Lesson 1Primary reference sources and where to extract real data: recommended textbooks, review papers, and institutional data repositories (e.g., USGS, IRIS, DOI links)This lesson shows you reliable places for data on Earth's makeup and structure. It points out important textbooks, review articles, and data stores, plus tips on getting, citing, and keeping quantitative data up to date.
Core textbooks on Earth structure and compositionKey review papers and classic reference modelsUSGS, IRIS, and other institutional portalsUsing DOIs and citation practices for datasetsDownloading, formatting, and documenting dataLesson 2Physical states and rheology: solids, partially molten zones, liquid outer core, solid inner core; factors controlling phase (pressure, temperature, composition)Here we talk about physical states and flow behaviour inside Earth, from hard crust to soft mantle and liquid core. You will link states to pressure, heat, makeup, and gases, looking at partly melted and weak areas.
Elastic, brittle, and ductile deformation regimesAsthenosphere and low-velocity zonesPartial melt generation and segregationViscosity controls: T, P, grain size, and fluidsRheology of the liquid outer core and solid inner coreLesson 3Outer core composition: Fe-Ni alloy with light elements (S, O, Si, C, H); measured constraints from seismology and cosmochemistryThis lesson checks outer core makeup as liquid iron-nickel mix with light bits. You will combine earthquake waves, density gaps, and space rock evidence to weigh possible parts and their role in Earth's magnetic field.
Seismic evidence for a liquid metallic outer coreDensity deficit relative to pure liquid ironCandidate light elements: S, O, Si, C, and HCosmochemical and experimental constraintsImplications for convection and the geodynamoLesson 4Typical densities and density ranges: average values for continental crust, oceanic crust, upper/lower mantle, outer core, inner core with sources (kg/m^3)This part gives usual density values for Earth's main layers and how we measure them. You will tie density to makeup, pressure, and mineral types, learning to use standard models and tables for number work.
Densities of continental and oceanic crustUpper and lower mantle density structureOuter and inner core density estimatesMethods: seismology, gravity, and mineral physicsUsing PREM and similar reference Earth modelsLesson 5Mantle composition: peridotite end-members (olivine, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene, garnet); major elements (Mg, Fe, Si, O) and trace elementsThis lesson studies mantle rocks mainly peridotite, with olivine, pyroxenes, and garnet. You will connect main and minor elements to mineral strength, melting, and earth wave signs of mantle setup.
Olivine structure, chemistry, and stability fieldOrthopyroxene and clinopyroxene in mantle rocksGarnet versus spinel facies in the upper mantleMajor element budgets: Mg, Fe, Si, and OTrace elements and mantle melting signaturesLesson 6Bulk elemental abundances of Earth: Fe, O, Si, Mg, S, Ni, Al, Ca; source datasets and where to find themHere we review whole Earth element amounts, focusing on iron, oxygen, silicon, magnesium, and others. You will see how numbers come from space rocks, mantle bits, and models, practising finding and reading global data.
Chondritic reference models for bulk EarthPartitioning of Fe, Ni, and siderophile elementsSilicate Earth versus total Earth compositionGlobal budgets of O, Si, Mg, and volatile SUsing published compilations and online databasesLesson 7Inner core composition: predominantly Fe-Ni with possible light-element admixture; crystallinity and seismic constraintsThis lesson looks at inner core mainly iron-nickel, maybe light bits, and crystal form. You will check earthquake limits, direction strength, and phase links, weighing models for inner core growth and layers.
Fe–Ni alloy and candidate light elementsSeismic velocities, anisotropy, and layeringSolidification, latent heat, and core growthCrystal structure: bcc, hcp, and phase relationsConstraints from high-pressure laboratory experimentsLesson 8Crust composition: continental vs oceanic; major oxides (SiO2, Al2O3, FeO, CaO, Na2O, K2O, MgO) and typical minerals (feldspars, quartz, mica, pyroxene, olivine)This part compares land and sea crust makeups, stressing main oxides, mineral types, and plate settings. You will read whole rock data, link oxides to minerals, and compare light, middle, and heavy crust areas.
Average continental crustal oxide compositionAverage oceanic crust and mid-ocean ridge basaltsLinking oxides to minerals: quartz and feldsparsMafic versus felsic crustal sections and layeringCrustal evolution through magmatism and recycling
