How is the subsurface structured, and how does it influence spatial and social issues? In this Blended Learning course, you’ll learn to understand and apply the basic principles of geology and the subsurface. You’ll work with geological maps, boreholes, subsurface models, and open data, and learn how to use this information to analyze the subsurface and assess spatial issues.
During this Blended Learning course, you’ll learn how to systematically investigate and interpret the structure of the subsurface. You’ll combine geological knowledge with boreholes, borings, maps, models, and other open subsurface data. This will teach you how to translate subsurface information into actionable insights for issues related to groundwater, land subsidence, infrastructure, land-use planning, and geothermal energy.
A thorough subsurface analysis begins with an understanding of the processes that have shaped the Earth and the landscape. You’ll learn how rocks and sediments form and how processes such as sedimentation, erosion, tectonics, glaciation, and changes in marine and river systems influence the subsurface.
You’ll be introduced to concepts such as rocks, minerals, sediments, stratigraphy, and geological time. You’ll also examine how geological layers differ in age, composition, thickness, and spatial distribution.
Attention is also given to the Dutch and European geological context. You’ll learn why the relatively young sedimentary subsurface of large parts of the Netherlands differs significantly from, for example, mountainous regions, areas of ancient rock, and other sedimentary basins in Europe. By understanding these processes, you’ll be able to not only examine subsurface data but also interpret it geologically.
A reliable analysis of the subsurface begins with suitable data. That is why you’ll work with real and open datasets, such as boreholes, soundings, geological maps, groundwater data, and digital subsurface models.
For the Netherlands, you’ll be introduced to resources such as the Basic Subsurface Registry (BRO), BROloket, DINOloket, and other available government data. In addition, you’ll learn how to locate geological data and models from other European countries and how to use European data sources to investigate geological information across national borders.
You’ll learn to assess which data are suitable for a specific issue, paying attention to scale, timeliness, accuracy, and uncertainty. For example, a borehole is an observation at a single specific location, while a geological model provides an interpretation of the subsurface between different observation points. This distinction is important for drawing reliable conclusions.
Much of the information about the subsurface is collected at individual locations. A key challenge, therefore, is determining how geological layers likely extend between different measurement points.
You will learn to compare boreholes and other observations spatially and examine how differences in depth, lithology, and stratigraphy can be interpreted. Based on this information, you will learn to represent the subsurface using maps, profiles, and geological cross-sections.
In doing so, you will discover that the subsurface has not been directly observed everywhere. You will therefore learn to distinguish between measured data and interpreted information and to account for uncertainty when reconstructing geological layers between observation points.
The subsurface is three-dimensional. Therefore, a map of the ground level alone is not sufficient to understand what lies at different depths. You’ll be introduced to 3D subsurface models that allow for the spatial analysis of geological layers and structures.
In QGIS, you’ll combine subsurface data with other geographic information and investigate how geological units vary horizontally and vertically. You’ll learn to view data from different depths and examine the relationship between observations, cross-sections, and models.
This creates a spatial picture that not only shows where certain geological units occur, but also how deep they lie, how thick they are, and how they relate to other parts of the subsurface.
The geological structure has a major influence on the movement and availability of groundwater. For example, sandy layers can allow water to pass through relatively easily, while clayey layers can restrict groundwater flow.
You will learn how geological layers relate to aquifers and impermeable layers, and how this structure affects groundwater flow. You will also explore the relationship between the subsurface, soil, elevation, and landscape.
This makes it clear why knowledge of the geological subsurface is important for a wide range of issues related to groundwater, drought, land subsidence, and spatial development. Further in-depth study of groundwater and hydrogeology takes place through a specialized Blended Learning program within this field.
During the Blended Learning program, you’ll work with realistic real-world examples and open-access subsurface data. You’ll examine not only the geological structure of an area but, more importantly, what this subsurface structure means for the use and development of that area.
Your assignments will include, among other things:
Upon completion, you will have the basic knowledge and practical skills to independently investigate and interpret the structure of the subsurface. You will be able to combine geological observations, open-access subsurface data, maps, cross-sections, and models, and translate the results into actionable information for spatial and societal issues. As such, this Blended Learning course lays the foundation for further specialization within the field of Geology and the Subsurface.
You’ll receive 1-on-1 guidance. After signing up, our course coordinator will contact you to schedule your first session.
Do you have questions about the course content? Or are you unsure whether the course aligns with your learning goals or preferences? Would you prefer an in-house or private course? We’d be happy to help.
The European subsurface is extremely diverse and has been shaped by hundreds of millions of years of tectonics, sedimentation, erosion, volcanism, glaciation, and other geological processes. As a result, the young sedimentary bedrock of the Netherlands, the rocks of Scandinavia, the Alps, and other European mountain ranges, and the large sedimentary basins differ greatly from one another. During the course, you will learn to interpret geological maps and subsurface data and to investigate how geological history and processes explain the current structure of various European regions.
In the Netherlands, the Basic Subsurface Registry (BRO), BROloket, DINOloket, and PDOK are important sources for, among other things, boreholes, borehole logs, soil maps, groundwater data, and subsurface models. For research outside the Netherlands, many countries have their own national geological services and data portals. At the European level, the European Geological Data Infrastructure (EGDI) provides access to harmonized geological maps and datasets from various European countries. During the course, you’ll learn how to find suitable data sources, view and download data, and combine it in QGIS. You’ll also learn to account for differences in scale, classification, timeliness, and accuracy when using data from different countries.
The subsurface cannot be directly observed everywhere. Geologists therefore combine data from sources such as boreholes, soundings, geophysical measurements, and geological maps to determine how layers and structures likely extend between measurement locations. This information can be incorporated into geological profiles, cross-sections, and 3D subsurface models. During the course, you will learn to interpret such data and models and to assess which parts are based directly on measurements and where modeling and uncertainty come into play.
Geological information plays an important role throughout Europe in housing construction, infrastructure, tunnels, groundwater management, land subsidence, geothermal energy, energy storage, raw materials, and underground storage. The relevant issues vary by region: low-lying sedimentary areas face different challenges than mountainous areas, coastal zones, or areas with tectonic activity. During the course, you will learn to combine geological and spatial data to assess which subsurface characteristics are relevant to a specific area and issue.
