Tectonic Geodynamics

by Thorsten Becker, Claudio Faccenna

Overview

A comprehensive, integrative approach to tectonics and geodynamics for students and researchers

Over the past half century, major achievements have been made in the study of Earth’s surface structure and kinematics and the internal dynamics of the lithosphere and mantle. Many of these advances have relied on the integration of data and models from plate tectonics and geodynamics, yet traditional divisions persist in how these two disciplines are taught and practiced. This textbook bridges the gap, connecting geophysical and geological approaches to understand the physical processes that shape our planet’s evolution, from mantle convection to orogeny and earthquakes. An innovative approach to the solid Earth system, Tectonic Geodynamics provides a basis to explore the fundamental connections between the planet’s deep interior dynamics and the surface.

• The first textbook to integrate tectonics, structural geology, geodynamics, geodesy, and seismology in a single volume
• Offers a physics-focused guide for understanding how the solid Earth system operates
• Uses a “no prerequisites” approach supported by an extensive appendix that includes a calculus and linear algebra primer and coverage of key topics such as coordinate systems and spectral analysis
• Includes a wealth of exercises and end-of-chapter review questions
• An ideal textbook for advanced undergraduates and graduate students in geology, geophysics, and related fields such as physics and engineering
• Invaluable for self-study and as a self-contained resource for researchers
• Supporting materials provided for instructors, including an instruction guide, full-color illustration package, and sample syllabi

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780691212586
Publisher:	Princeton University Press
Publication date:	11/11/2025
Pages:	872
Product dimensions:	8.00(w) x 10.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Thorsten Becker holds the Shell Foundation Distinguished Chair in Geophysics in the Jackson School of Geosciences at the University of Texas at Austin, where he is also a faculty associate of the Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences. Claudio Faccenna is head of the Lithosphere Dynamics Section at GFZ Helmholtz Centre Potsdam and a professor in the Department of Science at Roma Tre University.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Becker and Faccenna offer an ambitious and comprehensive text that integrates an expansive summary of state-of-the-art geodynamical theory and modeling with a modern survey of geological and geophysical observations. This book will be of enormous value to students of geophysics and geology alike and could easily fuel multiple courses and years of study.”—David Bercovici, author of The Origins of Everything in 100 Pages (More or Less)

“This book provides a much-needed integrative view of tectonics and geodynamics that is modern and highly interdisciplinary. Tectonic Geodynamics is at the heart of understanding Earth’s evolving structure, ranging from mantle convection and the movement of plates to the seismic hazards that impact society. While intended for the classroom, this is one of those books that most geoscientists will want on their shelf. The appendixes are a treasure!”—Roland Bürgmann, University of California, Berkeley

“Masterfully developing the fundamental concept that mantle geodynamics drives tectonics into an integrated worldview, this comprehensive text builds from first principles to explore in depth the ways in which dynamic processes in the mantle are manifested in tectonic processes across the planet.”—Sean Willett, ETH Zurich

“Becker and Faccenna teach us the fundamentals of tectonics and mantle dynamics, intuitively employing continuum mechanics and linear algebra. Tectonic Geodynamics is modern and comprehensive in a way that few other books are, using examples from recent research advances and giving a good balance of both fundamentals and applications.”—Clint Conrad, University of Oslo

“Tectonic Geodynamics gives a very comprehensive and complete presentation of the state of the art of our knowledge of geodynamics and tectonics of Earth, including observations, experimental constrains, theory, and numerical models. No other textbook in the field has such a broad combination of approaches.”—Taras Gerya, author of Introduction to Numerical Geodynamic Modelling