B., Parbhakar-Fox, A., 2025. Min

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