Geodynamics
Prof.
Jill
Pearse
[email protected]
Office
hours:
Tues/Thurs
2:30-‐4:30
(we
can
change
this
if
you
have
conflicts)
M1-‐306
Text:
Geodynamics,
TurcoNe
and
Schubert,
plus
addiQonal
readings.
We
will
cover
most
of
the
first
7
chapters
(and
part
of
8
if
Qme
allows)
*Read
Ch.
1
for
next
week
–
quiz
1
Aug
11
(2
weeks
from
now)
*Homework
1:
due
in
4
weeks
(Aug
25)
Helpful
addiQonal
text:
Fowler,
“The
Solid
Earth”
Structure:
• 2
midterm
exams
(15%
each)
• 3
homework
assignments.
They
will
be
long
so
budget
your
Qme
and
start
early–
don’t
leave
unQl
the
last
minute!
(15%
each)
• 1
student
lecture
(about
30
min)
(15%)
• Bonus
quizzes
(5):
mainly
on
assigned
readings,
class
topics
• Final
exam
(10%)
What
is
geodynamics?
• The
branch
of
geophysics
concerned
with
measuring,
modelling
and
interpreQng
the
moQon
of
the
crust,
mantle
and
core
of
the
Earth
and
other
planets.
What
is
Geodynamics?
• Start
with:
what
is
“dynamics”?
• Geodynamics:
– How
Earth
responds
to
forces
(what
kinds
of
forces
is
the
Earth
subjected
to?)
– How
geological
processes
“work”
from
a
physical,
chemical,
and
mathemaQcal
point
of
view
– Also
applies
to
the
study
of
how
other
planets
work
Earth:
a
dynamic
planet
What
kinds
of
things
do
geodynamicists
study?
• Plate
tectonics
in
terms
of
moQon,
bending,
formaQon,
deformaQon,
driving
mechanisms
What
kinds
of
things
do
geodynamicists
study?
• Movement
and/or
flow
of
mantle
material
What
kinds
of
things
do
geodynamicists
study?
• Heat
generaQon
and
heat
transfer
between
materials
What
kinds
of
things
do
geodynamicists
study?
• Melt
migraQon
in
magma
chambers
or
upper
mantle
Wright
et
al,
Nature
Geoscience
2012
What
kinds
of
things
do
geodynamicists
study?
• Rheology
of
the
crust,
mantle
and
core
Why
does
the
interior
of
the
Earth
behave
the
way
it
does?
Ok
so
we
can
draw
cartoons
all
we
want…
• But
how
does
it
all
WORK??
How
do
you
convince
us
your
cartoon
is
a
reasonable
approximaQon
of
the
real
world?
• To
solve
problems
in
geodynamics
you
need
to
understand
the
physics
of
your
conceptual
model
–
which
usually
involves
math,
and
increasingly,
computaQon…
hopefully
constrained
by
good
data!
*
Tools
used
to
study
geodynamics
• Observa-on
(what
do
we
see
in
the
field?
What
is
the
mystery
we
want
to
solve?)
E.g.
the
observaQons
leading
to
plate
tectonics:
“fit”
of
conQnents
on
either
side
of
AtlanQc,
matching
fossils
etc
• Hypothesis…
tested
by
“experiment”
In
geodynamics,
“experiments”
are
usually
mathemaQcal
and
numerical:
can
we
reproduce
what
we
see
in
nature
by
following
our
hypothesis
to
its
logical
conclusions?
–
i.e.
we
develop
MODELS
Plate
tectonics
case:
began
with
hypothesis
“conQnents
must
have
drined”.
Various
models
were
created
to
try
to
explain
HOW
How
do
we
do
it?
To
solve
geodynamic
problems,
we
use
modelling
techniques:
• AnalyQc
soluQons
–
use
equaQons
and
may
find
exact
or
approximate
soluQons
• Numerical
calculaQons
–
explore
different
possible
models,
physical
laws,
material
properQes,
and
approximate
soluQons
• Physical
experiments
–
test
similar
models,
incorporaQng
all
required
physical
laws
and
showing
real
outcomes
Numerical
models
• May
be
1D,
2D,
3D.
Can
be
Qme
consuming
computaQonally,
the
more
complexity
your
model
has
Mantle
convecQon
simulaQon
showing
evoluQon
of
temperature
with
Qme
Numerical
models
• Finite
difference,
finite
element,
boundary
element...
Lab
(analog)
models
Sandbox
faults
hNps://www.youtube.com/watch? hNps://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=p08_KlTKP50
v=MmgYBsHuVHk
• Where
available,
our
models
must
be
consistent
with
Geophysical
observa-ons:
• seismic,
• gravity,
• magneQc,
etc
Increasingly…
we
use
GEODETIC
OBSERVATION
(GPS,
satellite
measurements
of
gravity,
surface
deformaQon
etc)
New
observaQons
-‐>
seemingly
endless
supply
of
new
research
quesQons!
Models
are
not
the
whole
story
• Many
different
models
may
“fit
the
data”
but
that
doesn’t
make
them
equally
valid.
And
even
if
they
ARE
valid,
you
also
need
to
prove
your
point
conceptually
and
overcome
objecQons:
e.g.
Wegener*
Large-‐scale
(global)
geodynamics
Qdes
topics
Gravity
anomalies,
dynamic
topography
Core
dynamics,
The
geodynamo
On
a
local
scale….
Behaviour
(material
properQes)
of
rock
Example
research
topics:
how
do
volcanoes
work?
ObservaQon
and
data
gathering…
Hypothesis
+
model
Example
of
a
model
that
works
but
doesn’t
Modelled
deformaQon
Observed
deformaQon
Two
point
sources
of
inflaQon
and
deflaQon
Predicted
surface
velocity
from
a
model
with
2
point
sources:
1)
inflaQng
source
at
depth=15
km
(rate
of
volume
change=3.8x10-‐2
km3/yr)
and
2)
deflaQng
source
at
depth=
80
km
(rate
of
volume
change
1.6x10-‐1
km3/yr)
15
km
1
km-‐thick
melt
layer
20
km
80
km
Example:
How
do
earthquakes
work?
Example:Earth’s
response
to
human
acQvity
6 0.4 6 0.7
displacement
Cumulative injected steam [x10 m ]
displacement
Cumulative injected steam [x10 m ]
3
steam
3
steam
0.6
6
Displacement [cm]
4 a) 0.3 4 b)
0.5
Displacement [cm]
0.4
2 0.2 2
0.3
0.2
0 0.1 0
0.1
-2 0 -2 0
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Time [year] Time [year]
12 0.5 20 3
displacement displacement
Cumulative injected steam [x10 m ]
Cumulative injected steam [x10 m ]
3
steam 18 steam
6 3
10 2.75
c) d)
6
16
2.5
Displacement [cm]
Displacement [cm]
8 14
0.4
12 2.25
6
10 2
4 8 1.75
0.3
2 6
1.5
4
0 1.25
2
-2 0.2 1
2011 2012 2013 2014 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Time [year] Time [year]
Topics
to
be
covered
this
course:
main
tools
of
the
trade
(we
could
easily
spend
2
years
teaching
just
geodynamics
courses!
For
this
class
we’ll
focus
on
the
fundamentals)
• Plate
tectonics:
a
bit
of
history,
driving
mechanisms,
plate
kinemaQcs
• Stress,
strain,
elasQc
deformaQon
of
the
lithosphere
• Heat
flow
in
the
Earth
• Gravity,
isostasy
• Fluids,
mantle
convecQon
• Rheology:
viscoelasQcity,
creep,
rock
failure…
What
should
you
be
able
to
do
by
the
end
of
the
course?
• Calculate
plate
velociQes,
predict
future
plate
configuraQons
and
how
triple
juncQons
will
evolve
• Solve
advanced
isostasy
problems,
and
demonstrate
how
GIA
can
be
used
to
esQmate
mantle
viscosiQes
• Use
the
concepts
of
stress
and
strain
to
solve
various
crustal
deformaQon
problems
• Solve
basic
heat
flow
problems
for
crust
and
mantle,
(analyQcally
and
numerically),
and
use
relaQonships
between
temperature
and
rheology
to
show
how
heat
flow
determines
ocean
basin
topography
• Solve
simplified
mantle
flow
problems
• Predict
and
interpret
gravity
anomalies
caused
by
Earth
dynamics
• Interpret
structural
geology
features
in
terms
of
their
physical
(quanQtaQve!)
driving
mechanisms
Readings
• TurcoNe
and
Schubert
Ch.
1
