For the fifth time Omani and international 6^th semester students of the Department of Applied Geosciences at GUtech successfully participated in a geological field excursion to Spain recently.
The 10-day excursion was held in Aliaga (Teruel Province, Aragon, in the Western part of Spain) and supervised by Assist. Prof. Dr. Celine Ducassou and Dr. Guilhem Estournes, with the help of Ms. Alina Götz. The town of Aliaga is a very famous place for geological excursions and several Universities in Europe are organizing every year their Geological Mapping courses in Aliaga.
“The students were studying one of the most classical exercises in Geosciences: Geological Mapping. They were divided in groups of 2 and given an area to study. Every day, they collected data on the field and had to combine the knowledge they acquired during their studies in different topics, in order to provide a geological map and a cross-section of their mapping area; then to reconstitute the geological history of the area from their observations,” said Dr. Celine, who has been organizing the excursions in the past years. The geological field area is located in the Geological Park of Aliaga and its surroundings. “This area is particularly well exposed and provides well-preserved fossils, sedimentary structures and interesting structural features like so-called faults and folds.
“The trip to Spain was a very educational and fun one. Aliaga Village is a remote area away from the city. The geology of Aliaga area is very amazing, the rocks , fold and faults can clearly be seen in the mountains. The trip was a one in a life time experience! To get an opportunity to map such an area and doing it independently was a both a challenge and an experience I would never forget!” said BSc Applied Geosciences student Ahlam Mohammed Al Jabri. For the Omani students, this excursion was also the opportunity to discover and adapt to a different culture and environment. “The mapping course was a valuable and fun experience. Every day we walked and hiked for several kilometers in the Mountains, exploring and mapping the different formations in the area. Throughout the trip we gained many experience and skills in creating a geological map, cross section, stratigraphic column and how to work independently in the field,” said Sabra Al Shaqsi.
The students also had to organize their meals by themselves. “In the small village of Aliaga, very few people speak English, but the students managed somehow to communicate with them” said Dr. Celine. “Geologists often work in a multi-cultural environment; such an experience is therefore beneficial for them, and often appreciated by their employers. Most of the students graduating in the AGEO BSc at GUtech are pursuing their studies abroad, mainly in Europe where they will be exposed to such a cultural (and climatic) experience,” said Dr. Celine.
“The field trip to Spain was really intriguing as we were exposed to a different geology compared to Oman and we learned the basic fundamentals in geological mapping,” said AGEO student AL-Muhanna Mohammed Al Harty.