# Introduction to Geophysics **ES 3004 / ES 7020** **Semester 2, AY2025–2026** **Nanyang Technological University** ```{figure} _static/cover.pdf :width: 50% :align: center ``` --- ## **Instructor Information** **Instructor:** Asst. Prof. Luca Dal Zilio **Email:** **Office:** N2-01B-22 **Office Hours:** By appointment **Co-Instructor:** Dr. Sharadha Sathiakumar **Teaching Assistant:** Wenzhi Zhao --- ## **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. --- ## **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. ```{list-table} :header-rows: 1 :widths: 10 20 70 * - **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:* PREM profiles; MATLAB plotting of density/velocity vs depth. *Assignment:* Earth structure calculations. 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:* Stress–strain calculations; MATLAB curve fitting. *Assignment:* Elasticity + flexure problems. **[Lecture]** • **[Tutorial]** • **[Assignment]** * - 3 - **26 Jan (Lecture)** 27 Jan (Tutorial) - **Rheology of Earth Materials** Brittle–ductile behavior, creep laws, viscoelasticity. *Tutorial:* Maxwell viscoelastic model in MATLAB. *Assignment:* Rheology scenarios. **[Lecture]** • **[Tutorial]** • **[Assignment]** * - 4 - **2 Feb (Lecture)** 3 Feb (Tutorial) - **Seismology: Waves and Earth's Interior** P/S waves, seismograms, travel-time curves. *Tutorial:* S–P location; ray tracing. *Assignment:* Travel-time readings. **[Lecture]** • **[Tutorial]** • **[Assignment]** * - 5 - **9 Feb (Lecture)** 10 Feb (Tutorial) - **Earth’s Gravity Field & Isostasy** Bouguer anomalies, geoid, Airy/Pratt models. *Tutorial:* MATLAB gravity modelling. *Assignment:* Isostasy questions. **[Lecture]** • **[Tutorial]** • **[Assignment]** * - **6** - **16 Feb** - **Chinese New Year Week — No Lecture or Tutorial** * - 7 - **23 Feb (Lecture)** 24 Feb (Tutorial) - **Geodynamics & Plate Driving Forces** Convection, heat flow, ridge push, slab pull. *Tutorial:* Oceanic lithosphere cooling model. *Assignment:* 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, NMO. *Tutorial:* Refraction analysis. *Assignment:* Depth estimation. **[Lecture]** • **[Tutorial]** • **[Assignment]** * - 9 - **16 Mar (Lecture)** 17 Mar (Tutorial) - **Gravity & Magnetic Methods** Density/magnetization contrasts. *Tutorial:* Forward modelling. *Assignment:* Bouguer & magnetic depth estimation. **[Lecture]** • **[Tutorial]** • **[Assignment]** * - 10 - **23 Mar (Lecture)** 24 Mar (Tutorial) - **Electrical Resistivity Methods** Wenner/Schlumberger arrays, inversion concepts. *Tutorial:* Apparent resistivity curve calculation. *Assignment:* Resistivity interpretation. **[Lecture]** • **[Tutorial]** • **[Assignment]** * - 11 - **30 Mar (Lecture)** 31 Mar (Tutorial) - **Electromagnetic Methods & GPR** Radar propagation, radargrams. *Tutorial:* GPR profile interpretation. *Assignment:* EM/GPR problems. **[Lecture]** • **[Tutorial]** • **[Assignment]** * - 12 - **6 Apr (Lecture)** 7 Apr (Tutorial) - **Integrated Geophysical Interpretation** Multimethod surveys, inversion concepts. *Tutorial:* Group mini-project. *Assignment:* Method selection. **[Lecture]** • **[Tutorial]** • **[Assignment]** * - 13 - **13 Apr (Lecture)** 14 Apr (Tutorial) - **Course Synthesis & Survey Design** *Tutorial:* Final project workshop. *Assignment:* Final survey design report. **[Lecture]** • **[Tutorial]** • **[Assignment]**