NSCPHD1028 Tectonics

This course will provide participants with an overview of the frontiers of modern tectonics at the highest level.
The two lecturers have been chosen for their world-leading professional standing in the community, broad knowledge of the topic and related scientific disciplines, and for their sometimes provocative views that have triggered and stimulated a number of strong debates in the community.
Both lecturers are highly respected, not only among researchers in tectonics, but broadly among geoscientists, which is clearly reflected in their publications, professional distinctions, and invited lectures at leading universities worldwide.
Earth is the plate tectonics planet - plate tectonics defines the way it operates. Hence understanding how plate tectonic works on Earth is crucial to exploring why it differs from the other planets, how it evolved, and how it works today.  

The course explores questions including:

• What may cause the differences between Earth and other terrestrial planets?
• How do plate driving forces manifest themselves in the evolution of continents and
• oceans?
• How do large earthquakes occur at plate boundaries and in the middle of plates?
• What causes the rifting that splits the continents and may form new oceans?
• How did parts of oceanic crust end up on the continents as ophiolites - and what is
• their significance for our understanding of the continuous Earth evolution?
• How did 400 million year old Variscan tectonics lead to the existence of a very thin
• crust despite clear evidence for significant orogeny (mountain building)?
• Did the lower part of the crust fall off by delamination as is observed in young
• tectonic provinces of Western USA?
• How far into Eurasia can we find evidence for the strong stresses from the collision
• between India and Eurasia?
• Did they cause the formation of the Baikal Rift and what is the fate of Tibet?
• How often do earthquakes repeat?
• Will we ever be able to predict earthquakes?
• How well do we understand historical earthquakes and what can we learn from
• them?
• How well can we use what we know to assess earthquake hazards?

These are some of the questions to be addressed in the proposed course. It will include the following topics:

 Plate tectonics, relative plate motions, absolute plate motions and hotspots (SS)

• Planetary tectonics, comparison between the Earth , Mars, Mercury and the Moon (SS and CS).
• Plate boundaries, Plate boundary zones, changes in plate motions, and plate interiors (SS)
• Earthquakes: fundamental concepts & focal mechanisms, waveform modelling & source parameters, tectonic geodesy (SS)
• Rifting processes: causes and controversies (modern views; CS).
• Ophiolites - the link between oceans and continents (CS).
• Variscan tectonics - implications for long distance stress transfer and modern analogues (CS).
• Long distance stress transfer in modern settings - how India causes deformation in Siberia (CS)
• Earthquake recurrence and hazards at plate boundaries and in paleoseismicity in "stable interiors"? (SS)
• Grand challenges and unsolved key tectonic questions in geochemistry and geophysics. How can integration of methods bring earth sciences forward, in particular in relation to large scale tectonics, plate geodynamics, and earthquake hazards. (All)

These questions are at the core of unanswered questions to Earth sciences. Many of

them are highly debated, and competing models have been proposed.

Based on our recent experience from other PhD courses, the programme will include one

broad topic each day with overall theory in the morning and case studies in the afternoon.

The programme will include lectures, practicals and daily structured discussion of the

scientific challenges and visions.

The discussion of Grand Challenges to geosciences will provide all participants with a new

understanding that may help provide perspective in their research. We plan a Grand

(Oxfordian) discussion in this regard, where participants will be divided into teams that

will defend each their point of view on a major scientific debate.