Instructor:
Fenglin Niu (ESCI Room 316; tel: 713-348-4122; fax: 713-348-5214)
Lectures:
Tues. and Thurs. 09:25 - 10:40 AM
Location:
ESCI Room 327
Office Hours:
Tuesdays 1:00 - 2:00 PM; Wednesdays 10:00 – 12:00 AM; or by appointment.
TA:
Joern A. Jernsletten (ESCI Room 322; tel: 713-348-3272)
TA Office Hours:
Mondays 2:00 - 4:00 pm
Course
Description:
This course is an introduction to geophysics, with an emphasis
on concepts and processes. The course will not dwell on mathematical
derivations; nor will the homework. We will keep things intuitive and simple. Our
major objectives are:
·
a modest foundation of factual knowledge about
the Earth, and a feeling for the size of things (both physical quantities and
mathematical units);
·
a basic understanding of the underlying physical
principles for the observed Earth's phenomena;
·
an awareness of geophysical methodologies and
how they are combined to solve problems;
·
an appreciation of the level of current
knowledge in geophysics, and the many exciting problems that still remain to be
tackled.
Grading:
The grading will be based
on 40% final exam; 30% midterm exam; 30% homework.
Required Text:
C.M. Fowler The Solid Earth: An Introduction to Geophysics Cambridge University Press.
Recommended Text:
N. H. Sleep, K. Fujita Principles of Geophysics Blackwell Science.