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 guides students to authoritative data sources on Earth composition and structure. It highlights key textbooks, review papers, and institutional repositories, and provides strategies for accessing, citing, and updating quantitative datasets.
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 discusses physical states and rheology across Earth’s interior, from brittle crust to ductile mantle and liquid core. Students relate phase to pressure, temperature, composition, and volatiles, and examine partially molten and weak zones.
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 examines outer core composition as a liquid Fe–Ni alloy containing light elements. Students integrate seismology, density deficits, and cosmochemical arguments to evaluate candidate components and their implications for the geodynamo.
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 presents representative density ranges for major Earth layers and explains how they are determined. Students connect density to composition, pressure, and mineral phase, and learn to use reference models and tables in quantitative problems.
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 analyses mantle mineralogy dominated by peridotite, focusing on olivine, pyroxenes, and garnet. Students link major and trace element chemistry to phase stability, melting behaviour, and geophysical observations 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 reviews bulk Earth elemental abundances, emphasising Fe, O, Si, Mg, and other major constituents. Students learn how estimates are derived from chondrites, mantle samples, and models, and practise locating and interpreting global compositional datasets.
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 explores inner core composition dominated by Fe–Ni alloy, possible light elements, and crystalline structure. Students examine seismic constraints, anisotropy, and phase relations, and evaluate competing models for inner core growth and stratification.
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 continental and oceanic crust compositions, emphasising major oxides, normative mineralogy, and tectonic setting. Students interpret whole-rock data, relate oxides to minerals, and contrast felsic, intermediate, and mafic crustal domains.
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
