Undergraduate Geodynamics Laboratory

9351386 Hudleston A new Geodynamics Laboratory is being created within the Department of Geology and Geophysics. This laboratory is for experimentation on processes of fundamental importance in various areas of the Earth Sciences, representing a variety of fields but all falling under the general rubric of continuum mechanics. Experimental topics include flow of water in open channels, porous media, lakes, and rotating basins; flow of complex geological materials such as debris; deformation of plastic materials in two and three dimensions; and plate motion on a fluid undergoing three-dimensional convection. The experiments are being coupled with computer models of the processes studied.The laboratory is a unique complement to the more traditional sample-oriented laboratories in our and other Earth Sciences Departments. It is giving students a unique opportunity to visualize and manipulate models of processes that they previously studied about mainly through lectures. Also, by grouping these experiments in one place, using generic, simple materials, and incorporating them in fundamental courses taught at the beginning of the undergraduate curriculum, the new laboratory is helping students appreciate the unity of the physics underlying many apparently diverse geologic processes. ***