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 proper data sources on Earth composition and structure. It points out key textbooks, review papers, and institutional repositories, and gives ways for accessing, citing, and updating quantitative data sets.
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 talks about physical states and flow across Earth’s inside, from hard crust to soft mantle and liquid core. Students link phase 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 composition as liquid Fe–Ni metal with light elements. Students mix seismology, density shortfalls, and space chemistry arguments to check possible parts and their effects on the Earth’s 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 section shows usual density ranges for main Earth layers and explains how they’re figured out. Students link density to makeup, pressure, and mineral phase, and learn to use reference models and tables in number 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 breaks down mantle rocks mainly peridotite, focusing on olivine, pyroxenes, and garnet. Students connect main and trace elements to phase stability, melting ways, and earth physics views of mantle build.
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 whole Earth element amounts, stressing Fe, O, Si, Mg, and other big parts. Students learn how guesses come from meteorites, mantle rocks, and models, and practice 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 section looks into inner core makeup mainly Fe–Ni metal, possible light elements, and crystal structure. Students check seismic limits, direction differences, and phase links, and weigh different 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 section compares land and sea crust makeups, stressing main oxides, standard minerals, and plate settings. Students 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
