geodynamics

Geodynamics is the study of the dynamic processes that deform the Earth’s interior and shape its surface over geological time. It integrates geophysics, geochemistry, geology, and applied mathematics to understand mantle convection, plate tectonics, crustal deformation, and mountain building. A central idea is that heat from the Earth's interior drives convection in the mantle, which mobilizes lithospheric plates whose interactions at boundaries generate earthquakes, volcanism, topography, and basin evolution. Key components include mantle convection, plate tectonics, and the thermo-mechanical behavior of rocks, including how phase transitions and density variations with depth influence flow.

Plate tectonics organizes the surface into rigid plates that move relative to one another along boundaries: divergent (spreading), convergent (subduction and collision), and transform (shear). Subduction zones recycle oceanic crust into the mantle and host complex volcanism; interactions at other boundaries create and reform continents and ocean basins. Isostasy and lithospheric flexure describe vertical motions in response to loading and unloading.

Methodologically, geodynamics combines observations with physics-based models. Observational data come from seismology, magnetotellurics, gravity, and space geodesy (GPS, InSAR), as well as fossil and isotopic records. Theoretical tools include thermomechanical modeling and numerical simulations of mantle convection, as well as kinematic and dynamic models of plate motion.

Applications include explaining the distribution of earthquakes and volcanoes, the formation and stability of continents and oceans, mountain belts, basin and resource evolution, and long-term climate interactions via tectonically driven sea level and carbon cycling. The field is inherently interdisciplinary, seeking to quantify forces, material properties, and boundary conditions that govern Earth’s evolving interior and surface.