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 Tkali, 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

Weeks 1-4

3 lectures per week (Tue, Wed & Fri)

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 W hy on Earth are YOU here?

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

W hat can YOU learn?

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 atANU Research School of Earth Sciences

W hat tools can YOU use?

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 Tkali - 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 Schwarzenegers signature on my diploma)
Present position
Fellow in seismology, Earth Physics, RSES, ANU
Research interests
Observational global seismology; studying the Earths 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 Earths 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 Earths 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

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 14

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

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

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)

Stacey, F.D. (1992) Physics of the Earth, 3rd Edn., Brookfield Press (QC806.S65 1992)

Turcotte, D.L. & Schubert, G. (2002) Geodynamics 2 nd 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 Earths 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 - Mohoroviis inversion

The nomenclature of seismic phases
Travel time curves
On the forward problem solved by
Mohorovii 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
Earths 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 Earths magnetic field
Structure of the inner core and anisotropy hypothesis
Is the differential rotation of the inner core real?