This course covers 10 key topics in geophysics. Teaching is delivered through a mixture of lectures, tutorials, and practical classes, including computer based practicals where you will learn the basics of coding python.
By the end of this you should be able to:
- * Describe the main forces operating in the Earth, their behaviour, interaction and geological significance.
- * Analyse and interpret basic geophysical data to make quantitative estimates of the Earth’s physical properties
- * Apply basic mathematical and coding skills to solving geophysical problems
- * Communicate geophysical concepts to a general and specialist audience
- Each week of term covers a different topic:
- Planetary Structure and Tectonics: How do planets move?, Earth Structure, Plate Tectonics
- Heat: Heat fundamentals, Heat flow and geothermal gradients, Radiogenic heat production
- Mechanics: Stress and pressure, Strain, Rheology
- Faults and Fractures, Failure models, tensile fractures, faults, strength and friction
- Earthquakes: Where the occur, how big are they, focal mechanisms, induced seismicity, earthquake hazard
- Passive seismology: How do we measure ground motion? What can seismometers detect, locating earthquakes, imaging the Earth
- Seismic reflection and refraction
- Seismic acquisition and processing
- Magnetism: The Earth’s magnetic field, magnetic surveying, interpreting magnetic anomalies
- Gravity: The Earth’s shape, measuring gravity, gravity corrections, interpreting gravity anomalies.
