Rock Deformation and Structural Geology

3.0 credits · Undergraduate

The course begins with review of elementary principles of continuum mechanics and rheology, continuing with a discussion of deformation mechanisms commonly observed in earth materials. The geometry, kinematics, and mechanics of faults, folds, are then addressed and the class ends with a description of the tectonic setting of structural families such as thrust belts, rift provinces, and zones of strike slip deformation. A field trip provides an opportunity to apply the concepts learned in lecture.