Plate tectonics

Description

This course gives a comprehensive introduction to Plate Tectonics, which is the overriding framework necessary to understand Earth’s geological evolution of over the past 0.5 billion years. The course covers the following topics: lithospheric plates; plate boundaries; the Wilson Cycle; tectonic context of sedimentary basins; geological evidence for plate tectonics; driving forces; mid-plate activity; plate kinematics; consequences of plate tectonics; and the tectonic history of the Caspian region.

Compétences requises

Introduction to Geosciences ; Geosciences 1

Compétences visées

By the end of this course students should be able to:

• Identify the major tectonic plates on Earth and their relative motions.
• Draw pictures illustrating the main types of plate boundaries.
• Understand the link between tectonic plates and the geological phenomena that occur at their boundaries (e.g. orogeny, rifting, sedimentary basins).
• Understand the types of sedimentary basins and their infill characteristics.
• Understand the link between plate tectonics and earthquakes, and between plate tectonics and different kinds of volcanism.
• Identify the most likely kind of earthquake to occur at each kind of plate boundary and understand the processes that generate earthquakes within the plates themselves.

Bibliographie

• E. Tarbuck and F. Lutgens. Earth, an introduction to physical geology.
• J. Grotzinger and T.H. Jordan (2020, 8^th Edition). Understanding Earth.

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