This textbook provides user-friendly introduction to applied numerical methods for graduate students and researchers working in the fields of geology, mathematics and physics.
Modelling of geological processes numerically was for a long time considered as a complex research domain of high-level mathematicians and geophysicists with strong experience in numerical methods. Now, for the first time, students and researchers in geology and natural sciences can learn this subject from a single, accessible textbook. It only requires minimal mathematical background (derivatives and simple linear algebra).
The first part of this textbook gradually introduces relevant partial differential equations of continuum mechanics and explains in details numerical methods applied for their solution. The second part contains reader-friendly introduction into state-of-the-art visco-elasto-plastic thermo-mechanical geodynamic modelling.
This textbook does not only present numerical methods but also provides insight into the modelling of major geological processes. Numerical examples include models of subduction, lithospheric extension, continental collision, slab break-off, intrusion emplacement, mantle convection and planetary core formation. 47 exercises and 67 MATLAB programs allow readers to test their understanding and experiment with numerical methods and models.