Syllabus (GEOLOGY)

Course Type: MAJ-13

Semester: 7

Course Code: BGELMAJ13C

Course Title: Geodynamics

(L-P-Tu): 4-2-0

Credit: 6

Practical/Theory: Combined

Course Objective: This branch of the subject deals with the sluggish changes that continuously take place within earth, ever changing plate configuration as function of internal forces and rheology.

Learning Outcome: The students would be in a stage to reconstruct the past and may frame models/experiments to predict the future geo-morphological scenario with respect to earths geo-dynamicity. The learners can exercise or advice proper action to reduce the natural or or human induced calamities at times when it cannot be prevented.

Theory:

Unit I: Introduction:

1. Concept of asthenosphere and lithosphere: continental and oceanic. Rheology of lithosphere and asthenosphere; Lithosphere as a thermal boundary layer. Characteristics of Continental and oceanic crust; Lithosphere as a thermal boundary layer.

2. Concept of hot spot and mantle plume. Ophiolites and its significance.

Unit II: Plates and plate boundaries:

1. Concept of plates. Distribution of plates in the Earth, physical characters of plates. Macro and micro plates. Plate boundaries: types, character, identification of boundaries, motion along plate boundaries; Triple junction. Detailed anatomy of different plate boundaries.

1. Magmatism and earthquake associated with different plate boundaries.

Unit III: Movement of plates:

1. Plate tectonics model and its evidence. Reconstruction of plate motions. Supercontinents, their break up and assembly. Wilson cycle.

2. Driving Mechanisms of plates, Plate tectonics and mantle convection.

3. Plate motion on spherical earth; Kinematics of plate motion; Concept of absolute and relative plate motion.

4. Geomagnetism: Its concept, geomagnetic anomaly and geomagnetic reversals; Linear Magnetic Anomalies; Vine & Mathew’s hypothesis

5. Palaeomagnetism: Concept of fossil magnetism, palaeo-lattitude and plaeaomagnetic evidences and its implication to the plate motion.

Unit IV: Implications of plate movements:

1. Origin of fold thrust belt associated with convergent boundaries. Special reference to Himalaya

2. Hydrothermal vents and mineralisation associated with divergent plate boundaries.

List of practicals:

1. Study of Tectonic maps of Earth

2. Graphical and numerical problems related to Plate tectonics and plate motions.

Reading References:

• Kearey, P., Klepeis, K.A. and Vine, F.J. (2009) Global Tectonics. Third edition. Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford.

• Condie K.C. (1997), Plate Tectonics and Crustal Evolution. Fourth Edition, Butterworth Heinemann.

• Moores E.M. and Twiss, R.. J. (1995) Tectonics. W.H. Freeman, New York.

• Van Kranendonk, Martin J., Vickie Bennett, and Elis Hoffmann, 2018. eds. Earth's oldest rocks. Elsevier.

• Schubert, G., Turcotte, D. L., and Olson, P., 2001. Mantle convection in the Earth and planets. Cambridge University Press.

• Stuwe, K., 2007. Geodynamics of the Lithosphere. Springer

• Cox and Hart, 1986. Plate tectonics: How it works by, Blackwell.

• Mussett, A.E. and Khan, M.A. (2000) Looking into the Earth: An Introduction to Geological Geophysics. Cambridge University press.

• Turcotte, D. L. and Schubert, G., 2002. Geodynamics. Cambridge university press.