Dynamic Earth

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

The internal structure of Planet Earth profoundly affects what we experience on its surface. Our ideas about it derive from integrating a variety of geological and geophysical data sets. These include observations on rock types, rock ages and geological structures, as well as data from modern instruments, such as GPS stations, gravimeters, magnetometers and seismometers, This module explores how such data inform us about what lies beneath our feet, from the Earth's surface to its centre. You will consider how plate tectonic theory and other concepts help (or not!) to explain our planet's main geological and geographical features. You will explore how and why rocks deform, and you will investigate how this relates to the nature and distribution of earthquakes. Through a user-friendly geographical information system, you will visualise and analyse a range of online global geo-datasets. These will enable you to examine variations in Earth's topography and shallow structure, and to work out past and present plate tectonic motions on Earth.