McConnel Thrust at Mount Yamnuska, AB

Structural Geology and Tectonics EAS 421/521

Structural Geology is primarily concerned with the deformation of the solid Earth. We will see and learn about structures produced by deformation in outcrops, in geologic maps, in cross-sections and seismic profiles, and under the microscope. The Structural Geology and Tectonics course is concerned with understanding, and where possible measuring, the deformation that produced those structures. We use this information to understand both the tectonic causes of deformation and the importance of structures for exploration of the Earth's lithosphere.

Like the lithosphere, this site is permanently under construction: please be patient if not all the links are connected.

If you are a member of the class and you see a broken link or other problem, please email the instructor john.waldron "at" ualberta.ca!

What's the difference between EAS 421 and 521?

• EAS 421 is a second undergraduate course in structural geology and tectonics, built upon the foundation of EAS 233 'Geologic Structures'. You should take EAS 421 if you want a broad understanding of the processes that have moved plates, deformed rocks, and built mountains, over 4 billion years of Earth history. If you are registered in EAS421 and you took EAS 233 in 2008 or before, please let the instructor know before the first week of classes. Because EAS233 covered slightly different material before 2009, some special additional material may be provided.
• EAS 521 is a graduate-level version of EAS 421. It is aimed at graduate students in the Integrated Petroelum Geoscience program, and other graduate students who have completed an undergraduate program with only one structural course, equivalent to EAS 233. EAS 521 is not suitable for graduate students who have already taken more advanced undergraduate courses in structural geology equivalent to EAS 421 If this is the case for you, you may be interested in EAS 541 Topics in Tectonics and Structural Geology.
• Students who register in EAS 521 will attend the same lectures and labs as EAS 421 students, but the assigned work will involve some different components, appropriate to graduate-level study. Graduate students in the IPG program will attend lab D3 for this reason. EAS 421 and 521 will be marked and graded separately.
   

Resources

Course Outlines EAS421/EAS521

eClass page (for registered students)

Textbook "Structural Geology" by Haakon Fossen

Topics covered in lectures, with supplementary materials

• I Lines, planes and orientation data
  • Notes
  • Readings: Structural Geology by Fossen Ch. 1: Box 2.1; Appendix B.
  • Formulas: vectors
  • Formulas: orientation data
  • Visible Geology: tool for visualizing simple structures and stereographic projection
  • Nets for stereographic projection: Wulff; Schmidt
• II Plate Kinematics
  • Notes
  • Formula sheet
  • Worldwide earthquakes at the US National Earthquake Information Center. For more information, including focal mechanisms and background, click on an earthquake either in the list or on the map. Then click 'scientific' in the menu of choices that appears.
  • Map of lithospheric plates at geology.about.com
  • A useful map of North American continental crust: US Geological Survey Open File 2005-1294B.
  • Powerpoint slides used to illustrate focal mechanisms
  • UNAVCO GPS Velocity viewer
  • Animations
    • Animations of plate motion in the east Pacific by Tanya Atwater, University of California at Santa Barbara http://emvc.geol.ucsb.edu/
      • Pacific Plate
      • Animation of plate motion at the west edge of the North American Plate
  • Animations of plate movement in the east Pacific, illustrating effects on Cordilleran Magmatism, after JK Madsen et al. Cenozoic to Recent plate configurations in the Pacific Basin: Ridge subduction and slab window magmatism in western North America: Geosphere; February 2006; v. 2; no. 1; p. 11–34
    • Animation 1
    • Animation 2
• Reading: Frisch, Meschede & Blakely 2011 Plate Tectonics, Chapter 2: Plate movements and their geometric relationships
• III Stress
• Notes
• Readings: An introduction to stress is given in Structural Geology by Fossen Chapters 4, and 5. Additional information on the effects of stress on elastic and brittle materials is found in sections 6.1 - 6.3 and 7.1 - 7.3; Chapter 9 covers the use of faults in making inferences about paleostress.
• Formula sheet
• World stress map
• IV Rifts and extensional tectonic environments
  • Notes
  • Readings: Structural Geology by Fossen Chapters 8, 17 and 19
  • Virtual seismic atlas contains many seismic profiles through rifts and salt provinces
• V Deformation and Strain in 2D
  • Notes
  • Readings: Structural Geology by Fossen Chapters 2, 3. In this section we focus on a simplified aproach to strain in 2D. We will not cover in detail the material in sections 2.10-2.13, 2.18, and 2.29 as these deal mainly with 3D strain.
  • Formula sheet
• VI Introduction to orogens
  • Notes
  • Readings: Structural Geology by Fossen Chapter 16
• VII Foreland fold-thrust belts
  • Notes
  • Readings: Structural Geology by Fossen Chapter 16, 20
  • Animations of kinematic models for fault-related folds
  • Formula sheet
• VIII Subduction and mélange
  • Notes
  • Reading: Frisch, Meschede & Blakely 2011 Plate Tectonics, Chapter 7: Subduction zones, island arcs and active continental margins
• iX Metamorphic belts
  • Notes
  • Reading: Structural Geology by Fossen Ch. 11, 12, 21
• X Rheology and shear zones
  • Notes
  • Reading: Structural Geology by Fossen Chapter 10, sections 10.4-10.6; Chapter 15.
  • Microstructures online by Jessel and Bons at Journal of the Virtual Explorer http://virtualexplorer.com.au/special/meansvolume/contribs/jessell/index.html
• Strain in 3D
  • Notes
  • Reading: Structural Geology by Fossen Chapter 2
• Strike-slip tectonics
  • Notes
  • Reading: Structural Geology by Fossen Chapter 18.
  • Additional diagrams illustrating strike slip, transpression, transtension. (Typos now fixed, hopefully!)

Sample evaluative material

(i.e. Examples of the format and types of questions to be asked in tests)

Midterm: Sample questions, diagrams to go with the questions, sample answers

Final test: Sample to illustrate format of final exam (actual question weightings may differ); another sample.

Note: the above sample questions are from a tests that occurred earlier in the term; this year's midterm test will have similar format but will cover material from lectures up to October 17

Other animations and links

Note: most of the animations here are © John Waldron 2001-2014. They are made available for non-commercial, educational use provided their source is acknowledged and this notice is included when they are displayed; please contact John Waldron john.waldron@uaberta.ca for conditions of use.

• Visible Geology: tool for visualizing simple structures and stereographic projection
• Useful techniques for folds from the structural methods page of Steven Dutch, University of Wisconsin
  • Busk or arc method of cross-section construction
  • Kink method method of cross-section construction

Gallery of structural images

Animations and images on this site are copyright © John Waldron 1998-2010. (For non-commercial, educational use of this material, contact john.waldron@ualberta.ca)