This course covers basic kinetic theory and the application of thermochronometry, the use of cooling-related isotopic variations preserved in minerals, to reveal thermal histories.
Auditors are welcome but are asked to attend regularly and perform the homework assignments.
As the mathematics prerequisite is first year calculus, the first three weeks include a bootstrap introduction to methods of solving the diffusion equation. The Mathematics of Diffusion . 414 p. H.S. Carslaw and J.C. Jaeger, Conduction of Heat in Solids . Closure Temperature in Cooling Geochronological and Petrological Systems. Closure Profiles in Cooling Systems.