Petrology
MIT OpenCourseWare offers this undergraduate course on the rocks that make up the earth's crust and upper mantle. The material covers the distribution, chemical composition, and mineral associations of igneous and metamorphic rocks, and connects these observations to tectonic settings such as mid-ocean ridges, subduction zones, and continental interiors. Emphasis falls on applying chemistry and physics, including phase diagrams and thermodynamics, to interpret how rocks form and change over time. Course materials include lecture notes, problem sets, and readings drawn from the MIT Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences curriculum. The course assumes prior grounding in introductory geology or mineralogy and builds toward independent analysis of rock samples and petrologic data. As with other MIT OpenCourseWare offerings, all materials are free to access under a Creative Commons license, with no certificate offered.