IMPORTANT UPDATE: EMSC 8016 will start on Tuesday February 22nd in the Hales room (Jaeger 7), with the following tentative schedule: Tuesday from 1:00pm to 4:15pm, Wednesday from 1:30pm to 4:45pm, Thursday from 9:00am to 12:15pm. The timetable will change as of 14/03/11 due to clashes with other courses.

This course provides an account of the mechanics and thermodynamics of the Earth mantle and its upper thermal boundary layer: the lithosphere. It is intended for students with a background in classical physics. The course will initially survey the evidence for a mobile lithosphere and the distinctive ways in which lithospheric plates move and evolve. A review of heat conduction and viscous fluid flow will lead into a simple but fundamental theory of thermal convection, emphasizing the key role of thermal boundary layers and extracting simple scaling rules. The distinctive behavior of the upper thermal boundary layer, controlled by significant changes in the mechanical properties of the material, will then be explored to arrive at a comprehensive description of what forces drive and resist global plate motions. The course will conclude with an overview of recent findings in Plate Tectonics and mantle dynamics

• Discuss qualitatively and quantitatively the theory of Plate Tectonics, its strengths, and its limitations.
• Provide a physical description of the mechanics and thermodynamics of the Earth mantle and lithosphere, and apply it to simple but realistic scenarios.

• 3 assignments (30%)
• 1 presentation of a paper from the literature (10%)
• Participation to discussion in class (10%)
• Final exam (50%)

Bachelor degree; with first year Maths. 

Maths to a first year level is required.