Physics of the lithosphere

The Earth's Lithosphere obeys the same physical rules as other fields of physics. As a result, we can build simple physics-based models to verify estimates of active geodynamic processes for a range of data. This notion has a broad range of applications in understanding plate kinematics, lithospheric dynamics, and general geology of not just Earth's regions but also of other celestial bodies. Students will develop an in-depth grasp of the physics of lithospheric processes via the application of quantitative analytical and numerical models in this course. This would be accomplished by reintroducing students to plate tectonics, quantitative kinematic and dynamic modelling, and its applications to earthquakes, volcanism, sedimentary, metamorphic, and mineral deposition processes, as well as the evolution of life. Furthermore, we would examine intraplate lithospheric processes that induce vertical motion in both the interiors and edges of plates and are not totally represented by plate tectonics. Finally, at the conclusion of the course, we assess our grasp of the geohistory of active dynamics on the Indian plate by retrospecting these models in the Indian setting.