Introduction to Geophysics

ES 3004 / ES 7020
Semester 2, AY2025–2026
Nanyang Technological University

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Instructor Information

Instructor: Asst. Prof. Luca Dal Zilio
Email: luca.dalzilio@ntu.edu.sg
Office: N2-01B-22
Office Hours: By appointment

Co-Instructor: Dr. Sharadha Sathiakumar (sharadha.sathiakumar@ntu.edu.sg)

Teaching Assistant: Wenzhi Zhao (WENZHI001@e.ntu.edu.sg)

Course Description

This course provides a comprehensive introduction to solid Earth geophysics and near-surface imaging. Students learn the physical principles governing the Earth’s interior and the geophysical methods used to image the shallow subsurface.

The first half of the course, Essentials of Geophysics, covers Earth structure, elasticity, rheology, seismic wave propagation, the gravitational field, and geodynamic processes.

The second half, Near-Surface Imaging, introduces applied geophysics techniques including seismic reflection, refraction, gravity, magnetics, electrical resistivity, and electromagnetic methods.

Weekly tutorials reinforce lecture concepts through guided problem solving and MATLAB-based exercises. Assignments are submitted weekly to ensure steady development of quantitative and analytical skills.

Course Objectives

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

  • Explain the physical principles underlying major solid Earth processes.

  • Apply concepts of stress, strain, elasticity, and rheology to geological materials.

  • Interpret seismic waves and use them to infer Earth structure.

  • Understand Earth’s gravity field and the principles of isostasy.

  • Describe the driving forces of plate tectonics and mantle convection.

  • Apply seismic, gravity, magnetic, and resistivity methods to near-surface problems.

  • Design a basic geophysical survey and justify method selection.

Grading

Assessment for this course is based on weekly assignments, class attendance and participation, and a final exam:

  • 10 Assignments: 3% per assignment (30%)

  • Class attendance and participation: 10%

  • Final exam (questions and quiz): 60%

Academic Integrity

Good academic work depends on honesty and ethical behaviour. The quality of your work as a student relies on adhering to the principles of academic integrity and to the NTU Honour Code, a set of values shared by the whole university community. Truth, trust, and justice are at the core of NTU’s shared values.

Students are responsible for understanding and applying the principles of academic integrity in all work at NTU. Not knowing what constitutes academic dishonesty does not excuse misconduct. Students should familiarize themselves with the definitions of plagiarism, academic fraud, collusion, and cheating by consulting the academic integrity website and by asking the instructors if clarification is needed.

Plagiarism carries severe penalties, even when committed unintentionally. All submitted work must be written in the student’s own words unless clearly quoted and cited. Paraphrasing without proper attribution may still constitute plagiarism. Students are advised to read, reflect, and then write without referencing source material directly.

Diversity and Inclusion Policy

Integrating a diverse set of experiences is essential for a comprehensive understanding of science. This course is committed to fostering an inclusive and collaborative learning environment that respects diversity in ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic background, religion, sexual orientation, and ability.

Students are encouraged to speak with the instructors or an ASE faculty member if experiences outside the classroom affect their performance, or if anything said or done in class causes discomfort. All participants are expected to engage respectfully, use inclusive language, ensure all voices are heard, and refrain from derogatory or demeaning behavior.

All members of the class must adhere to the NTU anti-harassment policy. If you witness behavior that violates this policy or have concerns, please speak with the instructors or an ASE faculty member.

Course Logistics

Lectures: Mondays 12:30–14:20
Tutorials: Tuesdays 15:30–16:20
Rooms:
• Lectures — N1.1-B2-01D (E2S2 Lab 3)
• Tutorials — N1.1-B2-01E (E2S2 Lab 4)

Start of Teaching: 12 January 2026 (Week 1)
End of Teaching: 13 April 2026 (Week 13)
Note: Week 6 (17–18 Feb 2026, Chinese New Year) — No Lecture

Weekly Schedule [ Download syllabus ]

Below is the full lecture + tutorial plan with placeholders for lecture slides, tutorial sheets, and assignments.

Week

Dates

Lecture, Tutorial & Assignment

1

12 Jan (Lecture)
13 Jan (Tutorial)

Introduction to Geophysics & Earth Structure
Overview of geophysics, layered Earth, plate tectonics, physical parameters.
Tutorial: Half-space cooling model.
Assignment #1: Pressure in the Earth and isostasy.

[Lecture] • [Tutorial] • [Assignment]

2

19 Jan (Lecture)
20 Jan (Tutorial)

Stress, Strain, and Elasticity
Stress tensor, strain, elastic moduli, Hooke’s law, lithospheric flexure.
Tutorial: Mohr Circle.
Assignment #2: Stress tensors, Mohr circles, and faulting regimes.

[Lecture] • [Tutorial] • [Assignment]

3

26 Jan (Lecture)
27 Jan (Tutorial)

Rheology of Earth Materials
Brittle vs. ductile behavior, temperature/pressure dependence, creep laws, viscoelasticity.
Tutorial: Yield strength profile.
Assignment #3: Rheology of rocks.
[Lecture] • [Tutorial] • [Assignment]

4

2 Feb (Lecture)
3 Feb (Tutorial)

Seismology: Waves and Earth’s Interior
P/S waves, seismograms, travel-time curves, internal boundaries.
Tutorial: Earthquake location; ray-path computation in a layered model.
Assignment #4: Travel-time reading and velocity structure inference.
[Lecture] • [Tutorial] • [Assignment]

5

9 Feb (Lecture)
10 Feb (Tutorial)

Earth’s Gravity Field
Gravity anomalies, geoid, Bouguer corrections.
Tutorial: Gravity anomaly modelling.
Assignment #5: Gravity quantitative questions.
[Lecture] • [Tutorial] • [Assignment]

6

16–20 Feb

Chinese New Year Week — No Lecture, No Tutorial

7

23 Feb (Lecture)
24 Feb (Tutorial)

Geodynamics and Plate Driving Forces
Heat flow, conduction vs. convection, mantle dynamics, slab pull vs. ridge push.
Tutorial: Driving force calculations.
Assignment #6: Exercise on either convection timescale or heat-flow interpretation.
[Lecture] • [Tutorial] • [Assignment]

—

2–6 Mar

Recess Week

8

9 Mar (Lecture)
10 Mar (Tutorial)

Seismic Exploration (Refraction & Reflection)
Snell’s law, critical angle, head waves, reflection coefficients.
Tutorial: Refraction travel-time analysis; basic reflection correction.
Assignment #7: Layer-depth estimation and reflection-coefficient calculations.
[Lecture] • [Tutorial] • [Assignment]

9

16 Mar (Lecture)
17 Mar (Tutorial)

Gravity & Magnetic Methods
Survey corrections, anomaly interpretation, density/magnetization contrasts.
Tutorial: Forward modelling of simple gravity/magnetic anomalies.
Assignment #8: Bouguer anomaly analysis; magnetic depth-estimation.
[Lecture] • [Tutorial] • [Assignment]

10

23 Mar (Lecture)
24 Mar (Tutorial)

Electrical Resistivity Methods
Wenner/Schlumberger arrays, apparent resistivity, inversion concepts.
Tutorial: Calculation of apparent resistivity curves.
Assignment #9: Resistivity modelling and interpretation.
[Lecture] • [Tutorial] • [Assignment]

11

30 Mar (Lecture)
31 Mar (Tutorial)

Electromagnetic Methods & GPR
EM induction, radar wave propagation, radargrams, applications.
Tutorial: GPR profile interpretation; depth calculation from travel times.
Assignment #10: GPR/EM conceptual and quantitative problems.
[Lecture] • [Tutorial] • [Assignment]

12

6 Apr (Lecture)
7 Apr (Tutorial)

Integrated Geophysical Interpretation
Case studies with multimethod surveys.
Tutorial: No tutorial.
Assignment: No assignment.
[Lecture] • [Tutorial] • [Assignment]

13

13 Apr (Lecture)
14 Apr (Tutorial)

Course Synthesis
Review of entire course.
Tutorial: No tutorial.
Assignment: No assignment.
[Lecture] • [Tutorial] • [Assignment]

14

20 Apr

Exam
Final exam (questions and quiz) time: 12:30-2:20