Authorised by Academic Registrar, April 1996
Objectives On the completion of this subject students will understand how waves propagate in linear elastic media; understand the differences between the major types of body and surface waves and be able to derive simple reflection, refraction and dispersion relations; be able to relate the concepts of ray and wavefront to observations of travel-time vs distance; have a conceptual understanding of free oscillation phenomena and source moment tensor; be able to apply the theory to examples from global seismology.
Synopsis Vector operators; strain, stress and traction; continuum mechanics of elastic media; conservation laws; potential functions, elastic waves; reflection and refraction; oscillations; Helmholtz equation for a sphere; Green's tensor; moment tensor of source; radiation patterns.
Assessment Examinations (1.5 hours): 80% + Assignments: 20%