Lectures & Video Resources
A curated collection of the best freely available lecture series, research seminars, and educational resources on tectonics and geodynamics from universities, geological surveys, and research institutions worldwide.
A note on availability: Unlike fields such as quantum mechanics or thermodynamics, comprehensive freely available university lecture series on tectonics and geodynamics are strikingly rare from major Western universities. This contrasts with IIT's NPTEL, which offers complete filmed courses. The resources below represent the best available material we've identified — a combination of structured lecture series, research seminars, USGS public lectures, and curated aggregators that together provide excellent coverage of the field.
University Lecture Series
Helsinki University Geodynamics Group
University of Helsinki, Finland • 41 lectures
One of the few structured European academic lecture series on geodynamics freely available online. Covers plate boundaries, stress and strain, elasticity, lithospheric flexure, heat transfer, advection, rock deformation, and plasticity. Presented by researchers from the Institute of Seismology and Solid Earth Geophysics group.
Lecture 2.1: Divergent Plate Boundaries
Lecture 2.2: Convergent Plate Boundaries
Lecture 2.3: Transforms and the Wilson Cycle
Lecture 2.4: Plate Motions on a Flat Earth (in French)
Lecture 2.5: Triple Junctions
Lecture 2.6: Plate Motions on a Sphere
Chapter 4: Stress & Strain
Lecture 4.1: Global and Regional Stress Measurements
Lecture 4.2: How Is Stress Measured?
Lecture 4.3: What Is Deformation? (in French)
Lecture 4.4: Normal and Shear Strains
Lecture 4.5: Historical Strain Measurements
Lecture 4.6: Modern Strain Measurements
Chapter 5: Elasticity
Lecture 5.1: The Elastic Earth
Lecture 5.2: Elasticity in Terms of Stress
Lecture 5.3: Uniaxial Stress
Lecture 5.4: Uniaxial Strain
Lecture 5.5: Pure and Simple Shear
Lecture 5.6: Isotropic Stress
Chapter 6: Flexure
Lecture 6.1: Flexure of an Elastic Plate
Lecture 6.2: Balancing Forces and Torques
Lecture 6.3: Deflection of a Simple Elastic Plate
Lecture 6.4: Flexure of the Lithosphere
Lecture 6.5: Examples of Flexure of Lithospheric Plates
Chapter 7: Heat Transfer
Lecture 7.1: The Importance of Heat
Lecture 7.2: Heat Conduction
Lecture 7.3: Heat Production
Lecture 7.4: Heat Transfer in 1D
Lecture 7.5: Distribution of Heat Producing Elements
Lecture 7.6: Influence of Topography
Chapter 8: Time-Dependent Heat Transfer & Advection
Lecture 8.1: Time-Dependent Heat Transfer
Lecture 8.2: Examples of Time Dependence
Lecture 8.3: Heat Transfer by Advection
Lecture 8.4: Examples of Advection
Lecture 8.5: The Péclet Number
Lecture 8.6: Thermal Structure of Active Tectonic Areas
Chapter 11: Rock Deformation & Plasticity
Lecture 11.1: Rock Deformation
Lecture 11.2: Introduction to Plasticity
Lecture 11.3: Friction in Rocks
Lecture 11.4: Mohr-Coulomb Criterion I (in French)
Lecture 11.5: Mohr-Coulomb Criterion II (in French)
Lecture 11.6: Predicting Fault Orientations
CIDER — Cooperative Institute for Dynamic Earth Research
UC Berkeley & multi-institutional • 12 selected lectures
Graduate-level summer school lectures from CIDER programs (2011–2017), taught by leading researchers from Scripps, Brown, Cornell, GFZ Potsdam, MIT, and more. Below is a curated selection focused on subduction dynamics, mantle convection, rheology, and megathrust earthquakes — the most relevant topics for tectonics students.
Mantle Dynamics & Convection
Basics of Thermal Convection
Bruce Buffett & Michael Manga (UC Berkeley) • CIDER 2016
Large-Scale Mantle Convection and Numerical Modeling
CIDER 2014
Connection Between Mantle Dynamics and Surface Processes
CIDER 2014
Subduction Zone Dynamics
Introduction to Subduction Zones
Peter van Keken (Carnegie Institution) • CIDER 2017
Subduction Zone Dynamics and Global Mantle Flow
Thorsten Becker (UT Austin) • CIDER 2017
Plates and Subduction
Magali Billen (UC Davis) • CIDER 2016
Subduction
Dave Stegman (Scripps/UCSD) • CIDER 2011
Rheology & Rock Mechanics
Rheology: How to Squish a Rock
Phil Skemer (Washington University) • CIDER 2017
Rheology of the Upper Mantle
Greg Hirth (Brown University) • CIDER 2011
Earthquakes & Deformation
Megathrust Earthquakes
Susan Schwartz (UC Santa Cruz) • CIDER 2017
GPS, Subduction Megathrust Slip and Deformation
Jeff Freymueller (Michigan State) • CIDER 2017
Formation of Volcanic Arcs
Adam Kent (Oregon State) • CIDER 2017
UT Austin — Jackson School of Geosciences
University of Texas at Austin, USA • 4 lectures
The Jackson School of Geosciences streams and archives weekly geological lectures, including talks on tectonics, geodynamics, and Earth structure. Prof. Thorsten Becker's tectonic geodynamics course materials are also publicly available, providing computational geodynamics resources including mantle convection modeling and plate motion analysis.
From Plate to Mantle Tectonics
Douwe van Hinsbergen • Jackson School of Geosciences
The Role of Mountains in Understanding and Simulating Earth’s Climate
Jane Baldwin • Jackson School of Geosciences
Dynamic Habitability: From Mid-Ocean Ridges to Europa
Shi Joyce Sim • Jackson School of Geosciences
Observations from the Seafloor
Jeff Shragge • Jackson School of Geosciences
Quimper Geological Society
Washington State, USA • Recorded lectures from USGS & university geologists
An excellent YouTube channel featuring recorded lectures from USGS scientists and university geologists on subduction zone dynamics, the Cascadia megathrust, tectonic uplift mechanisms, volcanic arc processes, and Pacific Northwest geology. Particularly strong on convergent margin tectonics and seismic hazard assessment.
ROSES — Remote Online Sessions for Emerging Seismologists
Multi-institutional • 11 units
A comprehensive training series teaching computational seismology tools and methods to emerging researchers. Covers ObsPy, seismic data handling, time series analysis, waveform cross-correlation, array methods, machine learning for seismology, PyGMT mapping, and Bayesian inversion techniques — essential skills for modern tectonics research.
Unit 1: ObsPy
Unit 2: Data and Metadata
Unit 3: Time Series Analysis
Unit 4: Waveform Cross Correlation
Unit 5: Array and Network Methods
Unit 6: Polarization Analysis
Unit 7: Machine Learning
Unit 8: PyGMT
Unit 9: Bayesian Inversion
Unit 10: Optimal Interpolation
Unit 11: Gridding & Inversion
IRIS Earthquake Science
Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology • 12 selected lectures
Research webinars from IRIS, the consortium managing seismological data infrastructure. This curated selection from their 100+ lecture archive focuses on plate tectonics, megathrust earthquakes, mantle dynamics, and subduction zone processes — covering topics from the 1700 Cascadia earthquake to modern seismic tomography and slow slip events.
Plate Tectonics & Deep Earth
From Plate Tectonics to Deep Earth Dynamics
The Western US Lithosphere Blues
Imaging the African Superplume
Exploring the North American Upper Mantle Using EarthScope Data
Mantle Dynamics Beneath a Young Volcanic Province: High Lava Plains, Oregon
Megathrust Earthquakes & Subduction
The Orphan Tsunami of 1700 (7-part series)
Anatomy of a Megathrust Earthquake Rupture: The 2010 M8.8 Chile Quake
A Global Surge of Great Earthquakes and What We Are Learning From Them
Crustal Structure and Tectonics of Northeast Tibet from INDEPTH IV
Slow Slip & Seismic Imaging
The Tortoise and the Hare: Slow vs Fast Earthquakes
Slow Earthquakes and Tremor: Imaging Fault Slip with Mini Seismic Arrays
Imaging Faulting and Hydration in the Alaska Subduction Zone
Research Seminars & Webinars
Cutting-edge research presentations from leading geodynamics and tectonics research groups. These cover the latest advances in understanding Earth's dynamics and are ideal for graduate-level learning beyond introductory material.
GFZ Potsdam
Helmholtz Centre, Germany
Bimonthly webinars on rifting and rifted margins from one of Europe's premier geoscience research centres. Covers continental breakup processes, passive margin evolution, and rift architecture.
COMET — InSAR Workshop & Webinars
Centre for Observation & Modelling of Earthquakes, Volcanoes & Tectonics, UK • 10 selected lectures
Lectures from the COMET InSAR Workshop (CIW 2025) and research webinars. The CIW series provides a structured introduction to satellite radar interferometry (InSAR) for measuring tectonic and volcanic deformation, from fundamentals through time-series analysis, atmospheric corrections, and applications to earthquakes and volcanoes.
InSAR Fundamentals (CIW 2025)
InSAR Background and Basics
Tim Wright • CIW 2025, Day 1
InSAR Time Series Analysis
Andy Hooper • CIW 2025, Day 1
InSAR Atmospheric Corrections
Chen Yu • CIW 2025, Day 1
Earthquake & Tectonic Deformation
Interseismic Deformation and Modelling
John Elliott & Jin Fang • CIW 2025, Day 2
Earthquake Deformation
John Elliott • CIW 2025, Day 2
Satellite Geodetic Constraints on the Kinematics and Dynamics of Tibet
Jin Fang • COMET Webinar
Volcanic Deformation & Hazards
InSAR Volcanic Applications and Sources of Uncertainty
Susi Ebmeier • CIW 2025, Day 3
Characterizing Seismic and Volcanic Hazards with Advanced InSAR
Lin Shen • COMET Webinar
Variable Thermal and Magmatic Modification of East African Lithosphere
Rita Kounoudis • COMET Webinar
Deep Learning for Deformation Detection
Robert G. Popescu • CIW 2025, Day 3
Fault2SHA ESC Working Group
European Seismological Commission
Tectonic webinars focused on the interface between fault geology and seismic hazard assessment. Topics include paleoseismology, fault slip rates, recurrence intervals, and probabilistic hazard modeling from geological data.
Geodynamics Seminars (Curated)
Curated by Pons Michaël • 35 seminars
A carefully curated playlist of 35 research seminars covering geodynamics, seismic tomography, Himalayan–Tibetan plateau growth, plume dynamics, and Arthur Holmes Medal lectures from leading geodynamicists. An excellent guided tour of modern geodynamics research.
EGU & AGU Conference Recordings
European & American Geophysical Unions
Both EGU and AGU post recorded conference talks on YouTube, though they are scattered across sessions. Search for keynote and invited talks on tectonics, geodynamics, seismology, and volcanology. The EGU Great Debates and AGU Fall Meeting named lectures are particularly valuable for comprehensive overviews from leading researchers.
USGS Public Lectures
The United States Geological Survey maintains a collection of public lectures covering plate tectonics, seismology, volcanic hazards, and Earth structure. These are authoritative, accessible presentations from working USGS scientists.
Secrets in Stone
25-minute documentary on the history of plate tectonic theory — from Wegener's continental drift hypothesis through the seafloor spreading revolution to modern GPS geodesy.
Plate Tectonics in Action
By Robert Tilling and Stephen Kirby. Demonstrates the real-time evidence for plate tectonics from earthquake and volcanic activity patterns along plate boundaries.
Curated Aggregator
MicroMyEarth.com
Geology Lectures Directory
Probably the single best directory for finding geology and tectonics video resources online. The geology-lectures section links to dozens of YouTube playlists and webinar series across universities and research institutions worldwide. Covers structural geology, tectonics, geodynamics, petrology, sedimentology, and more — organized by topic and institution.
Recommended starting point: If you're looking for lecture material on a specific tectonic topic, start here. The site aggregates resources from institutions you might not otherwise find, including smaller universities and geological societies with excellent content.
Recommended Textbooks
Turcotte & Schubert — Geodynamics (3rd ed.)
The definitive quantitative textbook on geodynamics. Covers heat transfer, elasticity, flexure, viscous flow, mantle convection, gravity, and fluid mechanics applied to the solid Earth. Heavy on mathematics — essential for any serious study of tectonics.
Fowler — The Solid Earth: An Introduction to Global Geophysics (2nd ed.)
Excellent broad introduction covering seismology, gravity, geomagnetism, heat flow, and tectonics. More accessible than Turcotte & Schubert while still being rigorous. Good for first-year graduate students.
Kearey, Klepeis & Vine — Global Tectonics (3rd ed.)
The standard undergraduate-to-early-graduate textbook on plate tectonics. Comprehensive treatment of plate kinematics, boundary processes, orogenesis, and the geological evidence for tectonics. Less mathematical but excellent on geological context and case studies.
Stein & Wysession — An Introduction to Seismology, Earthquakes, and Earth Structure
The best modern textbook on seismology for tectonics students. Covers wave propagation, earthquake source mechanisms, seismic tomography, and what seismology reveals about Earth's interior structure and plate dynamics.
Schubert, Turcotte & Olson — Mantle Convection in the Earth and Planets
Advanced treatment of mantle convection theory and its role in driving plate tectonics. Covers thermal boundary layers, plume dynamics, numerical modeling approaches, and comparisons with Venus and Mars. For graduate students specializing in geodynamics.
Study Guide
Recommended Learning Path
- • Start with fundamentals: Watch the Helsinki geodynamics series for the theoretical framework, then supplement with USGS lectures for observational context.
- • Deepen with research seminars: After the basics, explore COMET and GFZ webinars for modern research directions and methods (InSAR, tomography, numerical modeling).
- • Focus on processes: Use Quimper Geological Society lectures for detailed treatment of subduction and convergent margin processes.
- • Read alongside: Pair lectures with Turcotte & Schubert (mathematical treatment) or Kearey et al. (geological context) depending on your background.
- • Compute: Run the interactive simulations to build intuition for the governing equations and numerical methods used in modern geodynamics.
Prerequisites
- • Introductory physics (mechanics, thermodynamics, wave theory)
- • Calculus and differential equations (for quantitative treatment)
- • Basic geology or Earth science (helpful but not strictly required)
- • Python or Fortran programming (for the computational components)