Solid Earth Geophysics: Geodynamics (ERTH-4570) Fall, 2019 Syllabus

1. Solid Earth Geophysics: Geodynamics (ERTH-4570) Fall, 2019  Syllabus Class Homepage: http://www.rpi.edu/~roecks/geodynamics.html Instructor: Steven Roecker Office: SC 2C04 Phone: 276-6773 Office Hours: Wednesday 2-4 (Call first to be sure) Electronic Mail: roecks@rpi.edu

2. Objectives This course will discuss the fundamentals of Geodynamics and how to apply physical principles to understand basic dynamic properties of the Earth.

3. Objectives We will discuss the fundamental concepts in the large scale dynamics of the planet. Specific areas in which the student will become proficient are (1) Plate Tectonics, (2) Stress and Strain in Solids, (3) Elasticity and Flexure, (4) Heat Transfer, (5) Gravity, (6) Fluid Mechanics, (7) Rock Rheology, (8) Faulting, and (9) Flow in Porous Media.

4. Format Material will be discussed in twice weekly lectures. The instructor will provide all the lecture materials and lead the discussion in class. At the same time, a major emphasis of this course will be on understanding the homework, and students will be expected to lead the discussion on assigned problems.

5. Format Typically, homework problems will be assigned on Monday and discussed in class the following Monday (along with presentations). A final version of the the homework will be turned in for grading on the following Thursday.

6. Meeting times Two classes each week in J-ROWL 2C25 Monday and Thursday , from 2:00 to 3:50 AM

7. Important People to Know

8. Main Text :

9. Electronic Communication This class has a web site that containing pages with news relevant to the class such as updates on lectures, homework, and various review materials. The page will be updated about once a week; more often if important items come up. The URL of the web site is http://www.rpi.edu/~roecks/geodynamics.html

10. Topics to be covered We will cover as much of the Geodynamics text as time allows, with occasional divergence from the text into areas of particular interest. Check the web site for updates. While the content of the course will follow the order of presentation shown in the a priori schedule, it is impossible for me to tell you beforehand exactly what the content of a particular lecture will be. This information will be provided via the web site (or just come to class and find out!).

11. Grading Grades will be based on almost exclusively on homework, with 40% based on the verbal presentations of specific questions and 60% on the written assignments.

12. Grading In general, we will score both the presentations and written assignments on a 0-3 scale as follows:

13. Grading

14. Some Discussion. The idea behind this scoring system is to differentiate between levels of performance without drawing too fine a line. A certain amount of subjectivity is unavoidable, so we are trying to keep the categories broad. Again, the main objective is to understand the material, or, even more broadly, that you have made a concerted effort to understand the material, and your performance both in the presentation and written assignments will be the main evidence of that. For presentations, it is more important to show that you have given the problem serious thought than it is to give a correct answer (i.e., don't worry too much about getting it wrong, and don't just quote an answer without being able to defend your methodology

15. Some Discussion. For written assignments, you will have had plenty of opportunities to figure out the right way to do the homework before turning it in, so at minimum the problems should be done correctly. As in the presentations, exhibition of good rationale is very important - you need to make it clear, both in form and content, that you know what you are doing. Good answers will take the form of short essays accompanied by figures (when they could be useful). Neatness counts. If you have trouble generating content with whatever applications you have available, do it by hand (neatly) and scan it.

16. You will do well in this course if you maintain a "2" average in both categories; consider that to be 100% score. An "A" grade will result from anything between 95% and 100%. Half a grade is deducted for each 5% below that (for example 90-95% is A-, 85-90% is B, and so on).

17. Rules of the Game Missed presentatons may be made up at the instructors discretion by doing multiple presentatons at a later date. If a student has an unavoidable conflict of significance which he/she knows about in advance of an presentation he/she MUST notify the instructor prior to the day of the presentatoin. In cases of emergency (e.g., health problems) the student MUST provide sufficient evidence of the emergency (e.g., a note from a doctor) to the instructor before any action will be considered. Makeup presentations will be allowed only at the discretion of the instructor. Late homeworks will be penalized by 20% for each day they are overdue (the end of a day is defined as 5PM).

18. Rules of the Game (cont.) Policy on Cheating: It is expected that each student do his or her own work on any assignment. I encourage students to confer with each other for the purpose of gaining increased understanding of concepts presented in the class. However, I expect that assignments will reflect the student's own thoughts and efforts; anything else will be considered cheating. If cheating is discovered the student will receive a failing grade for the class and the case will be turned over to the Institute for additional action.

19. A Few Extra Words of Advice • Pay attention to the material in the lectures (in class and on-line). Don't just go by the book. • Excuses always sound better if I hear them BEFORE something is due. • You are responsible for knowing what goes on in class. If you miss some part of class, you need to find out what happened. Talk to a friend, talk to me, check the web site.