Plate tectonics and mantle dynamics

Catalog description

An advanced undergraduate course that takes a quantitative, physics-based approach to covering the details of plate tectonics and mantle dynamics. Using derivations at the level of Turcotte and Schubert (3Ed., 2014), the course gives undergraduates a high level understanding of the principles that govern plate strength, and the connections between plates and Earth's deep interior. Weekly lectures cover course material, while readings and take-home assignments help reinforce the concepts covered in class; discussion sections give participants the opportunity to talk through the assignments and the readings and to work through practical problem sets.