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