"There's no bismuth like show bismuth" *
Welcome to ESS 312.
This course will teach you about the chemical makeup of the Earth, and its differentiation into core, mantle, crust, oceans and atmosphere. It focuses on the processes responsible for differentiation, and how we can study an understand them using chemical principles, experimental methods and modern analytical techniques. We will review the basic priciples of bonding, valence and crystal chemistry to see how they govern the geochemical behavior of the elements. We will use thermodynamics to predict the outcome of geochemical reactions and calculate the stability of minerals under extreme conditions of pressure and temperature in the Earth's interior. We will study the interactions between rocks and water to learn how low-temperature geochemical processes control the surficial environment in which we live, and investigate the geochemical cycles at work in the crust, atmosphere and oceans. Along the way we will encounter the essential tools and techniques of modern geochemistry, such as trace-element analysis, geochronology, and the use of radiogenic and stable isotopes to understand geological and geochemical processes.
