Understanding Earth

The course covers climate, plate tectonics, magmatism, metamorphism, sedimentation, structural geology, geobiology, earthquakes, surface processes (glacial, river, wind, and hillslope environments), water cycle, and ocean circulation. It is based on the course book "Understanding Earth" by John Grotzinger and Thomas H Jordan.

The course consists of an online part (virtual mobility) and a field part (physical mobility).

The program provides to the students knowledge related to the following fields:

• Climate
• Geological time
• Plate tectonics
• Volcanism and earthquakes
• Magmatism and metamorphism
• Sedimentology
• Metamorphism
• Surface processes
• Geobiology

• Students will be introduced to the basic principles of geosciences encompassing climate change, geodynamics and biologic processes.
• Students will learn about the origin of the Earth, its life and its climate, and how different processes in the Earth sciences interact with each other over both human and geologic timescales.

The physical mobility part will be running from 24 to 28 February 2025. The 5-day field part will be held on the island of Naxos, which is in the Greek Cyclades.

Students we observe spectacular examples of magmatic and metamorphic rocks (granites, marbles, schists, migmatites) and more recent (Quaternary) sediments. Also, students will observe a wide range of landforms (canyons, caves, tafoni, planation surfaces, beachrocks, sand dunes and hogbacks) and learn how they formed. They will also get to see marble and emery mines, as well as become familiar with the mining history of Naxos since the Antiquity. Moreover, they will understand how geological processes shape a landscape and play a key role in controlling climate.

The learning goals include for students to be able to use geological principles to understand the landscape around them and how it formed.

The field trip will be led by Niki Evelpidou (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens), along with Alasdair Skelton (Stockholm University), Todd Ehlers (University of Glasgow) and Christophe Glotzbach (University of Tübingen).

The virtual part will be running from 3 March to 18 April 2025.

• Moreover, the online part of the course uses online learning material (recorded lectures, activities) created by the University of Tübingen and hosted by CIVIS as well as online instructor-led discussions offered by Stockholm University, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, the University of Tübingen and the University of Glasgow to make sure that students have understood the online learning material.
• The online part of the course will be led by Todd Ehlers (University of Tübingen) with online discussions held by all 4 professors.
• The virtual component of the program comprises 14 online sessions which include a pre-recorded lecture, reading material and online activities. There are also instructor-led online discussions once or twice each week.

Evaluation will be based on:

• Assessment of the virtual part of the course is based on an online written exam.
• Assessment of the physical part of the course is based on a written field assignment.

Motivation Letter

Level of english (According to CEFR)

CV

Students' applications will be evaluated based on the CV, the motivation letter and the level of English. Preference will be given to students who motivate an interest for interdisciplinarity. Selection will be made on the basis of the order in which fully complete application are received.

• Alasdair Skelton, Professor of Geochemistry and Petrology at Stockholm University
• Niki Evelpidou, Professor of Geomorphology and Geoinformatics at National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
• Todd Ehlers, Professor of Geology at University of Glasgow
• Christophe Glotzbach, Researcher at University of Tübingen