Energy Geology Course Combines Data and Practical Learning

Students in the Iceland School of Energy’s Energy Geology course got a closer look beneath Iceland’s surface this semester, working directly with drill cores collected from different geological settings across the country.

Led by Dr. David McNamara, Visiting Professor at the Iceland School of Energy and Senior Lecturer at the University of Liverpool, Energy Geology is designed to give students the foundational geoscience knowledge they need before progressing into more specialised courses in geothermal energy and other subsurface energy fields.

Now in its 10th year, the hybrid course combines classroom teaching, online learning, geological datasets and practical work with real geological material. Students build a foundation in geology, structural geology, volcanology, geothermal systems and geomechanics, while developing skills in interpreting geological maps, well data and subsurface structures. The course continues to evolve, with its content and practical activities developing alongside the knowledge and skills students need for more specialised study in geothermal and subsurface energy.

As part of this approach, students worked with drill cores loaned from the collections of Náttúrufræðistofnun, with the support of María Helga Guðmundsdóttir, who helped identify material suited to the course and facilitate the educational loan. The cores were selected to give students examples of contrasting geological characteristics and different stages of alteration.

For McNamara, having students work directly with the cores is an important part of the learning experience. Handling the rock allows students to see how geology changes with depth, recognise differences between cores, and understand how subsurface conditions can vary from one location to another, observations that are much harder to appreciate from images and datasets alone.

During the practical session, students examined and logged the cores, identifying features including fresh and altered basalt, fractures, vesicular textures, red beds, veins and secondary mineralisation. Working directly with the rock allowed students to connect concepts introduced through lectures, online learning and geological datasets with physical evidence from the subsurface.

This is particularly important in geothermal exploration and development, where geoscientists bring together multiple sources of information to understand conditions below ground. Rock samples and drill cores form part of a wider picture that can include well data, geological maps and other subsurface datasets.

The experience helps prepare students for later courses focused on geothermal reservoirs, drilling, modelling and other aspects of geothermal energy. It also highlights the value of collaboration beyond the university, with access to geological collections giving ISE students the opportunity to learn directly from Iceland’s geology as part of their studies.