522 FULL Teaching Quantitative Structural Geology
This course focuses on three topics that typify a new approach to teaching structural geology at the undergraduate level using quantitative methods and taking advantage of modern computational and visualization tools. While traditional approaches emphasize deformation at a point or in a homogeneous domain, structural data usually span regions of heterogeneous deformation. To address these data, we consider physical fields (e.g., of stress, strain, displacement, and velocity) that vary in space and time, governed by equations of motion with suitable boundary conditions and constitutive properties. To provide a template for students to gain insight and build intuition, we introduce canonical problems for the major types of geologic structures, including fractures, faults, folds, fabrics, and intrusions. These problems reduce the physical process generating the structure to the simplest form possible, while serving as a measuring stick for more complex structures found in nature. To gather and analyze field data, we bridge the gap between traditional techniques of descriptive geometry and modern techniques of differential geometry, using vectors and 3D visualization with MatLab to reach students who have difficulty thinking in 3D. To support each of the three topics we use Google Earth imagery for virtual field trips to classic geologic structures. US$20 (a GSA store voucher for US$20 will be given upon completion of the course).
Thursday, 22 October 2020
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Presentations
No presentations found for this session.