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 section shows students reliable data sources on Earth’s makeup and structure. It points out key textbooks, review articles, 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 section covers physical states and flow behaviour in Earth’s interior, from hard crust to soft mantle and liquid core. You’ll 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 section checks outer core makeup as a liquid iron-nickel mix with light elements. You’ll combine earthquake waves, density gaps, and space rock chemistry to assess possible components 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 section shares typical density ranges for Earth’s main layers and how they’re measured. You’ll connect density to makeup, pressure, and mineral types, and learn to use standard models and tables for calculations.
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 section studies mantle rocks mainly peridotite, focusing on olivine, pyroxenes, and garnet. You’ll tie major and minor element chemistry to mineral stability, melting, and earth physics readings of mantle structure.
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 section goes over Earth’s overall element amounts, stressing iron, oxygen, silicon, magnesium, and others. You’ll see how figures come from meteorites, mantle rocks, and models, and practise 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 section looks into inner core makeup mainly iron-nickel alloy, possible light elements, and crystal structure. You’ll check earthquake wave limits, directional properties, and phase links, and weigh models for inner core growth.
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 section compares land and ocean crust makeups, stressing main oxides, standard minerals, and plate settings. You’ll read whole-rock data, link oxides to minerals, and compare light, medium, and dark crust types.
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
