INTRODUCTION TO GEOPHYSICS: THE DYNAMIC EARTH

Prerequisites & course information

Requisites: MATH 217, 221 , graduate/professional standing, or member of Engineering Guest Students Course Designation: Core GenEd - Natural Science & Wellness + Lab Level - Intermediate L&S Credit - L&S Liberal Arts and Science Grad 50% - Counts toward 50% graduate coursework requirement Repeatable for Credit: No Last Taught: Spring 2026 Learning Outcomes: 1. Recognize at least three factors to consider during the design of a geophysical survey. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 2. Show how the travel times, amplitudes, and polarities of different kinds of seismic waves can be used to locate earthquakes, determine their focal mechanisms, and estimate their size. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 3. Describe how the thicknesses and seismic velocities of geologic units can be estimated from seismic refractions and reflections. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 4. Describe the factors that cause variations in gravitational acceleration across Earth’s surface, and explain how gravity anomalies can be used to estimate variations in mass at depth. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 5. Draw Earth's magnetic field lines, describe how rocks record information about Earth's paleomagnetic field, and describe how paleomagnetic measurements can be used to infer movement of Earth’s tectonic plates through time. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 6. Define the concept of "magnetic anomaly", describe how magnetic surveys can be used for local studies of the subsurface, and describe circumstances in which magnetic surveys may be useful. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 7. Define geotherm and describe why temperatures increase with depth below Earth's surface. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 8. State the theory of plate tectonics and describe at least three kinds of supporting evidence, enumerate the major types of tectonic plate boundaries and the type of movement that occurs at each, and describe what drives the movements of the plates. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 9. Explain the relationship between gravitational force and mass. Audience: Graduate 10. Describe the factors that cause variations in gravitational acceleration across Earth’s surface. Audience: Graduate 11. Explain how gravity anomalies are used to estimate variations in mass at depth. Audience: Graduate Learning Outcomes: 1. Recognize at least three factors to consider during the design of a geophysical survey. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 2. Show how the travel times, amplitudes, and polarities of different kinds of seismic waves can be used to locate earthquakes, determine their focal mechanisms, and estimate their size. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 3. Describe how the thicknesses and seismic velocities of geologic units can be estimated from seismic refractions and reflections. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 4. Describe the factors that cause variations in gravitational acceleration across Earth’s surface, and explain how gravity anomalies can be used to estimate variations in mass at depth. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 5. Draw Earth's magnetic field lines, describe how rocks record information about Earth's paleomagnetic field, and describe how paleomagnetic measurements can be used to infer movement of Earth’s tectonic plates through time. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 6. Define the concept of "magnetic anomaly", describe how magnetic surveys can be used for local studies of the subsurface, and describe circumstances in which magnetic surveys may be useful. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 7. Define geotherm and describe why temperatures increase with depth below Earth's surface. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 8. State the theory of plate tectonics and describe at least three kinds of supporting evidence, enumerate the major types of tectonic plate boundaries and the type of movement that occurs at each, and describe what drives the movements of the plates. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 9. Explain the relationship between gravitational force and mass. Audience: Graduate 10. Describe the factors that cause variations in gravitational acceleration across Earth’s surface. Audience: Graduate 11. Explain how gravity anomalies are used to estimate variations in mass at depth. Audience: Graduate