This course is set up with ten Portfolio Projects. These are intended to permit you to see how we have come to learn much of what we know about the tectonics on Earth. On Thursdays we will work through these as a class. In doing so, each student should see how the work is done and understand the reason for each step and the results obtained. The projects will not be evaluated for a grade, but they will be available during Graded Learning Opportunities, where you may anticipate questions probing your understanding and comprehension of the techniques and processes involved. They will be yours to keep, and hopefully treasure, after completion of the course. If, in the future, you have reason to revisit one of the subjects covered, you will have your own explanation, with your own work, to help you understand it again.

These projects will often use simplifying assumptions such as a Flat Earth, or Constant Seismic Wave Velocities, in order to keep the math straightforward. We will use algebra, geometry and trigonometry, but will avoid using the calculus.

On Tuesdays we will discuss the context for these portfolios, emphasizing how the theory of Plate Tectonics evolved and learning about places on Earth where various components of the model were developed.