Physics and Chemistry of the Earth

GEOL 5700 section 1, Fall 2008

Instructors:

• Craig Jones, ESCI 440C, x2-6994, cjones@cires.colorado.edu
• Lang Farmer, ESCI 422A, (303-49)2-6534, e-mail: farmer@cires.colorado.edu.

Text:

• Anderson, New Theory of the Earth (2007), required
• Supplemental: Karato, The Dynamic Structure of the Deep Earth
  • Turcotte and Schubert, Geodynamics, 2nd edition.
  • Brown and Mussett, The Inaccessible Earth, 2nd edition (1993) is out of print but on reserve and will be used for some readings
  • Stüwe, Geodynamics of the Lithosphere: An Introduction (2002) might be used for some readings.
  • Don Anderson's Theory of the Earth has useful information; it is out of print but available online as pdfs

Coursework:

• Homeworks as assigned
• Readings (2/week most weeks, to be discussed Fridays)
• Midterm Exam
• Final Exam

News:

• CULearn webpage is more up to date generally
• 2008 syllabus
• 2008 readings completed
• Readings

This week's schedule:

17- Magma Production in Continental Lithosphere (basalts; FARMER)

19- Geophysics of crust; Physics of magmatism/Extensional tectonics (JONES)

21- Discussion-

Silver, P. G., M. D. Behn, K. Kelley, M. Schmitz, and B. Savage, Understanding cratonal flood basalts, Earth Plan. Sci. Letts., 245, 190-201, 2006.

Buck, W. R., Einarsson, P., and Brandsdottir, B., 2006, Tectonic stress and magma chamber size as controls on dike propagation: Constraints from the 1975-1984 Krafla rifting episode: Journal of Geophysical Research-Solid Earth, v. 111, no. B12,

Reading-  Handouts, Farmer Treatise on Geochemistry paper on continental basaltic rocks, parts of Turcotte and Schubert (9-11, 6-12, 6-2 to 6-6)

Next week's schedule:

Nov. 24-28: Vacation

Dec. 1- Magma Production in Continental Lithosphere (andesites/rhyolites; FARMER)

3- Physics of earthquakes (JONES)

5- Discussion: TBA

Reading-  Handouts, part of Stein and Wysession

What's here now:

• Math background handout (pdf; from R. Anderson)
• Rheology handout
• Convection handout
• Seafloor subsidence handout

Important Dates:

• First class: Aug,. 25
• Labor Day (no class): September 1st
• Midterm: October 6th, in class
• Class Cancelled-November 3rd
• Thanksgiving/Fall break (no class): November 24th -28th
• Final: Last regular class OR December 16th, 10:30 am, BESC 155

Topics:

• Creation of the Earth
• Differentiation of the Earth
• Core's chemistry
• The geodynamo and magnetic history of the Earth
• Mantle convection and viscosity structure
• Seismological and chemical transitions in the mantle
• Plumes: chemical constraints, physical models
• Origin and transport of melts
• Evolution of oceanic lithosphere
• Continental lithosphere over geologic time

Links

• Silicate Gallery of the Virtual Museum of Minerals and Molecules
• Mike Sandiford's discussion of lateral heat conduction and reduced heat flow problems
• Java script showing difference between slab heating and exponential decay heating (Sandiford)

GEOL5700 home | C. H. Jones | CIRES | Dept. of Geological Sciences | Univ. of Colorado at Boulder

Last modified at November 18, 2008 2:45 PM