Undergraduate Course: Seismology (EASC10035)
Course Outline
| School |
School of Geosciences |
College |
College of Science and Engineering |
| Course type |
Standard |
Availability |
Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) |
SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Credits |
10 |
| Home subject area |
Earth Science |
Other subject area |
None |
| Course website |
None
|
Taught in Gaelic? |
No |
| Course description |
The course covers two areas of seismology: Part I covers Wave theory and Part II Earthquake Seismology. The course content is given in more detail in the syllabus below.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites |
|
| Prohibited Combinations |
|
Other requirements |
None
|
| Additional Costs |
None. |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Delivery period: 2011/12 Semester 1, Available to all students (SV1)
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WebCT enabled: Yes |
Quota: None |
| Location |
Activity |
Description |
Weeks |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
| King's Buildings | Lecture | | 1-11 | 11:10 - 12:00 | | | | | | King's Buildings | Lecture | | 1-11 | | | | 11:10 - 12:00 | |
| First Class |
First class information not currently available |
| Additional information |
There will be 2 lectures per week for 9 weeks in Semester 1. These are on Tuesdays and Thursdays, both at 11.10 - 12.00 from weeks 3 to 11 inclusive. A further 8 hours of tutorials and practical exercises to be arranged. |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours:Minutes |
|
|
| Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May) | | 2:00 | | |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
| Students who take this course will gain a thorough, critical understanding of advanced seismology and the range of techniques employed in this field. They will gain a detailed understanding of Earthquake Seismology and a detailed understanding of wave equations and their solutions. Students will be able to use, interpret and evaluate these. Students will be able to offer professional level insights because much of this course is informed by recent developments. Their ability to critically review and consolidate this knowledge will be showcased in the degree exam. |
Assessment Information
| 100% degree exam. |
Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
An advanced course in seismology provided by experts in mathematical geophysics and earthquake seismology. |
| Syllabus |
Part I: Wave Theory
Fundamentals of wave motion; seismic wave types. Stress tensor, strain tensor, stress-strain relations; linearised equations of motion; elastic moduli.
The wave equation: dilatational and rotational solutions; separation of variables; plane and spherical waves.
Reflection and refraction of plane waves at a plane boundary; independence of SH and P and of SV waves; boundary conditions; P, SV and SH waves incident at the free surface of a homogeneous half-space and at general interfaces; energy conversions.
Rayleigh waves for a homogeneous half-space; Love waves for a two-layer half-space. Superposition of plane waves, group velocity, dispersion. Free oscillations, toroidal and spheroidal modes.
Part II: Earthquake Seismology
Introduction to Earthquake Seismology - an example from a recent event.
The Earthquake Source: Focal mechanisms, moment tensors, source time function.
Earthquake Mechanics: Friction and fracture, populations, dynamics, scaling.
Seismic Recording: Sensors, recorders, networks and arrays.
Seismograms: Natural and synthetic, time and frequency domain, combined influence of source, ray path, recording site and instrument.
Earthquake Location: Ray parameters (arrays) and the Geiger method (networks).
Global Earth Structure: Layered structure from travel time tables, 3D structure from seismic tomography.
Seismotectonics: Distribution of seismicity in space, regional stress and strain tensors, relationship to tectonics.
Seismic Hazard: Time-independent and time-dependent, can we predict individual earthquakes?
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| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Shearer, P.M. (1999) Introduction to seismology, Cambridge University Press.
Stein, S. & Wysession, M. (2003). An introduction to seismology, earthquakes and earth structure, Blackwells.
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| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords |
Seismology |
Contacts
| Course organiser |
Prof Ian Main
Tel: (0131 6)50 4911
Email: Ian.Main@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary |
Miss Emma Latto
Tel: (0131 6)50 8510
Email: emma.latto@ed.ac.uk |
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copyright 2011 The University of Edinburgh -
1 September 2011 5:53 am
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