FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY
State University System of Florida

Department of Geology

GLY 5425 TECTONICS

Spring 1997

Dr. G. Draper
PC 326A TR 15.30-16.45

The subject of tectonics concerns the deformation and motion of large regions of the Earths lithosphere and the evolution of the major features on its surface, such as mountain belts. rift valleys, ocean basins etc. The modern theory of plate tectonics that has evolved in the last 25 years or so is a comprehensive theory that explains many aspects of the Earth's appearance and behaviour.

The purpose of this course is to give you an overview of this theory, and the evidence that supports it. Simply because plate tectonics touches on so many different aspects of geology, this means that to understand it properly you must be aware of the fundamentals of petrology, sedimentology, startigraphy, structural geology, geophysics and even paleontology. This course will therefore not only make you aware of "how the Earth works", but will also help you braoden your background in geology as a whole.

Texts:
Required: Moores and Twiss: Tectonics, Freeman, 1995, 415pp.
Reccomended: Cox and Hart: Plate Tectonics: how it works, Blackwell, 392pp.

Schedule

Chapters in : Moores amd Twiss (mt),

Week beginning Cox and hart (ch)

Part 1: Physical properties of the Earth and its lithosphere

Jan 7 (GD possibly on jury duty: assignment)

Outline; historical introduction. Interlude (mt) p.247; ch 1
Tectonic features of the Earth; basics of plate tectonics

Jan 14 Rheology of the lithosphere and aesthenosphere

Part 2: Properties of Plate margins

Jan 21 Divergent Plate margins and oceanic lithosphere mt 5

Jan 28 Rifting and Atlantic style continenal margins mt 5

Feb 4 Transform faults and fracture zones mt 6

Feb 11 Convergent plate margins mt 7

Feb 18 Plate driving forces, mantle convection and hot spots

Part 3: Plate kimematics

Feb 25 Kinematics in 2D space: vector diagrams, triple junctions mt 4, 8; ch 1,2

Mar 4 Kinematics in 3D space: Euler poles, spreading rates, projections,
paleomag ch 3,4

Mar 11 Spring Break - no classes

Mar 18 Kinematics in 3D rotations, finite poles stage poles, measuring plate motion ch 4,7

Part 4: Plate evolution

Mar 25 Collision tectonics; inversion; terranes mt 9,10, 12

Apr 1 Collisional tectonics (continued) mt 9,10, 12

Apr 8 Phanerozoic plate reconstruction and geologic history

Apr 15 Pre-Cambrian tectonics and the evolution of the crust

April 21 FINAL EXAM

Grade calculation

Assignments and participation 25%
Mid term quiz 20%
Final 30%
Term paper 25%

Journals

The following journals regularly contain article on tectonics:

Tectonics - (AGU) principles and regional

Journal of Geophysical Research - solid earth (red) - AGU mainly principles

Tectonophysics principles and regional

Geology principles and regional

Geol. Soc America Bulletin mainly regional

Journal of the Geological Society of London (see GD collection) principles and regional

Geophysics Research letters (see BC collection) mainly principles

Some other books

Condie: Plate tectonics and crustal evolution

Fowler: The solid earth

Howell: Tectonics of suspect terranes

Moores: Shaping the earth; tectonics of continents and oceans (simple Scientific American Articles, but useful)

Park: Geological structures and moving plates

Seyfert (ed): Encyclopedia of structural geology and tectonics

Turcotte and Schubert: Geodynamics