The inaugural edition of the Treatise on Geophysics published in 2007 included for the first time a geoscience volume specifically devoted to the dynamics in the Earth’s core. This Core Dynamics volume in the second edition of Treatise on Geophysics continues that tradition, offering an in-depth discussion of the dynamical processes that are active at the very heart of the Earth, some of which have impact far beyond the core itself. In the years since the first edition, there has been much in the way of progress, plus some revisions, as is inevitable in studying the most remote region of our planet. The overall trend is toward a more dynamical perspective of the core, in which energy production and dissipation are higher and the pulse of evolution is stronger, compared to our thinking just a few years ago. Evidence of this trend is found in the major new ideas, advances, concepts, and research directions that have appeared since the first edition, including the following: <...>

The Earth’s deep interior, being physically inaccessible, is difficult to study directly. The necessarily indirect methods used in its study are best pursued collaboratively in order to bring all possible sources of knowledge to bear on the topic, hence the need for interdisciplinary research. Over recent decades, there have been advances in investigating the dynamics of the Earth’s deep interior. In terms of experimental and observation work, there have been innovations in high-temperature and high-pressure experiments (employing diamond anvil cells and synchrotron radiation facilities), dramatically improved geochemical analyses aided by particle physics detectors, and seismic wave observations and theory. In terms of computational work, methodological innovations and increased computational power have facilitated theoretical calculations of mineral properties and fluid dynamical simulations at the micro and macro scale.

This self learning package is part of a self learning programme aimed at the rapid development of skilled and professional petroleum engineers.

After completing this “coring” module participants should be able to:

• design a cost effective coring programme based on the information objectives of a well.

• advise on drilling parameters and mud properties required for a quality core.

• determine the coring point from offset well logs, cuttings and real time data.

• supervise the cutting, retrieval and on site handling of cores.

• prepare appropriate reporting documentation for the coring operation. <...>

Cosmochemistry provides critical insights into the workings of our local star and its companions throughout the galaxy, the origin and timing of our solar system’s birth, and the complex reactions inside planetesimals and planets (including our own) as they evolve. Much of the database of cosmochemistry comes from laboratory analyses of elements and isotopes in our modest collections of extraterrestrial samples. A growing part of the cosmochemistry database is gleaned from remote sensing and in situ measurements by spacecraft instruments, which provide chemical analyses and geologic context for other planets, their moons, asteroids, and comets. Because the samples analyzed by cosmochemists are typically so small  and valuable, or must be analyzed on bodies many millions of miles distant, this discipline leads in the development of new analytical technologies for use in the laboratory or flown on spacecraft missions. These technologies then spread to geochemistry and other fields where precise analyses of small samples are important <...>