Earth 202 EARTH'S INTERIOR


Winter 2010

Instructor: Seth Stein

T.A.: Kimberly Adams


Course Information:

Course Syllabus
Course Themes
Plate Boundaries Map


This website is based on a list of the major topics covered in class. For each topic, we give reading material from texts, information about the class demonstrations and laboratory exercises, and some of the supplementary resources available on the Internet. Try these out and tell us what you think!

Class Topics (Click to go to topic):

  1. Size, mass, & density of the Earth
  2. Seismic waves
  3. Minerals
  4. Composition of the crust, mantle, and core
  5. Radiometric age dating
  6. Origin of the elements and formation of the solar system
  7. Meteorites, formation of the planets
  8. Thermal evolution of planets
  9. Continental drift and paleomagnetism
  10. Earthquakes and plate tectonics
  11. Plate boundaries and kinematics
  12. Lab exercises
  13. Problem sets
  14. Extra Credit

TOPIC 1: Size, mass, & density of the Earth

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TOPIC 2: Seismic waves

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TOPIC 3: Minerals

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TOPIC 4: Composition of crust, mantle and core

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TOPIC 5: Radiometric age dating

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TOPIC 6: Origin of the elements and formation of the solar system

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TOPIC 7: Meteorites, formation of the planets

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TOPIC 8: Thermal evolution of planets

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TOPIC 9: Continental drift and paleomagnetism

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TOPIC 10: Earthquakes and plate tectonics

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TOPIC 11: Plate boundaries and kinematics

  • Exploring the concepts

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    Laboratory Exercises

    Attendance during the Lab period is mandatory to receive credit for the exercise. Exercises are due one week after the lab period. Make-ups are ONLY allowed by making advance arrangements through the Office of Studies. Late work will not be accepted.
    Lab Exercises are subject to change without notice and may be updated the week of the lab exercise.


    Problem Sets

    Problem sets are due one week after being assigned. Make-ups are ONLY allowed by making advance arrangements through the Office of Studies. Late work will be penalized no less than 25%.


    Extra Credit:


    Every Friday at 3:30 pm in Room 301 Locy Hall, the EPS Department hosts a speaker who discusses current research. The list of speakers, titles, and dates is here. While not all the speakers cover topics directly relating to this course, we offer homework extra credit for a 2-page summary of each talk. This extra credit is due two weeks after the talk. This option also applies to talks in the physics department on "Is the solar system stable?" (Thursday, January 7 at 4:00 PM Ryan Auditorium, Tech) and "Extrasolar planets" (Friday, Feb 5 at 4:00 PM in Tech LR 2)


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    A "Small is beautiful" approach to upgrading a beginning geophysics course