SubjectsSubjects(version: 996)
Course, academic year 2026/2027
  
   
Geochemistry - AB240008
Title: Geochemistry
Form of teaching: lecture
Guaranteed by: Department of Environmental Chemistry (240)
Faculty: Faculty of Environmental Technology
Actual: from 2022
Duration in semesters: 1
Semester: winter
Points: winter s.:4
E-Credits: winter s.:4
Examination process: winter s.:
Hours per week, examination: winter s.:2/1, C+Ex [HT]
Capacity: unlimited / unlimited (unknown)
Maximum number of enrolled students: unlimited
Min. number of students: unlimited
State of the course: taught
Language: English
Teaching methods: full-time
Level:  
Repeated enrollment: - / - / - / 9
Guarantor: Kroužek Jiří Ing. Ph.D.
Interchangeability : B240008
Examination dates   Schedule   
Annotation -
This course brings the theoretical basis of geochemistry and related branches with focus on environmental chemistry. Students will learn about the chemical description of the pedosphere, its biology and the physical characterization of the soil environment that affects its chemistry. Students will also get acquainted with the main physico-chemical and chemical processes which takes place in the pedosphere including the basic natural geochemical cycles of the most important elements, as well as the anthropogenic soil degradation processes. The course will cover basic aspects of geology and geography. This course will help students to better understand the applied environmental engineering focused on the soil environment. These skills are further developed in the follow-up master's study towards practice.
Last update: Fialová Jana (10.05.2019)
Course completion requirements -

In order to successfully complete this course, students have to obtain a credit and pass the final exam. To obtain credit, students have to pass credit test containing calculations and prepare and present a critical overview on a topic of their choice.

Last update: Kroužek Jiří (31.08.2026)
Literature

Recommended:

  • White, William M.. Geochemistry. Hoboken, NJ: A John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, 2013, s. ISBN 978-1-119-43805-2.
  • Fetter, C. W.. Applied hydrogeology. Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press, 2018, s. ISBN 978-1-4786-3709-7.
  • Ryan, Peter Crowley. Environmental and low temperature geochemistry. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2020, s. ISBN 9781119568582.

Optional:

  • Hillel, Daniel, Rosenzweig, Cynthia, Baker, Ralph S., Warrick, Arthur W.. Environmental soil physics. Sand Diego, CA: Academic Press, 1998, s. ISBN 0-12-348525-8.
  • Appelo, C. Anthony J., and Dieke Postma. Geochemistry, groundwater and pollution. London, UK: CRC Press, 2005, s. ISBN 9780429152320.
  • Evangelou, V.P.. Environmental Soil and Water Chemistry: Principles and Applications. : John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1998, s. ISBN 978-0471165156.
  • MITCHELL, J. K., & SOGA, K.. Fundamentals of soil behavior. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2005, s. ISBN 978-0-471-46302-7.

Last update: prepocet_literatura.php (19.12.2024)
Requirements to the exam

Admission to the exam is contingent upon earning a credit, which will be granted based on a credit test involving the calculation of several examples from the material covered in class and upon completion of a mandatory research presentation. The exam consists of a written and an oral portion. The written portion takes the form of a test with 40 questions, each with one correct answer. The maximum score is 100 points. Grading: 100–90 points – A, 89–80 points – B, 79–70 points – C, 69–60 points – D, 59–50 points – E, less than 50 – F. Students may take the oral portion only after earning at least 50 points on the written portion. The oral portion takes the form of a dialogue with the instructor, with questions based both on the results of the written test and on randomly selected topics from the course material. To successfully pass the oral portion of the exam, students must demonstrate a basic understanding of each topic, scoring at least 50%. The overall grade for the course is then calculated as the average of the written test and the oral portion of the exam.

Last update: Kroužek Jiří (31.08.2026)
Syllabus -

1. Fundamentals of Geology – composition of the Earth and formation of the Earth’s crust, structural geology, endogenous and exogenous geological processes, geological structure of the Czech Republic

2. Fundamentals of Geography – geographic and astronomical coordinates, spherical calculations, GPS and coordinate systems, geological maps

3. Pedosphere and Soil – pedological terminology, pedogenesis and soil-forming factors and processes, soil profile and soil classification

4. Physical Properties of Soil – mechanical properties, porosity, texture and structure, soil water and air, heat in soil and thermal properties, soil degradation

5. Mineral component of soil – soil composition and terminology, crystal chemistry and crystal lattices, mineral classification, soil minerals, rocks, soil analysis

6. Organic component of soil – soil organic matter, its components and sources, humus, interactions with minerals, transformation and analysis, degradation of organic matter

7. Soil biota—classification of organisms, characteristics of mesofauna and the microbiome, importance of microorganisms, decomposition processes, biofilm and rhizosphere, ecological stoichiometry

8. Chemical and phase equilibria in soil – thermodynamic quantities, chemical equilibrium and equilibrium constants, kinetics, phase equilibria, soil solution, dissolution/precipitation, acid-base, redox, and complexation reactions

9. Soil Sorption – Characteristics and Sorbenets, Mechanisms of Soil Sorption, Adsorption Isotherms, Partition Coefficients, Soil Sorption Complex, Adsorption of Contaminants

10. Geochemical processes – geochemical and biogeochemical cycles, geochemistry of C, N, S, P, and certain metals, transformation processes of their compounds in soil, soil acidification, and other degradation processes

11. Soil Contamination – classification of contaminants, heavy metals, inorganic contaminants, organic pollutants, micropollutants

12. Fundamentals of Hydrogeology – flow in the saturated and unsaturated zones, types of groundwater aquifers, Darcy’s law, heat in soil, atmogeochemistry

13. Fate of Contaminants in Soil – Sources of Contamination, Transport Processes, Decontamination Technologies

14. Environmental Threats to Soil – Climate Change, Carbon Sequestration, Application of Fertilizers, Pesticides, Sludge, or Biochar in Agriculture, Metallurgical or Mining Wastes, PCP and PFAS Pollution, Groundwater Sources

Last update: Kroužek Jiří (31.08.2026)
Learning outcomes -

Upon completion of the course, students will be able to

• Describe the formation of common rocks and soils, identify their basic characteristics, and analyze their relationship to engineering-relevant properties and processes.

• Determine key physical, chemical, and biological properties of soil, such as texture, structure, composition, cation exchange capacity, biochemical activity, or pH; describe the principles of measurement and interpret data for various applications

• Explain the principles of basic physicochemical processes in soil, such as adsorption, ion exchange, precipitation, or redox reactions; determine their significance for individual substances present in soil; and compare the geochemical behavior of these substances in different types of environments.

• Calculate the equilibrium distributions of soil components among phases and speciation forms in a specific system, interpret basic geochemical data such as pE-pH diagrams, etc., and analyze the key factors influencing the system’s equilibrium

• Describe the major geochemical cycles of key elements, explain the role of individual environmental components—including soil biota—in these cycles, and assess the extent of anthropogenic influence on them.

• Formulate the principles of groundwater flow, work with key hydrogeological concepts such as aquifer, hydraulic head, and groundwater level, and calculate basic characteristics of groundwater flow.

• Characterize the main processes that influence the transport of contaminants in the subsurface and analyze geochemical data from contaminated sites to identify possible sources and the main transport pathways and mechanisms of contamination

• Explain the geochemical mechanisms of common environmental threats to soil quality, such as erosion, acidification, salinization, or contamination from various sources, and propose and compare possible remediation solutions.

Last update: Kroužek Jiří (31.08.2026)
Registration requirements -

General and Inorganic Chemistry I

Physical Chemistry I

Recommended: Environmental Chemistry or Environmental Engineering, Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry

Last update: Fialová Jana (10.05.2019)
 
VŠCHT Praha