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ESS 314 – Geophysics

Course Logistics

Syllabus
Technology
Lecture Slides

Module 1 — Introduction to Geophysical Methods

What is Geophysics?
Geophysical Methods

Module 2 — Seismic Waves, Refraction, and Reflection

Seismic Wave Basics
Seismic Wave Types
Wavefronts, Rays, and Snell's Law

Module 3 — Subsurface Imaging

Refraction I
Refraction II
Reflections I
Reflections II
Migration & Velocity–Image Duality
Whole Earth Imaging
Seismic Tomography

Module 4 — Earthquake Phenomenology

Earthquake Phenomena I
Earthquake Phenomena II
Focal Mechanisms
Ground Motions
Tsunami

Module 5 — Gravity

Earth's Gravity & the Geoid
Gravity Anomalies & Subsurface Modeling
Isostasy & Lithospheric Flexure
Density & Lithosphere

Module 6 — Magnetism

Earth's Field & the Geodynamo
Rock Magnetism
Magnetic Anomalies & Surveys

Module 7 — Tectonics, Lithosphere, and the Cooling Earth

L26 — Lithosphere: Oceanic vs. Continental
L27 — Ridges and Rifts
L28 — Convergent Margins
L29 — Transform & Intraplate
L30 — Synthesis

Labs

Lab 1: Introduction to Python
Geophysics Lab 2: More Python, and Some Earthquakes
Lab AI: AI as a Geophysics Collaborator
Notebook: Subduction Parameter Space (L28)

Career Prospects & Skills

Overview
Job Market & Salaries
Skills to Build
Career Paths

Discussion Sections

Design & Mentoring
Five Formats
Session 1 — Why Does the Earth Make Noise?
Session 2 — Reading the Subsurface
Session 3 — Guest: PhD Student's First Year
Session 4 — Explaining Geophysics
Session 5 — Gravity, Ice Sheets, and CO₂
Session 6 — Guest: Industry Geophysicist
Session 7 — Inside the Planet
Session 8 — Guest: Science-Society Boundary
Session 9 — Inversion & the Climate Problem
Session 10 — What Have We Learned?
Studio (L30) — One Earth, Many Observables
Workshop — Lithosphere Comparison (L26)

AI Skills & Skill Threads

Five Skill Threads
AI Literacy Guide

References

Full Bibliography

Repository
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By Marine Denolle

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