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 part shows students the best places to get solid data on Earth composition and structure. It points out key textbooks, review papers, and official repositories, plus tips on accessing, citing, and keeping quantitative datasets 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)This part talks about physical states and flow behaviour deep in Earth, from the hard crust to the soft mantle and liquid core. You will link phases to pressure, temperature, composition, and gases, and look 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 part checks out the outer core as a liquid iron-nickel mix with light elements. You will combine earthquake waves, density gaps, and space chemistry to weigh up possible parts and what they mean for Earth's magnetic dynamo.
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 typical density ranges for Earth's main layers and explains how we figure them out. You will connect density to makeup, pressure, and mineral types, and learn to use standard models and tables for number crunching.
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 part breaks down mantle rocks mainly peridotite, with focus on olivine, pyroxenes, and garnet. You will tie main and trace elements to how they stay stable, melt, and match up with earth shake readings 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 themThis part goes over whole Earth element amounts, stressing iron, oxygen, silicon, magnesium, and others. You will see how guesses come from meteorite bits, mantle rocks, and models, and practise finding and reading global makeup 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 part digs into inner core mostly iron-nickel alloy, maybe light elements, and crystal structure. You will check earthquake limits, direction differences, and phase links, and weigh up ideas on inner core building 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, standard minerals, and plate settings. You will read whole-rock data, link oxides to minerals, and contrast 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
