Welcome to Physics of the Earth
PHYS 3070
Lectures: www.rses.anu.edu.au/~hrvoje
Hrvoje.Tkalcic@anu.edu.au * Paul.Tregoning@anu.edu.au * Ian.Jackson@anu.edu.au
Hrvoje Tkalčić, Fellow (Seismology) - Week 1-4
Paul Tregoning, Fellow (Geodesy) - Week 5-8
Ian Jackson, Professor (Rock Physics) - Week 9-12
(Prof. Jackson is the course coordinator)
Research School of Earth Sciences
COURSE SCHEDULE AND
ORGANISATION
1-4 & Fri)
• 3 lectures per weekWeeks
(Tue, Wed
Combined PowerPoint presentations for visual concepts +
transparencies and blackboard for mathematical concepts
• Seismology: 1 tutorial per week (Wed)
• Seismology: 1 homework assignment per week
• Seismology: 2 computer labs
you can expect a similar load for geodesy and mineral
physics/geodynamics later in the semester
• guest speaker (Dr. Ted Lilley on geomagnetism and Dr. Malcolm
Sambridge on geophysical inverse theory)
• 1/3 questions on final exam
• Office hours: Mon 2-3pm
- About You and Physics of the Earth Why on Earth are YOU here?
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This course is something you always wanted to take
You need another course to graduate and think Earth physics is easier than the main stream physics
A computer glitch at ANU registration office
Just curious…
What can YOU learn?
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What we know and what we do not know about the Earth
How to put your physics and maths to work
Expand your horizons - Earth Physics is multidisciplinary and cool
Think about pursuing your PhD or MS in Earth Physics at ANU Research School of Earth Sciences
What tools can YOU use?
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Read the textbooks
Solve the homework problems
Participate in the class - ask questions - come see me during office hours - be proactive
- About Me Name
Hrvoje Tkalčić - a difficult to pronounce Croatian name, but could probably be worse :)
pronunciation tip: [Hrr voaye Tkal tcheech]
Education
1996 University diploma in physics, speciality in geophysics from University of Zagreb, Croatia
(lived in Croatia 26 yrs)
2001 Ph.D. in geophysics from University of California at Berkeley, California
(lived in California 10 yrs; graduated 1 year too early to get Schwarzeneger’s signature on my diploma)
Present position
Fellow in seismology, Earth Physics, RSES, ANU
Research interests
• Observational global seismology; studying the Earth’s interior with special interest in deep Earth
structure - the inner and outer core, the core mantle boundary and the lowermost mantle; interpretation
of seismic results in the context of understanding Earth’s dynamic past, present and future;
• Non-tectonic environment earthquakes with anomalous seismic radiation and puzzling earthquake
mechanisms (e.g. volcanic earthquakes, explosions, etc.);
• Lithospheric structure using receiver functions, surface waves and other seismological techniques;
• Deployments of seismic instrumentation on Earth and planetary surfaces and improvement of spatial
sampling of Earth’s interior by seismic body waves.
RSES Earth Physics - other seismology people
• Dr. Brian Kennett, Professor of seismology, Director of RSES
Research interests summary: seismic wave propagation theory; upper mantle and whole
Earth structure; inverse theory; applied seismology
• Dr. Malcolm Sambridge, Professor of mathematical geophysics
Research interests summary: mathematical geophysics; inverse theory
• Dr. Nick Rawlinson, Fellow
Research interests summary: wavefront propagation in complex media; seismic 3D
imaging of Australian lithosphere; array processing methods
• Dr. Sara Pozgay, Postdoctoral Fellow
Research interests summary: seismic anisotropy, subduction zones
• Dr. Pierre Arrocau, Postdoctoral Fellow
Research interests summary: seismic noise; tomography
• Dr. Michelle Salmon, Postdoctoral Fellow
Research interests summary: lithospheric structure, receiver functions
RSES Earth Physics - other courses offered
• M. Sc. Specializing in Earth Physics
PEAT8001 - Plate tectonics and mantle dynamics
PEAT8002 - Seismology
PEAT8004 - Current topics in geophysical fluid dynamics
PEAT8009 - Satellite orbit dynamics and the physics of the Earth
PEAT8011 - Earth materials
PEAT8012 - An introduction to inverse problems in the Earth sciences
PEAT8013 - Geophysical continuum mechanics
PEAT8014 - Special topics in Earth science
PEAT8020 - Imaging the Earth
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For more information, please visit:
http://www.rses.anu.edu.au/students/index.php?p=masters_program
RSES Earth Physics - student projects
• For more information about PhB program, Honours,
Internships and Scholarships at RSES, (also for
postgraduate opportunities), please visit:
http://www.rses.anu.edu.au/students/index.php
Textbooks and additional reading for weeks 1-4
• The Solid Earth - Second Edition: An introduction to Global Geophysics
by C. M. R. Fowler (Chapters 4 & 8; Appendix 1-10) - Cambridge Univ. Press
• Fundamentals of Geophysics
by W. Lowrie (Chapters 1 & 3) - Cambridge University Press
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Additional reading (for those who want to know more)
Modern Global Seismology (intermediate level)
by T. Lay and Wallace
• Seismic Wavefield (advanced level)
by B. L. N. Kennett
Textbooks and additional reading for the course
•
Bolt, B. (2004) Earthquakes, Freeman & Co. (QE534.3 .B65 2004)
•
Shearer, P.M. (1999) Introduction to Seismology, Cambridge University Press (QE534.2 .S455 1999) available online as a pdf
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Davies, G. F. (1999) Dynamic Earth, Cambridge University Press (QE509.4 .D38 1999)
•
Poirier, J.P. (1991) Introduction to the Physics of the Earth's Interior, Cambridge University Press
(QE509.P64 1991)
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Stacey, F.D. (1992) Physics of the Earth, 3rd Edn., Brookfield Press (QC806.S65 1992)
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Turcotte, D.L. & Schubert, G. (2002) Geodynamics 2nd edn, Cambridge University Press, (QE501.T83
2002)
Grades
Required by all students:
 Reading the textbooks
(selected chapters)
 Attend lectures
(for in-class assignments, non-textbook material,
turn in and pick up HW, final exam)
 Tutorials
(weekly)
 Homework assignments
(once per week - due on Wed, the week after)
(-15 points for late HW)
Required by all students:
While in lecture, please DO NOT:
 Talk and have conversations
 Forget to turn off cell phones
 Work on homework or read newspapers
 Break ANU rules/laws (e.g., cheating)
Required by all students:
While in the lecture, please DO:
 Ask questions when anything is not clear
 Engage in the discussions
 Fully participate in in-class exercises
WEEK 1 - a rough guide
Lecture 1 - Foundations
 Geologic time
 Minerals and rocks
 The dynamic Earth
Lecture 2 - Earth as a planet in the solar system
 The Earth and the Moon
 Other terrestrial planets
 The Jovian (giant) planets
Lecture 3 - Introduction to Seismology
 Planets contd.
 History of seismology
 Seismology as a tool for understanding earthquakes
 Seismology as a tool of measuring the Earth’s interior
TUTORIAL I
 Problems: Gravitational force, planetary motions
 Scalars, vectors and differential operators
WEEK 2
Lecture 4 - Geomagnetism
 Guest speaker on geomagnetism: Dr. Ted Lilley
 Elastic moduli
Lecture 6 - Equation of motion
 P and S waves
 Free oscillations of the Earth
Lecture 5 - Elasticity theory
 Ray theory
 Strain and stress
 Wave propagation in high frequency
 P and S waves
approximation, ray parameter
 Elastic moduli
TUTORIAL II/LAB I
 Problems set
 Earthquake location
WEEK 3
Lecture 7 - Wiechert-Herglotz inversion
(of time-distance curves)
 Travel time curves
Lecture 8 - Mohorovičić’s inversion
 The nomenclature of seismic phases
 Travel time curves
On the forward problem solved by
Mohorovičić and the discovery of Moho
Lecture 9 - The geophysical inverse theory
 Guest Speaker: Dr. Malcolm Sambridge
 Seismic tomography
TUTORIAL III
 Problems set
 Determination of focal mechanisms
WEEK 4
Lecture 10 - Earthquake seismology
 Tectonic and volcanic earthquakes
 Seismic sources
 Seismic moment tensor
 Earthquake magnitude
 Focal mechanisms
TUTORIAL IV/LAB II
 Adams-Williamson equation and
the determination of density
 Moment tensor inversion
Lecture 11 - Internal structure of the Earth I
 Cntd. Seismic sources, moment tensor inversion
 Earth’s structure reference models: 1D versus 3D
 The crust, the mantle and the discontinuities
Lecture 12 - Internal structure of the Earth II
 The core mantle boundary region
 The core and the Earth’s magnetic field
 Structure of the inner core and anisotropy hypothesis
 Is the differential rotation of the inner core real?