Fluids play a central role in almost all Earth and planetary processes. Core convection deep in the Earth, porous flows of magma and fluids in the crust, surface flows from rivers to ocean currents and gas dynamics in the atmosphere, all shape landscape and influence the thermal budget of Earth and other planets. This course focuses on the fundamental concepts of fluid dynamics merged with geophysical and geochemical applications. We will explore the physics of pure fluids and multiphase flow through class demonstrations, fluid experiments, and a review of current literature. This course targets upper-division undergraduate students and graduate students in Earth & Atmospheric Sciences. Learning objectives:
• Develop a quantitative and qualitative understanding of geofluids in Earth and planetary sciences.
• Understand and apply basic fluid mechanics and thermodynamics.
• Discuss geofluids in the plate tectonic settings, Earthquakes, Volcanoes and magmatic systems, Ice-meltwater systems, and planetary systems.
• Critique geofluids scientific research
• Explore fluid flow problems in the solid Earth and other planetary bodies
This course covers the fundamentals of numerical methods and their application to problems in Earth sciences. Course content includes how to solve (on a computer) differential equations (ordinary and partial), integrals, root-finding problems, and linear algebra. This course is targeted at undergraduate students in Earth Atmospheric Sciences, and is the undergraduate equivalent of EAS 6130. Learning objective: At the end of this course, students should be able to use basic numerical methods to solve simple equations or model systems of equations. Students should also have more confidence with using MATLAB or Python to program simple numerical methods for solving fairly well-behaved problems in integration, differential equations, root-finding, and linear algebra.
This course is a quantitative discussion of the physical properties of materials and dynamic processes driving the solid Earth. We will closely follow Geodynamics by Turcotte & Schubert — supplemented by Advanced Geodynamics by Sandwell — in covering topics in stress and strain, elasticity and flexure, heat transfer, fluid mechanics, rock rheology, and crustal faulting as mechanisms and consequences of plate tectonics. Students will use Fourier analysis to solve linear partial differential equations throughout the class. Learning objectives:
• Develop a quantitative understanding of plate tectonics and its driving forces
• Define the physical properties and internal structure of Earth’s interior
• Describe the observations underpinning our knowledge of the solid Earth
• Apply the Fourier Transform to solve analytical and numerical problems
• Explore deformation, heat transfer, and fluid flow problems in the solid Earth