Syllabus

Continental and continetal Margin Tectonics (RSMAS/MGG 570)

This one semester course will review major research techniques used in the study of the structure and evolution of continental crust and continetal Margins, with an emphasis on Miocen to Recent time.  The course will begin with brief introductions to the fields of structural geology, seismology and geodesy as they relate to continental tectonics. We will then discuss new research in areas such as the rheology of the lithosphere, plate motion models, deformation of continental crust in plate boundary zones, oblique subduction, and earthquake hazard assessment. 

The course is designed to supplement and extend the material in MGG 679 (Plate Tectonics), and is aimed at graduate students and senior undergraduates with some background in geology or geophysics.  Grade will be based on problems sets (a minimum of two), a short report seminar near the end of the semester, and a final exam.

Course Outline

Week Number and Topic

1-3       Basics of structural geology: stress and strain; rheology of common earth materials; brittle deformation vs quasi-plastic flow; the brittle-ductile transition; three classes of faults and the Anderson theory of faulting; Mohr-Coulomb theory; faults as stress indicators; reactivation; balanced cross sections as shortening indicators           

4          Basics of seismology: the earthquake process, elastic strain accumulation and release, recurrence times, slip-predictable vs time predictable vs stress predictable models; first motion solutions; earthquakes as stress and strain indicators

5          Basics of Geodesy: reference frames; measurement of length, angle and position; terrestrial geodetic techniques; space geodetic techniques, statistics and errors

6          Plate motion models as kinematic boundary conditions, tests for additional plates; continental plate boundaries and deformation; boundary zones and block rotations; microplates vs continuum deformation; accreted terranes

7          The Basin and Range vs. the Red Sea as examples of Continental Rifts: pure vs simple shear models, volcanism, plutonism and underplating; metamorphic core complexes and low angle normal faults

8          The San Andreas as a Continental Transform; discrepancy vectors; elastic and visco-elastic strain models; depth of seismicity, heat flow and lithology; heat flow and low friction fault models; convergence across the big bend; recurrence intervals and seismic gaps; earthquake hazard assessment

9          Subduction Zones: ocean-ocean convergence; ocean-continent convergence; elastic strain models; oblique convergence; accretionary prisms; the Andean margin

10-12   Special Topics; Seminars

13          Review

14          Finals Week