EAS 4060 Marine Geology and Geophysics
NOT OFFERED THIS YEAR Spring. 4 credits. Prerequisite: EAS 2200 or comparable courses. Recommended: completion of some EAS classes. Offered alternate years. J. Phipps-Morgan.
This course will use geological, geochemical, and geophysical approaches to explore the geology of the ocean floor. We will begin by discussing in depth the mid-ocean ridge system where the basaltic seafloor is created by plate spreading. This complex system involves a rich interplay of volcanism, hydrothermal flow, mantle flow, and lithosphere deformation, and is responsible for both the architecture of the ocean crust and the chemical composition of seawater. After this, we will discuss the evolution of the seafloor during its residence at Earth’s surface. We end up by discussing the complex faulting, melting, and fluid flow processes at subduction zones where seafloor is transmuted into mantle and crust. There will be a lab section focusing on the use of GMT to make maps of relevant geological and geophysical information.