Course Description

📖 Interactive JupyterBook Available! All course materials — lectures, Python notebooks, and labs — are collected in an open interactive JupyterBook with Google Colab and Binder launch buttons on every notebook. No local installation required.

ESS 314 is the bridge between lower- and upper-division Earth and Space Sciences. Geophysics is the physics of the inaccessible — we cannot drill to the mantle, sample the outer core, or watch a fault slip in real time. Instead, we measure physical quantities at or near Earth’s surface and use physical models to infer what lies beneath. Every module follows the same logic: observation → model → inference → interpretation.

The course covers the solid Earth from seismic waves and earthquake phenomenology through gravity, magnetics, heat flow, and plate tectonics. Three habits of mind run throughout:

  • Physical reasoning first. Equations are tools for making sense of the Earth. We always ask: what does this formula actually say about rocks, faults, or fluids?
  • Uncertainty is part of the answer. Geophysical inference is non-unique. A good result includes an honest account of what the data cannot constrain.
  • Computation is part of the science. Every major concept has a companion Python notebook using ObsPy, NumPy, SciPy, and Matplotlib — the same tools used in research.

A fourth thread runs through the whole course: AI literacy. Geophysics already uses machine learning for earthquake detection, phase picking, and tomographic imaging. We treat AI as a scientific tool that requires the same critical scrutiny as any other — students practice using it, evaluating it, and knowing when not to trust it.

Course Modules

Module Topics
1 · Seismic Waves Wave types, ray theory, Snell’s law, refraction & reflection
2 · Subsurface Imaging Seismic refraction/reflection surveys, whole-Earth structure, tomography
3 · Earthquake Phenomenology Earthquake location, ground motion, intensity, tsunami
4 · Gravity Earth’s gravity field, isostasy, gravity anomalies
5 · Magnetism Earth’s magnetic field, mineral magnetism, plate kinematics
6 · Geodynamics & Tectonics Heat flow, divergent/convergent/transform margins, synthesis

Each module contains lecture notes, a Python notebook, and a lab.

Learning Objectives

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

  • Analyze and explain how geophysical observables (seismic travel times and amplitudes, gravity and magnetic anomalies, heat flow) arise from Earth properties and physical processes
  • Apply simplified physical models and mathematical frameworks to predict how subsurface structure influences observations and solve first-order geophysical problems
  • Formulate the relationship between data, model parameters, and forward models; interpret residuals and misfit; recognize non-uniqueness and uncertainty
  • Critically evaluate the strengths, assumptions, and limitations of core geophysical methods and determine their suitability for different Earth science questions
  • Use computational tools to implement forward models, explore parameter sensitivity, and compare model predictions with observations
  • Communicate geophysical reasoning and results clearly through figures, written reports, and discussion
  • Use generative AI tools responsibly to support coding, visualization, and self-assessment while critically evaluating outputs and maintaining scientific integrity

Prerequisites

  • Introductory calculus (through Math 126)
  • Introductory physics (Phys 115/122 or equivalent)

Resources

  • Interactive JupyterBook: uw-geophysics-edu.github.io/ess314 — open lecture notes, Python notebooks, and labs with one-click Colab/Binder launch
  • Textbook: Lowrie & Fichtner, Fundamentals of Geophysics, 3rd ed. (Cambridge, 2020) — free e-book through UW Libraries
  • GitHub Repository: github.com/UW-geophysics-edu/ess314
  • Key Software: Python 3.9+, ObsPy, NumPy, SciPy, Matplotlib