Invited by director of Center for Global Tectonic , Timothy Kusky,  geophysicist Professor Walter Mooney from USGS and  geochemist professor Alfred Kr?ner from Johannes Gutenberg University visited our school and make a short course report: EVOLUTION OF THE LITHOSPHERE: From the Early Earth to Modern Processes.

The following are the contents of the class:

This course presented a comprehensive overview of lithospheric evolution through time, integrating data from geology, geophysics, geochemistry, geochronology, petrology, and paleomagnetism. Students were introduced to the basic concepts and methods used by scientists in these disciplines to study the lithospheric structure and evolution. The two professors described present day lithospheric structure as determined through geophysics and geology, and interpret the past history of the Earth. This class was followed by examples using the results of high-level research in lithospheric structure and evolution from around the world, including the Himalaya-Tibetan Plateau.

The course will cover aspects of the early formation of the Earth, such as the question of when the modern-style plate tectonics began, and when the first large continents formed. Different models for the thermal history of planet Earth will be presented, with active discussion about the constraints and implications of the different models. The role of supercontinents in the evolution of continental lithosphere was covered, as well as the formation and matching of passive margin sequences from different continents, that aids supercontinent reconstruction. Participants were actively engaged with questions during the course, and there got many opportunities for extended discussion following each session.