CLASS TIME AND PLACE: MWF 11:00-11:50 am (tentative), BESC 355
INSTRUCTORS:
Craig Jones: Phone 303-492-6994, email: cjones@cires.colorado.edu
Lang Farmer: Phone: 303-492-6534, e-mail: farmer@cires.colorado.edu.
OFFICE HOURS: Farmer; M and Tu 3-4PM, Th 2-3PM, Benson Earth Sciences Bldg
422A
Jones TBD
COURSE REQUIREMENTS: (basic chemistry and physics)
GRADING: Based upon a combination of homework (40%) and midterm (25%) and final (25%) scores plus participation in class (10%).
IMPORTANT DATES:
Labor Day (no class): September 4th
Midterm: October 9th, in class
Class Cancelled-October 11th
Thanksgiving/Fall break (no class): November 20th -24th
Final: December 19th, 10:30 am, BESC 355
TEXTBOOK: Karato, The Dynamic Structure of the Deep Earth (first half of course).
Supplemental: Turcotte and Schubert, Geodynamics, is helpful for material in
the latter part of the course.
Brown and Mussett, The Inaccessible Earth, 2nd edition (1993) is out of print
but on reserve in Benson Earth Sciences Library and will be used for some readings
Stüwe, Geodynamics of the Lithosphere: An Introduction (2002) might be
used for some readings.
SYLLABUS/READING LIST:
Week 1: Aug 28-Sept. 1
28- Introduction
30- Basic chemical principles
1- Earth accretion and early differentiation
Reading- Brown and Mussett, Chapts. 4,5; Drake (Geochimica Cosmochimica Acta, 64, p. 2362-2370, 2000)
Week 2: Sept. 4-8
4- HOLIDAY
6- Earth accretion and early differentiation-core formation
8- Core: Seismological and other geophysical constraints, the geodynamo.
Reading- Karato, Chapt. 6
Week 3: Sept. 11-15
11- Stress and strain
13- Convection in the mantle
15- Class Discussion: TBA
Reading- Karato, Ch. 4 (mainly) + some Ch. 1 + handout
Week 4: Sept. 18-22
18- Sublithospheric Mantle (Mineralogy/phase transitions)
20- Seismological layering of the mantle
22- Class Discussion: TBA
Reading-Karato, Chapt. 1, 4
Week 5: Sept. 25-29
25- Oceanic Lithosphere -thermal subsidence and heat - flow
27- How mantle melts (Divergent plate margins, generation of oceanic crust)
29- Class Discussion: TBA
Reading- Karato, Chapt. 2, 4
Week 6: Oct. 2-6
2- Convergent Plate Margins
4- Forces driving plate motion
6- Fate of Subducted Slabs-Chemical Perspective
Reading- TBA
Week 7: Oct. 9-13
9- NO CLASS
11- MIDTERM
13- Forces resisting plate motion and subduction processes
Reading- Karato, Chapt. 5
Week 8: Oct. 16-20
16-Mantle plumes
18- Plumes (Physical Perspective)
20- Discussion: TBA
Reading- review Ch. 4 Karato
Week 9: Oct. 23-27
23- Continental Lithosphere (Overview)
25- Tectosphere observations
27- Class Discusssion: TBA
Reading- Karato, Chapt. 2; Brown and Mussett, Chapt. 10
Week 10: Oct. 30-Nov. 3
30- Continental Mantle Lithosphere (Chemical Perspective), geothermometers and geobarometers
1- Continental heat flow (heat production variations, “reduced” heat flow and elastic plate thicknesses)
3- Discussion: TBA
Reading- Handouts. Brown and Mussett, Chapt. 10&11.
Week 11: Nov. 6-10
6- Continental Crust – Archean vs. Proterozoic vs. Phanerozoic
8- Mechanical lithosphere and plate bending
10- Discussion: TBA
Reading- Stüwe, Ch. 5
Week 12: Nov. 13-17
13- Internal differentiation of Crust (Lower vs. Upper Crust)
15- Strength of continental lithosphere (Brace/Goetze strength profiles) Forces of continental deformation
17 Discussion: TBA
Reading- Handouts
Week 13: Nov. 20-24
HOLIDAY
Week 14: Nov. 27-Dec. 1
27- Magma Production in Continental Lithosphere (basalts)
29- Physics of magmatism/Extensional tectonics
1- Discussion- TBA
Reading- Handouts, parts of Turcotte and Schubert (9-11, 6-12, 6-2 to 6-6)
Week 15: Dec. 4-8
4- Magma Production in Continental Lithosphere (andesites/rhyolites)
6- Key features of fold and thrust belts
8- Discussion: TBA
Reading- Handouts
Week 16: Dec. 11-15
11- Magma Production in Continental Lithosphere (granitic rocks)
13- Review
15- Discussion: TBA
Reading- Handouts
TEXTBOOKS ON RESERVE IN EARTH SCIENCES LIBRARY
Brown, G. C. and A. E. Mussett, The Inaccessible Earth, 2nd Edition
Karato, S., The Dynamic Structure of the Deep Earth: An Interdisciplinary Approach
Another good reference for geochemistry portion of class is William White’s
online Geochemistry text:
http://www.geo.cornell.edu/geology/classes/geo455/Chapters.HTML
GEOL5700 home | C. H. Jones | CIRES | Dept. of Geological Sciences | Univ. of Colorado at Boulder
Last modified at November 15, 2006 2:41 PM