Syllabus for Introduction to the Physics and Dynamics of the Earth

Introduktion till jordens fysik och dynamik

Syllabus

  • 5 credits
  • Course code: 1GE060
  • Education cycle: First cycle
  • Main field(s) of study and in-depth level: Physics G1N, Earth Science G1N

    Explanation of codes

    The code indicates the education cycle and in-depth level of the course in relation to other courses within the same main field of study according to the requirements for general degrees:

    First cycle

    • G1N: has only upper-secondary level entry requirements
    • G1F: has less than 60 credits in first-cycle course/s as entry requirements
    • G1E: contains specially designed degree project for Higher Education Diploma
    • G2F: has at least 60 credits in first-cycle course/s as entry requirements
    • G2E: has at least 60 credits in first-cycle course/s as entry requirements, contains degree project for Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science
    • GXX: in-depth level of the course cannot be classified

    Second cycle

    • A1N: has only first-cycle course/s as entry requirements
    • A1F: has second-cycle course/s as entry requirements
    • A1E: contains degree project for Master of Arts/Master of Science (60 credits)
    • A2E: contains degree project for Master of Arts/Master of Science (120 credits)
    • AXX: in-depth level of the course cannot be classified

  • Grading system: Fail (U), Pass (3), Pass with credit (4), Pass with distinction (5)
  • Established: 2018-03-08
  • Established by:
  • Revised: 2021-03-04
  • Revised by: The Faculty Board of Science and Technology
  • Applies from: Autumn 2022
  • Entry requirements: General entry requirements and Physics 2, Mathematics 4/Mathematics E
  • Responsible department: Department of Earth Sciences

Learning outcomes

On completion of the course, the student should be able to:

  • Explain the development of plate boundaries over time.
  • Describe Earth's magnetic and gravity field and how it relates to Earth's shape and structure.
  • Explain how earthquakes are described as strike-slip, normal and reverse mechanisms from global observations of seismic waves.
  • Explain the evolution and dynamics of Earth's subduction zones, mid-ocean ridges, continental shelves and sedimentary basins.

Content

Plate tectonics. Earth's magnetic field and palaeomagnetism. Earth formation. Dating methods and radioactive isotopes. Earth's shape and gravity field, the geoid, isostasy. Seismicity, source mechanisms, stress fields. Heat flow in continental and oceanic plates. Convection in the Earth's mantle and core. Earth composition from core to lithosphere. Structure and formation of oceanic and continental crust.

Instruction

Lectures, exercises, seminar presentations.

Assessment

Written examination (4 hp), assignments (1 hp).

If there are special reasons for doing so, an examiner may make an exception from the method of assessment indicated and allow a student to be assessed by another method. An example of special reasons might be a certificate regarding special pedagogical support from the disability coordinator of the university.

Syllabus Revisions

Reading list

Reading list

Applies from: Autumn 2022

Some titles may be available electronically through the University library.

  • Lowrie, William Fundamentals of geophysics

    2. ed.: Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007

    Find in the library

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