Application deadline

Type of course

Admission requirements

Bachelor's degree in geology, or a similar degree following a programme of study of at least three years, or similar education approved in accordance with the Norwegian Universities Act section 3-4. In addition, specialization in geology worth the equivalent of at least 80 ECTS credits is required. Normally, an average mark of C or better is required at the bachelor's degree level or other program for basis of admission.

Application code: 9371.

Course content

This course will introduce the students to earthquakes and the propagation of elastic waves through the Earth and other planets. The aim is to provide training in mathematical modelling and practical data analysis pertaining to seismic wave propagation, seismology and Earth structure, earthquakes, and the relevant signal processing methods. The theory will be illustrated by several illuminating real-world applications ranging from tectonic earthquake analysis, to ambient seismic noise seismology, cryo-seismology and microseismic monitoring. Modern e-learning tools (e.g., Jupyter Notebooks and ObsPy) will be used extensively for exploring seismological data, and to provide practical training in analyzing seismological data that will be made available to the students.

The course will be conducted by a seismology expert from NORSAR in collaboration with scientists from the Department of Geosciences at UiT The Arctic University of Norway.

Objectives of the course

Learning outcomes

On completion of the course the student should have the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The student has

• a comprehensive understanding of the concepts and tools for modelling of seismic wave propagation, in particular the seismic wave equation, plane waves, strain and stress, reflection and transmission coefficients, surface waves, anisotropy and attenuation, and elements of ray theory • a comprehensive understanding of seismology and Earth structure, including reflection and refraction seismology, body waves, and inverse problems
• understanding of earthquakes, including focal mechanisms, waveform modelling, moment tensors, source parameters, and global earthquake statistics
• understanding of signal processing and data analysis methods relevant for the analysis and interpretation of seismological data

Skills

The student can

• apply the principles of seismology to get access to, visualize, analyze, and assess earthquakes and other seismological events
• understand and interpret seismograms
• connect observational data to source, propagation medium and receiver array configuration
• utilize analysis software to process and extract relevant geophysical information from data

General competences

The student can

• carry out the most important elements of research projects related to seismology: read and understand relevant literature, acquire and analyze data, and communicate results to fellow students/scientists and to the public.
• work with seismological problems in the public and private sector.
• solve problems related to seismology analytically and prompt in written English, and present research results orally.
• work independently and in a team.

Language of instruction and examination

Teaching methods

The course will be given as an intensive course over two weeks with 30 hours of lectures and 20 hours of exercises/computer lab.

Compulsory active participation in the course.

Assessment

Portfolio assessment of project assignments counting 50 % and a final 4 hour written examination counting 50 %. All modules in the portfolio are assessed as a whole and one combined grade is given.

Access to the final examination requires submission and approval of project assignments.

Assessment scale: Letter grades A-F.

There is no access to a re-sit examination in this course.