- Structural Geology

Catalog description

Bending, breaking, and flowing: Principles of structural geology and rock deformation - An introduction to structural geology, rock deformation, and their relation to plate tectonics. Students will learn the fundamentals of rock mechanics through examination of various structures (folds, faults, joints, shear zones, etc.) found in crustal rocks, and the mechanisms responsible for their formation. Laboratory exercises will emphasize hands-on characterization and data collection/analysis of geologic structures in the field, reading and interpretation of geologic maps, and numerical analysis of structural data. Lectures will cover descriptive analyses of geologic structures, strain and kinematic analysis, dynamic analysis, and how deformation mechanisms operating at the atomic scale control the rheologic behavior of mountain belts and the lithosphere as a whole.