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Elsevier

Books in Tectonics

  • Understanding Faults

    Detecting, Dating, and Modeling
    • 2nd Edition
    • David Tanner + 1 more
    • English
    Understanding Faults: Detecting, Dating, and Modelling reveals the dynamic world of faults and earthquakes. It offers a single resource for analysing faults for a variety of applications, from hazard detection and earthquake processes to geophysical exploration. Chapters explore the intricate processes of fault detection, utilizing various methods to identify and characterize faults in different settings. Numerical modelling techniques are used to simulate fault behaviour and seismic activity, providing insights into fault dynamics and earthquake mechanisms. The book also closely examines faults under laboratory conditions, presenting analogue experiments that study fault growth and behaviour. The dating of fault movement sheds light on the timing of fault activity, providing crucial information for understanding seismic hazards and tectonic processes. Additionally, fault sealing mechanisms and their implications are examined, revealing how faults evolve and interact with their surrounding environment. A unique perspective is offered on faults in the context of the world’s energy transition, by analysing the role of faults in energy-related exploration, such as geothermal energy. By inspecting faults from multiple angles, including geological, geophysical, and energy perspectives, the book provides a comprehensive understanding of fault systems and their significance in various domains.

  • Geology of the Himalaya

    • 2nd Edition
    • B.K. Chakrabarti
    • English
    Geology of the Himalaya, Second Edition presents sophisticated, structural, metamorphic, and igneous rock data across various Himalayan geographic sectors, with a focus on Precambrian and Cenozoic tectonics and the tectonic evolution of the Himalayas that challenges traditional concepts and presents cutting-edge geological insights. This revised edition delves into the metamorphic and igneous rock data of the Himalayan geographic sectors, providing detailed analyses of petrography, metamorphism, structure, mineralization, and regional tectonic research. By incorporating recent geological inputs, the book justifies a paradigm shift in our understanding of Himalayan orogeny, offering a fresh perspective on the region's geological evolution.Readers will better understand the geological diversity and structure of the Himalayan belt, along with new techniques that have applications in a host of global geological settings. In addition, users will learn about the geological diversity and structure of the Himalayan belt and new techniques that have broad applications in global geological settings.

  • Early Continent Evolution of the North China Craton

    • 1st Edition
    • Mingguo Zhai + 3 more
    • English
    Early Continent Evolution of the North China Craton discusses the tectono-thermal regimes of the early continental crust in the North China Craton (NCC), from the Hadean to the early Paleoproterozoic, reconstructing the evolutional framework and facilitating comprehensive understanding of the early continent evolution of the NCC. The book systematically summarizes the Neoarchean metamorphism of the NCC and discusses the implications for the tectonic models of the NCC through compiling evolutional information of the Hadean to the early Paleoproterozoic sequences in the NCC.Researchers, academics, and students in geology (especially Precambrian Geology), geomorphology, geophysics, and geological engineering will benefit from using this book in applying tectonic models to other cratonic blocks globally, and will understand evolutional information of the largest and oldest cratonic block in China.

  • Mineral Systems, Earth Evolution, and Global Metallogeny

    • 1st Edition
    • David Ian Groves + 1 more
    • English
    **2025 PROSE Award Finalist in Earth Science**Mineral Systems, Earth Evolution, and Global Metallogeny provides insights into the critical parameters of Earth’s evolution, particularly in terms of thermal state, tectonics, and the atmosphere-hydrosphe... system that control the metallogeny of the planet. World-class to giant mineral systems are described and interpreted in terms of their relationship to critical periods of change in tectonic regimes within the supercontinent cycle and evolution of the mantle lithosphere. Specific times of formation of highly anomalous giant mineral systems, such as the so-called Boring Billion, are discussed together with specific tectonic environments, such as craton edges and thick lithosphere margins.This book provides an overview on how the evolution of Earth has dictated the nature and distribution of its mineral resources that are the foundation of our modern industries and provides insights into critical parameters for conceptual exploration targeting. Mineral Systems, Earth Evolution, and Global Metallogeny provides a helpful resource for researchers, academicians, undergraduate and graduate students, and geologists engaged in the fields of economic geology, geologic exploration, mineral systems, and earth evolution in understanding the timing and distribution of the world’s major mineral deposits and their relation to critical parameters controlling earth’s evolution.

  • Atlas of Structural Geology

    • 2nd Edition
    • Soumyajit Mukherjee
    • English
    This second edition of Atlas of Structural Geology features a broad and inclusive range of high-quality mesoscale and microscale full-color photographs, descriptions, and captions related to the deformation of rocks and geologic structures. It is a multicontributed, comprehensive reference that includes submissions from many of the world’s leading structural geologists, making it one of the most thorough and comprehensive references available to the geoscience community. All types of structures are featured, including those related to ductile and brittle shear zones, sigma and delta structures, mineral fish, duplexes and trapezoids, shear-related folds, and flanking structures in the mesoscale and microscale. This second edition features new and expanded coverage, including seismic-image interpretation, landslide deformations, flowing glacial structures, and more than 150 new full-color images to illustrate the geologic features. A stunning collection of the world’s most beautiful and arresting geologic structures, this book is the ideal resource to illustrate key concepts in geology.

  • Understanding Faults

    Detecting, Dating, and Modeling
    • 1st Edition
    • David Tanner + 1 more
    • English
    Understanding Faults: Detecting, Dating, and Modeling offers a single resource for analyzing faults for a variety of applications, from hazard detection and earthquake processes, to geophysical exploration. The book presents the latest research, including fault dating using new mineral growth, fault reactivation, and fault modeling, and also helps bridge the gap between geologists and geophysicists working across fault-related disciplines. Using diagrams, formulae, and worldwide case studies to illustrate concepts, the book provides geoscientists and industry experts in oil and gas with a valuable reference for detecting, modeling, analyzing and dating faults.

  • Andean Tectonics

    • 1st Edition
    • Brian K. Horton + 1 more
    • English
    Andean Tectonics addresses the geologic evolution of the Andes Mountains, the prime global example of subduction-related mountain building. The Andes Mountains form one of the most extensive orogenic belts on Earth, spanning approximately an 8,000-km distance along the western edge of South America, from ~10°N to ~55°S. The tectonic history of the Andes involves a rich record of diverse geological processes, including crustal deformation, magmatism, sedimentary basin evolution, and climatic interactions. This book addresses the range of Andean tectonic processes and their temporal and spatial variations. An improved understanding of these processes is fundamental not only to the Andes but also to other major orogenic systems associated with subduction of the oceanic lithosphere. Andean Tectonics is a critical resource for researchers interested in the causes and consequences of Andean-type orogenesis and the long-term evolution of fold-thrust belts, magmatic arcs, and forearc and foreland basins.

  • Structure and Tectonics of the Indian Continental Crust and Its Adjoining Region

    Deep Seismic Studies
    • 2nd Edition
    • Harish C Tewari + 2 more
    • English
    Structure and Tectonics of the Indian Continental Crust and Its Adjoining Region: Deep Seismic Studies, Second Edition, collates essential data from seismic studies of Earth’s crust across India, offering an essential understanding of the tectonic development of the Indian subcontinent. Seismic studies have been carried out in various parts of India since 1972, recording crust-related seismic data for determination of velocity-depth configuration and determination of structural patterns. The book examines the details of these studies, including their synthesis and global applications. The book presents both background and applications in one cohesive volume for researchers and students of geophysics and geology.

  • Permo-Triassic Salt Provinces of Europe, North Africa and the Atlantic Margins

    Tectonics and Hydrocarbon Potential
    • 1st Edition
    • Juan I. Soto + 2 more
    • English
    Permo-Triassic Salt Provinces of Europe, North Africa and the Atlantic Margins: Tectonics and Hydrocarbon Potential deals with the evolution and tectonic significance of the Triassic evaporite rocks in the Alpine orogenic system and the Neogene basins in the Iberian Peninsula, North Africa, and the western Mediterranean. As the nature of the Triassic evaporite sequences, the varied diapiric structures they feed, and the occurrence of hydrocarbons suggest that the Triassic evaporites represent an efficient system to trap hydrocarbons, this book explores the topic with a wide swath, also devoting content to a relatively unexplored topic, the mobilization and deformation of the Triassic salt in the western and northern Tethys (from Iberia and North Africa, Pyrenees and Alps, Adriatic and Ionian) during the subsequent Alpine orogenic processes. The book includes chapters updating varied topics, like the Permian and Triassic chronostratigraphic scales, palaeogeographic reconstructions of the western Tethys since the Late Permian, the petroleum systems associated with Permo-Triassic salt, allochthonous salt tectonics, and a latest revision of salt tectonic processes in the Permian Zechstein Basin, the Atlantic Margins (from Barents Sea, Scotia, Portugal, Morocco, and Mauritania), the Alpine folded belts in Europe, and the various Triassic salt provinces in North Africa. The book is the go-to guide for salt tectonic researchers and those working in the hydrocarbon exploration industry.

  • Geology of the Himalayan Belt

    Deformation, Metamorphism, Stratigraphy
    • 1st Edition
    • B.K. Chakrabarti
    • English
    Geology of the Himalayan Belt: Deformation, Metamorphism, Stratigraphy presents sophisticated metamorphic and igneous rock data across various Himalayan geographic sectors, capturing their petrography, metamorphism, structure, mineralization, and regional tectonic research. With an east-west extension of about 3000 kilometers and numerous 8000 meter peaks, the Himalayas are the most spectacular mountain ranges on earth. Since the 19th century, they have provided a testing ground of global importance for the development of geodynamic concepts, from isostasy over continental collision, to more recently, feedback mechanisms between tectonics and climate. This book collects the broad range of data that’s been gathered on the Himalayas over the past 50 years, providing a comprehensive analysis and interpretation on the available data that brings the scientific community a better understanding of the geological diversity and structure of the Himalayan belt, along with new techniques that have applications in a host of global geological settings.

  • Geodynamics of Rifting

    • 1st Edition
    • P.A. Ziegler
    • English
    This volume contains papers giving an interdisciplinary review of 12 major rift systems from North and South America, Africa, Europe and Asia. These papers are written by an international group of academic and industrial specialists each of whom is most knowledgeable about the respective rift. The analyzed rifts were selected on the basis of availability of an as-complete-as-possi... geological and geophysical data base. Thirteen papers deal with geodynamic processes governing the evolution of rifts.A comprehensive digest of the available stratigraphic, structural, geophysical and petrological data, together with an extensive list of references, is provided for each of the analyzed rift systems. The megatectonic setting and dynamics of evolution of each basin is discussed. Geodynamic models are tested against the record of the analyzed rifts.The question of "active" as against "passive" rifting is addressed. The rifts analyzed range in age from Precambrian to Recent and cover a wide spectrum of megatectonic settings. There is discussion of the evolution of rifts in a plate-tectonic frame. The case histories are followed by discussions addressing the global setting of rifts and geodynamic processes active during the development of rifted basins.

  • Triassic-Jurassic Rifting

    Continental Breakup and the Origin of the Atlantic Ocean and Passive Margins
    • 1st Edition
    • W. Manspeizer
    • English
    Extensive field studies on the African and North American plates during this past decade have yielded a wealth of new data and ideas about rift basins and the origin of passive margins. New surface and subsurface basins have been identified; fossils abound in strata that only recently were considered barren; oil exploration is being actively pursued in continental strata of the Richmond-Taylorsvill... Sanford and Newark basins, Late Triassic marine strata have been identified in Georges Bank off the coast of Massachusetts, and the roles of wrench tectonics, successor basins and listric normal faults have challenged the classical view that these are simple extensional basins.This two part work brings together representative examples of these studies. It is not intended as an exhaustive synthesis of the subject, but rather a vehicle to present new data, new ideas and alternative views. Some of the papers present regional summaries, others attempt to relate local features to regional questions, while others describe modern rift basins as possible analogs of early Mesozoic basins.Geologic data from the Atlantic passive margins record that continental rifting of central Pangaea occurred during the latest Triassic-earliest Jurassic (Liassic), and that sea-floor spreading probably began no later than the Middle Jurassic. The primary subject of this book focuses on the Triassic-Jurassic rifting events that led to the breakup of Pangaea and the opening of the central Atlantic Ocean. Whereas other treatises have focused on the origin of the passive margins, inferred primarily from geophysical data of the offshore basins, this volume primarily and uniquely focuses on land-based field studies of the onshore synrift basins. Offshore studies of synrift basins are also included and add substantially to our understanding of the breakup. However, the onshore data base, while complementary, is different, thus providing researchers with a different insight to the questions at hand.The book is organized into four sections. Section I, Pangaean Plate in Time and Space, first locates Pangaea in space and then places the Triassic basins within an historical context on the Alleghanian-Variscan Orogens. Section 2, the offshore and onshore basins of the North American and African Plates, comprises about 70% of all papers in this book, and includes papers on structural geology, petrology, paleontology, sedimentation, organic geochemistry, vulcanism and mineral resources. Section 3, Related Mesozoic Atlantic Rift Basins, includes papers on Iberia, Western Europe, the Benue Trough and Brazil. The final section of the book, Analogs, includes the rift basins of East Africa, the Red Sea, the Gulf of Elat (Aqaba), the Dead Sea and the Rio Grande.The book is richly illustrated throughout with figures, photographs, tables and fold-out maps, including nine in full colour.

  • Atlas of Structural Geology

    • 1st Edition
    • Soumyajit Mukherjee
    • English
    Atlas of Structural Geology features a broad and inclusive range of high-quality meso- and micro-scale full-color photographs, descriptions, and captions related to the deformation of rocks and geologic structures. It is a multi-contributed, comprehensive reference that includes submissions from many of the world’s leading structural geologists, making it the most thorough and comprehensive reference available to the scientific community. All types of structures are featured, including structures related to ductile and brittle shear zones, sigma- and delta-structures, mineral fish, duplexes and trapezoids, shear related folds, and flanking structures in meso- and micro-scales. A stunning collection of the world’s most beautiful and arresting geologic structures, the Atlas of Structural Geology is the ideal aid in the retention of key concepts in geology.

  • Processes of Continental Rifting

    Selected Papers from the Lunar and Planetary Institute Topical Conference on the Processes of Planetary Rifting, Held in St. Helena, California, U.S.A., December 3-5, 1981
    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 19
    • P. Morgan + 1 more
    • English
    Selected papers from the Lunar and Planetary Institute Topical Conference, St. Helena, CA, USA, 3-5 Dec. 1981

  • Global Tectonics and Earthquake Risk

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 5
    • C. Lomnitz
    • English
    Global Tectonics and Earthquake Risk discusses the geostatistical treatment of earthquake probabilities. The book reviews global tectonics and geologic history, including evidence of change, Pangaea, geochronology, tectonic revolutions, and the breakup of Pangaea. The book discusses the formation of Pangaea which later broke down into the present continental cores of Asia, Europe, Africa, Australian, Antarctica, and the Americas. The book describes the separation of North and South America from Europe, how Africa became established during the Cretaceous time, and how India split off from Africa to became welded to Asia at the Himalayas. The text also explains earthquake risk in terms of stochastic processes, point processes, and illustrates modeling of the earthquake process. The "Large-Earthquake Model" is based on a list of the largest earthquakes in the region, while a more sophisticated model requires the incorporation of non-Markovian effects (aftershock sequences). The book cites an application of investigations done on California where an earthquake of magnitude 5 is expected to occur every three months. An earthquake of magnitude 8 or greater is predicted to happen every 100 years but the book notes that the return period exceeds the range of the period of recorded data (which is only 31 years). Presented in another way, the text concludes that the probability of occurrence of an event of magnitude 8 earthquake or over in any given year is about one percent. The book can prove helpful for geologists, seismologists, meteorologists, or practitioners in the field of civil and structural engineering.

  • Regional Geology and Tectonics: Principles of Geologic Analysis

    • 1st Edition
    • David G. Roberts
    • English
    Expert petroleum geologists David Roberts and Albert Bally bring you Regional Geology and Tectonics: Principles of Geologic Analysis, volume one in a three-volume series covering Phanerozoic regional geology and tectonics. It has been written to provide you with a detailed overview of geologic rift systems, passive margins, and cratonic basins, it features the basic principles necessary to grasping the conceptual approaches to hydrocarbon exploration in a broad range of geological settings globally.

  • Glaciotectonism

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 6
    • James S. Aber + 1 more
    • English
    Glaciotectonism is an important component of modern glacial theory, gaining widespread recognition within the past 25 years. This book is outcome of compiling maps of glaciotectonic structures and landforms for North America and central Europe, which is the basis for better understanding the role of glaciotectonism as a key component of glacial theory.Glaciotectoni... is intented to provide a comprehensive review and description of glaciotectonic phenomena. The subject matter is arranged in three broad sections. First, definitions, principles, and methodologies of glaciotectonics in the field as well as in the laboratory are described. Next, case histories of glaciotectonic structures and landforms from the land and continental shelf regions of North America and Eurasia are then covered in detail. Practical applications for mining, highway construction, and other human activities are also described. The last part of the book covers regional and continental distribution of glaciotectonic phenomena, dynamics of glaciotectonic deformation, and analogous non-glacial deformation.

  • Volcanism in the Campania Plain

    Vesuvius, Campi Flegrei and Ignimbrites
    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 9
    • English
    The book deals with the study of three important volcanisms in the Campania Plain: Vesuvius, Campi Flegrei and Ignimbrites. The knowledge of the volcanic evolution of Vesuvius and Campi Flegrei has a particular relevance because of the hazards that these volcanoes pose to the about 1.5 million people living in the Neapolitan area. The contributors to the volume bring new data (experiments on volatile solubility, fluid-melt inclusions, tectonic, geophysical, isotope, geochronology), which are helpful in the creation of new models for a better understanding of the behaviour of the volcanic systems. In particular a hydrothermal model is used to explain the ground movements (bradyseism) at Campi Flegrei. To develop such a model, the authors use an analogue for the evolving Campi Flegrei sub-volcanic system, the model of the porphyry mineralized systems. For Campanian Ignimbrite the authors highlight the impact crystal-liquid separation has on melt compositional evolution and particularly focus on trace element and Th isotope evidence for open-system processes in the magma body associated with the Campanian Ignimbrite. The authors, for their interpretations, utilize thermodynamic and quantitative mass balance modelling of major and trace element data and semi-quantitative limits on Th and Sr isotopes to evaluate the role of crytal-melt separation, magma-fluid interaction, and assimilation of wallrock on the geochemical evolution of the Campamian Ignimbrite.

  • The South Aegean Active Volcanic Arc

    Present Knowledge and Future Perspectives
    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 7
    • M. Fytikas + 1 more
    • English
    This book is a collection of 22 selected papers from the homonymous Conference held in September 2003 Milos, Greece. The aim of the conference was to serve as a forum for the presentation and constructive discussion of the state-of-the-art and emerging issues on the South Aegean Volcanic Arc.In the first part of the book the tectonic- geodynamic setting and the present upper mantle structure of the Aegean area are discussed. It includes an interesting interpretation of data on the spatial distribution of intermediate focal depth earthquakes, fault plane solutions and deep velocity structures, to further investigate active tectonics related to the deep structure of the southern Aegean volcanic arc.The second part deals with general volcanological, petrological and tectonic characteristics of the SAAVA presenting an extensive review of volcanological, chemical, isotope and tectonic data, using a large amount of new field and laboratory data. Interesting conclusions are presented regarding the present volcanic associations, the volcanic fields location and shape in respect to the large tectonic lineaments and the plate motions, the source of the SAAVA parental magmas.Presented in the third part is an extensive review on the volcanic hazard assessment and the monitoring state of the SAAVA centers. Seismic and geodetic monitoring of the Santorini volcano and the recent (1995-1998) crisis of Nisyros volcano are presented and discussed.The last part deals with hydrothermal deposits and processes in the SAAVA, as well as products and processes in adjacent areas with a particular interest and significance that link them to the SAAVA processes.

  • Paradoxes in Geology

    • 1st Edition
    • U. Briegel + 1 more
    • English
    An interesting volume presenting the papers collected for the Festschrift "Paradoxes in Modern Geology" in honor of Professor Ken Jinghwa Hsu on the occasion of his 70th birthday.Paradox, as defined in a dictionary, is a statement contrary to accepted opinion. That a broad discussion of paradoxes is fruitful for the advancement of science in general, and geosciences in particular, has been amply demonstrated by Professor Hsu throughout his distinguished career. Not only has he propelled the geoscience community forward with his controversial statements, a number of his former students, who are currently in key positions at universities and in industry, are influencing in a similar open minded way the present day thinking. The wide scope this reasoning encompasses is demonstrated by the contributions to this book, delineating paradoxes and problems in the fields of tectonics, basic and applied geosciences, petrology, paleoceanography, paleoclimatology and paleogeography, kinematics and modelling.

  • Gas Migration

    Events Preceding Earthquakes
    • 1st Edition
    • Leonid F. Khilyuk Ph.D. + 3 more
    • English
    This breakthrough new book may help save countless lives and avoid enormous losses. It presents a methodology for using gas migration to predict earthquakes and explosive gas buildup. Using rigorous scientific investigation and documented worldwide case histories, this remarkable book presents compelling evidence showing that changes in gas rates, composition, and migration accompany the tectronic events preceding earthquakes and their associated seismic events, such as volcanoes and tsunamis. Because these gas parameters are detectable and measurable, they provide an early warning of seismic activity.Gas Migration is the first book to accumulate, analyze and apply the interdisciplinary knowledge on gas migration and detail its connection to tectronic, seismic, and geologic phenomena. It combines geological, geochemical, geophysical, seismological, and petroleum engineering insights to demonstrate how gas migration and its associated phenomena can be used in earthquake and environmental geohazard identification and prediction. Topics include-· Tectonics and Earthquakes· Gas Migration at Plate Boundaries· Surface Soil-Gas Surveys· Faults and Petroleum Reservoirs· Earthqua... Precursors· Whisperi... Gases· Paths and Mechanics of Gas Migration· Subsidenc... Gas Migration, and Seismic Activity· And much moreWith this information, environmental specialists, civil engineers, petroleum geologists, seismologists, and urban planners now have a new and powerful conceptual basis and tool for understanding and perhaps even predicting gas explosions and earthquakes.

  • Marine Geology of Korean Seas

    • 2nd Edition
    • Sung Kwun Chough + 2 more
    • English
    Tremendous progress has been made in the geological understanding of the Korean seas with the advances in sophisticated exploration techniques, specifically in the areas of marine geophysics, sedimentology, geochemistry, and palaeoceanography, since Marine Geology of Korean Seas was first published in 1983.This book gives a comprehensive overview of the marine geology of these unique seas, including physiography, sedimentary facies and depositional processes of surface sediments, sequence stratigraphy, geologic structures, and basin evolution.In this edition, new results and interpretations have been incorporated that help to formulate geological models on the evolution of the Korean seas in relation to the adjacent continents.

  • Caribbean Basins

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 4
    • P. Mann
    • English
    This 21-chapter volume provides a regionally-comprehen... collection of original studies of Caribbean basins conducted by academic and petroleum geologists and geophysicists in the early and mid-1990s. The common tectonic events discussed in the volume including the rifting and passive margin history of North and South America that led to the formation of the Caribbean region; the entry of an exotic, Pacific-derived Great Arc of the Caribbean at the leading edge of the Caribbean oceanic plateau; the terminal collision of the arc and plateau with the passive margins fringing North and South America; and subsequent strike-slip and accretionary tectonics that affected the arc-continent collision zone.Two introductory chapters (Part A) utilize recent advances in quantitative plate tectonic modeling and satellite-based gravity measurements to place the main phases of Caribbean basin formation into a global plate tectonic framework. Nineteen subsequent chapters are organized geographically and focus on individual or groups of genetically-linked basins. Part B consists of five chapters which mainly focus on basins overlying the North America plate in the Gulf of Mexico, Cuba and the Bahamas that record its rifting from South America in late Jurassic to Cretaceous time. Part C has six chapters that focus on smaller, usually heavily faulted and onshore Cenozoic basins of the northern Caribbean that formed in response to arc collisional and strike-slip activity along the evolving North America-Caribbean plate boundary. The two chapters in Part D focus on Cenozoic basins related to the Lesser Antilles arc system of the eastern Caribbean. Part E is comprised of three chapters on the Jurassic-Recent sedimentary basins of the eastern Venezuela and Trinidad area of the southeastern Caribbean. These basins reflect both the Jurassic-Cretaceous rifting and passive margin history of separation between the North and South America plates as well as a much younger phase of Oligocene to recent transpression between the eastward migrating Lesser Antilles arc and accretionary wedge and the South America continent. The three chapters of Part F contain deep penetration seismic reflection and other geophysical data on the largely submarine Cretaceous Caribbean oceanic plateau that forms the nucleus of the present-day Caribbean plate.

  • Continental Rifts: Evolution, Structure, Tectonics

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 25
    • K.H. Olsen
    • English
    This multi-author book has been prepared by an international group of geoscientists that have been active in rift research since the late 1960s. In 1984, an informal, grass-roots study group was initiated to compare individual research results and to explore in greater depth the apparent differences and similarities in the interpretations from various rift systems. The group became known as the CREST working group, an acronym of Continental Rifts: Evolution, Structure and Tectonics, which not surprisingly became the title of this book.Continental Rifts: Evolution, Structure, Tectonics presents an overview of the present state of understanding and knowledge of the processes of continental rifting from a multidisciplinary, lithospheric scale perspective. The chapters have been structured on each rift system in approximately the same synoptic sequence, so as to facilitate comparisons of rifts by the reader. The book complements its predecessors by presenting a more unified picture. It succeeds in presenting the status of a representative majority of the continental rift systems that have been at the forefront of recent research. For students and experienced researchers alike, this book will be of significant value in assessing the current state of knowledge and in serving as a framework for future research.

  • Precambrian Geology of the USSR

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 9
    • D.V. Rundqvist + 1 more
    • English
    This volume draws together and generalises new geological, geochronological, petrological and geophysical material for the two fundamental continental geostructures within the USSR - ancient cratons and Phanerozoic fold belts. It provides a complete Precambrian history for each tectonic province or "geoblock", with emphasis on the early Precambrian as opposed to the late. The characteristics of lithological-structu... complexes and their correlations are presented in detail. Analysis of the sedimentary, magmatic and metamorphic processes is provided, paying special attention to the sequence of their evolution and isotopic data. This work will be of interest to geologists concerned with the problems of structure and evolution of the Precambrian lithology.

  • Biogeography and Plate Tectonics

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 10
    • J.C. Briggs
    • English
    One needs to look at only a small portion of the enormous literature on plate tectonics published in the last 15 years to realize that there are many differences between the various reconstructions that have been presented. It becomes obvious that, although there is a general agreement about the presence of an assembly of continents (a Pangaea) in the early Mesozoic, there is considerable disagreement among earth scientists as to the configurement of the assembly and the manner and timing of the subsequent dispersal. While the revolution in geophysics was taking place, systematic work in paleontology and neontology was being carried out. This book is an attempt to incorporate the biological evidence into the theory of plate tectonics.The author traces the changing relationships among the various biogeographic regions and demonstrates how such changes may often be correlated with the gradual geographic alteration of the earth's surface. He analyses recent information about the distribution of widespread groups of terrestrial and freshwater vertebrates, invertebrates and plants, and discusses the biogeographical effects of the movement of oceanic plates.It is particularly important to obtain dependable information about certain critical times in the history of continental relationships. We need to know when the terrestrial parts of the earth were broken apart and when they were joined together. The present investigation makes it clear that we cannot depend entirely on evidence from plate tectonics nor will purely biological evidence suffice. This book thus provides much of interest to systematists working on contemporary groups of plants and animals, paleontologists, evolutionary biologists, and professors teaching courses in biogeography.

  • Precambrian Plate Tectonics

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 4
    • A. Kröner
    • English