This course provides the fundamental concepts needed to understand the dynamics of the solid Earth. It will cover the main deformation structures found in rocks, such as mylonites, faults, fractures, and folds, and explain how they form as a result of tectonic stress. Part of the course will focus on understanding Plate Tectonics and its underlying mechanisms. Within this context, will be introduced the mechanics and phenomenology of earthquakes, principles of seismology, and the role of the volatile cycle in geodynamic systems.