Seismology, Gravity and Geomagnetism (U04068)

? Credit Points : 20 ? SCQF Level : 8 ? Acronym : GEO-2-SGG

A comprehensive introduction to global and exploration geophysics, concentrating on earthquake and controlled source seismology, physical geodesy and the Earth’s gravity field, and geomagnetism and geo-electricity. The course emphasises interpretation and understanding using the techniques of physics and mathematics.

Entry Requirements

? Pre-requisites : Introduction to Geophysics; Physics 1B: Stuff of the Universe; Mathematical Methods 2/Applicable Mathematics 2. Other students may be admitted at the discretion of the Course Organiser.

? Costs : None.

Subject Areas

Home subject area

Earth Science, (School of GeoSciences, Schedule N)

Other subject areas

Meteorology, (School of GeoSciences, Schedule N)

Environmental Courses, (School of GeoSciences, Schedule N)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : 2nd year

? Delivery Period : Not being delivered

? Contact Teaching Time : 3 hour(s) per week for 10 weeks

? Other Required Attendance : 3 hour(s) per week for 5 weeks

All of the following classes

Type	Day	Start	End	Area
Lecture	Tuesday	11:10	12:00	KB
Lecture	Friday	11:10	12:00	KB

? Additional Class Information : 3 hour practical classes, over 5 weeks (weeks and times to be confirmed).

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

Conceptual understanding of elasticity and elastic waves;

Familiarity with reflection and refraction of seismic body waves and quantitative aspects of their application to the investigation of layered structures;

Description of observations as the convolution of a source with an Earth response;

Conceptual understanding of surface waves and normal modes of the Earth’s free oscillation;

Understanding how the geomagnetic field can be represented as a dipole with higher order multipoles; introduction to spherical harmonic analysis

Qualitative understanding of hydrodynamic dynamos;

Knowledge of geomagnetic instruments and measurement techniques;

Descriptive understanding of how the solar wind interacts with the Earth’s magnetic field, including the induction of telluric currents and the Earth’s electrical conductivity structure;

Appreciation of electrical resistivity methods of prospecting;

Knowledge of techniques to determine absolute and relative gravity on a local and planetary scale using gravity meters and perturbations of satellite orbits.

Ability to use the gravity potential to solve exemplar problems relating to local anomalous masses and planetary interiors.

Conceptual and quantitative understanding of the ‘normal Earth’, gravity anomalies and the geoid.