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Elsevier

Books in Geology

Our Geology portfolio delivers comprehensive coverage of Earth's structure, tectonics, stratigraphy, and palaeontology. It supports researchers, students, and practitioners in deciphering Earth's history, geohazards, and resource potential. Featuring detailed case studies, field guides, and theoretical frameworks, these resources foster a deeper understanding of Earth's dynamic systems and underpin sustainable management of geological resources.

  • Developments in Palygorskite-Sepiolite Research

    A New Outlook on these Nanomaterials
    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 3
    • English
    The aim of this comprehenvise book is to present the most important results achieved in the research of the clay minerals palygorskite and sepiolite. Palygorskite and sepiolite have found to be useful in a huge variety of industrial and medical applications. As a result, research on these clays has been intensified during the last two decades, and important advances in their characterization have been made. The book contains contributions from distinguished scientists in the field.

  • Quaternary Glaciations - Extent and Chronology

    A Closer Look
    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 15
    • J. Ehlers + 2 more
    • English
    The book presents an up-to-date, detailed overview of the Quaternary glaciations all over the world, not only with regard to stratigraphy but also with regard to major glacial landforms and the extent of the respective ice sheets. The locations of key sites are included. The information is presented in digital, uniformly prepared maps which can be used in a Geographical Information System (GIS) such as ArcView or ArcGIS. The accompanying text supplies the information on how the data were obtained (geomorphology, geological mapping, air photograph evaluation, satellite imagery), how the features were dated (14C, TL, relative stratigraphy) and how reliable they are supposed to be. All references to the underlying basic publications are included. Where controversial interpretations are possible e.g. in Siberia or Tibet, this is pointed out. As a result, the information on Quaternary glaciations worldwide will be much improved and supplied in a uniform digital format.The information on the glacial limits is compiled in digital form by the coordinators of the project, and is available for download at: http://booksite.else...

  • Physical Properties of Rocks

    A Workbook
    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 8
    • Juergen H. Schön
    • English
    Physical Properties of Rocks: A Workbook is a symbiosis of a brief description of physical fundamentals of rock properties (based on typical experimental results and relevant theories and models) with a guide for practical use of different theoretical concepts. For this purpose a companion web site contains a selection of model based equations in excel worksheets for practical application and training by the user to work with his own data (or to ''play" in order to demonstrate the effects of various input information and to demonstrate the effects of various input information in petrophysical work. In two special chapters the problem of relationships between petrophysical parameters based on various model concepts is presented as a foundation for combined interpretation. This part also contains the author's 'structured model'. The workbook is a result of the more than 40 years experience of the author in teaching at universities and industrial courses.

  • Deep-Sea Sediments

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 63
    • English
    During the past few decades, deep-sea research benefited greatly from a number of newly developed, highly sophisticated exploration techniques and comprehensive datasets, thanks to the immense industrial interest in deep-sea sediments. The book Deep-Sea Sediments focuses on the sedimentary processes operating within the various modern and ancient deep-sea environments. The individual chapters track the way of sedimentary particles from continental erosion or production in the marine realm, to transport into the deep sea, to final deposition on the sea floor. The sedimentary processes cover several types of sediment gravity flow and contour currents, pelagic settling and hemipelagic advection, planktic and benthic bioproductivity, and volcanoclastic sedimentation. In addition, the relationships between depositional environment and endobenthic organisms as well as early diagenetic processes at and within the deep-sea floor are dealt with. Facies models of the wide range of depositional products hold the key for a process-related interpretation of ancient deposits. Changes in sea-water chemistry, major innovations in organism evolution, and changes in external controls on sedimentation and productivity are discussed in the context of overarching trends in ocean history. Deep-sea sediments are not only of interest because of the numerous interacting processes involved in their formation, but they represent also a nearly inexhaustible archive of long-term climatic changes. Consequently, the book also includes an introduction to the climatic interpretation of the various proxies that reveal global changes during the Mesozoic greenhouse and Neogene icehouse conditions. In order to address the specific interest of the oil and gas industry in deep-water sediments, the investigation techniques that are applied in this context and the methods to predict both the occurrences and the characteristics of hydrocarbon reservoirs are included as well.

  • Evolution of Earth and its Climate

    Birth, Life and Death of Earth
    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 10
    • O.G. Sorokhtin + 2 more
    • English
    The book reviews the current physical theory of Earth's global evolution, its origin, structure and composition, the process of Earth's core formation, Earth's energy, and the nature of its tectonomagnetic activity. The book also deals with the origin of the Moon and its influence on our planet's evolution. Based on the integral positions of this theory, the book analyzes the issues of the origin of the hydrosphere and atmosphere, and the conception and evolution of life on Earth. The monograph also reviews the adiabatic theory of the greenhouse effect developed by the authors, and the effects of nitrogen-consumingin... bacteria and of periodic changes in the precession angle on its climate. In particular, these effects cause the onset and periodicity of ice ages and a significant climate warming during the periods of supercontinent appearance (like Pangaea in the Mid-Mesozoic).

  • Diagenesis in Sediments and Sedimentary Rocks, Volume 2

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 25B
    • G. Larsen + 1 more
    • English

  • Pressure Transient Formation and Well Testing

    Convolution, Deconvolution and Nonlinear Estimation
    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 57
    • Fikri J. Kuchuk + 2 more
    • English
    This reference presents a comprehensive description of flow through porous media and solutions to pressure diffusion problems in homogenous, layered, and heterogeneous reservoirs. It covers the fundamentals of interpretation techniques for formation tester pressure gradients, and pretests, multiprobe and packer pressure transient tests, including derivative, convolution, and pressure-rate and pressure-pressure deconvolution. Emphasis is placed on the maximum likelihood method that enables one to estimate error variances in pressure data along with the unknown formation parameters.

  • Desert sedimentary environments

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 14
    • English

  • Field Guide to Rivers of North America

    • 1st Edition
    • Arthur C. Benke + 1 more
    • English
    Based on the comprehensive, award-winning book Rivers of North America, the new Field Guide to Rivers of North America describes 200 of North America’s most significant rivers in a reader-friendly, concise format. The guide is organized by geographic regions - each section begins with a map showing the relationship of rivers within one territory and a summary of the region’s most important elements. Each individual river summary includes a two-page spread with a basin map, a full-color photograph and key river characteristics. The compact format of this guide will be particularly useful to scientists carrying out field research in areas such as field ecology, entomology, botany. It is an easy-to-use reference that can easily be packed away with other scientific gear. Anglers and recreational boating enthusiasts will find a wealth of information on river topography, native and nonnative fish species, as well as average temperatures that will help them plan their next adventure.

  • Neoproterozoic-Cambrian Tectonics, Global Change and Evolution

    A Focus on South Western Gondwana
    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 16
    • Claudio Gaucher + 3 more
    • English
    The book deals with the record of important Neoproterozoic to Early Palaeozoic events in southwestern Gondwana, that heralded the Cambrian explosion and the dawn of modern ecosystems. It contains a detailed account of the Neoproterozoic to Cambrian geological record in a poorly-known part of the world, which is at the same time key to understand fundamental processes at the Proterozoic-Cambrian transition. The emphasis is placed on litho-, bio-, chemostratigraphy and magmatism. The palaeoclimatic, tectonic, evolutionary radiation and extinction events and associated mineralizations will be identified and discussed. A synthesis of all data is provided at the end of the book, integrating the data from all cratons and fold belts in southwestern Gondwana. The events will be individualized, their impact discussed and correlations between different successions both within and outside Gondwana proposed.The book is organized in three sections. Section one is an introduction to the neoproterozoic and Cambrian seen as a time of upheavals, extremes and innovations. Section two comprises nineteen chapters dealing with the neoproterozoic-Cambr... events in southwestern Gondwana. Section three will provide a synthesis on every major topic, and a critical assessment of the global implications of the presented data.

  • Carbonates in Continental Settings

    Geochemistry, Diagenesis and Applications
    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 62
    • English
    This book provides an up-to-date compilation of the latest research on the petrography, facies, paleonvironmental significance and economic aspects of continental carbonates. The overall organization of the book first emphasizes the descriptive aspects and processes operating on carbonate deposits in greatly varied settings, and then considers applications for basin analysis, as well as economic and historical aspects. This volume will be a valuable tool for graduate and postgraduate students as well as for experienced researchers. The first part (volume 61 in this series) will deal with the facies, environments, and processes of carbonates in continental settings.

  • Carbonates in Continental Settings

    Facies, Environments, and Processes
    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 61
    • English
    This book provides an up-to-date compilation of the latest research on the petrography, facies, paleonvironmental significance and economic aspects of continental carbonates. The overall organization of the book first emphasizes the descriptive aspects and processes operating on carbonate deposits in greatly varied settings, and then considers applications for basin analysis, as well as economic and historical aspects. This volume will be a valuable tool for graduate and postgraduate students as well as for experienced researchers. The second part (volume 62 in this series) will deal with the geochemistry, diagenesis and applications of carbonates in continental settings.

  • Advances in Quaternary Entomology

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 12
    • Scott A. Elias
    • English
    Advances in Quaternary Entomology addresses the science of fossil insects by demonstrating their immense contribution to our knowledge of the paleoenvironmental and climatological record of the past 2.6 million years. In this comprehensive survey of the field, Scott A. Elias recounts development of scholarship, reviews the fossil insect record from Quaternary deposits throughout the world, and points to rewarding areas for future research. The study of Quaternary entomology is becoming an important tool in understanding past environmental changes. Most insects are quite specific as to habitat requirements, and those in non-island environments have undergone almost no evolutionary change in the Quaternary period. We therefore can use their modern ecological requirements as a basis for interpreting what past environments must have been like.

  • Quaternary Coral Reef Systems

    History, development processes and controlling factors
    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 5
    • Lucien F. Montaggioni + 1 more
    • English
    This book presents both state-of-the art knowledge from Recent coral reefs (1.8 million to a few centuries old) gained since the eighties, and introduces geologists, oceanographers and environmentalists to sedimentological and paleoecological studies of an ecosystem encompassing some of the world's richest biodiversity. Scleractinian reefs first appeared about 300 million years ago. Today coral reef systems provide some of the most sensitive gauges of environmental change, expressing the complex interplay of chemical, physical, geological and biological factors. The topics covered will include the evolutionary history of reef systems and some of the main reef builders since the Cenozoic, the effects of biological and environmental forces on the zonation of reef systems and the distribution of reef organisms and on reef community dynamics through time, changes in the geometry, anatomy and stratigraphy of reef bodies and systems in relation to changes in sea level and tectonics, the distribution patterns of sedimentary (framework or detrital) facies in relation to those of biological communities, the modes and rates of reef accretion (progradation, aggradation versus backstepping; coral growth versus reef growth), the hydrodynamic forces controlling water circulation through reef structures and their relationship to early diagenetic processes, the major diagenetic processes affecting reef bodies through time (replacement and diddolution, dolomitization, phosphatogenesis), and the record of climate change by both individual coral colonies and reef systems over the Quaternary.

  • Paleoseismology

    • 2nd Edition
    • Volume 95
    • James P. McCalpin
    • English
    Paleoseismology has become an important component of seismic risk analysis, which is mandated for nuclear power plants, dams, waste repositories, and other critical structures. This book is the first in the English language to be devoted solely to paleoseismology. It summarizes the development of the field from the 1960s to the present, encompassing material that is currently widely dispersed in journal articles.

  • Calcareous algae

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 4
    • English

  • Cohesive Sediments in Open Channels

    Erosion, Transport and Deposition
    • 1st Edition
    • Emmanuel Partheniades
    • English
    Approx.384 pages

  • Fault-Zone Properties and Earthquake Rupture Dynamics

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 94
    • Eiichi Fukuyama
    • English
    The dynamics of the earthquake rupture process are closely related to fault zone properties which the authors have intensively investigated by various observations in the field as well as by laboratory experiments. These include geological investigation of the active and fossil faults, physical and chemical features obtained by the laboratory experiments, as well as the seismological estimation from seismic waveforms. Earthquake dynamic rupture can now be modeled using numerical simulations on the basis of field and laboratory observations, which should be very useful for understanding earthquake rupture dynamics.

  • Contourites

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 60
    • M. Rebesco + 1 more
    • English
    Contourites are sediments deposited or substantially reworked by bottom currents. The study of contourites is crucial for several fields of fundamental and applied research: paleoclimatology and paleo-oceanography, since these fairly continuous and relatively high-resolution sediments hold the key for priceless information on the variability in circulation patter, current velocity, oceanographic history and basin interconnectivity; hydrocarbon exploration, since accumulation of source rocks may be favored by weak bottom currents, whereas "clean" deep-sea sands may be formed by robust flows; and slope stability, since low-permeability fine-grained contourites facilitate the formation of overpressurized gliding planes when fresh contourites with a high pore-water content becomes rapidly loaded, or when their rigid biosiliceous microfabric collapses due to diagenetic conditions. Despite its significance, this group of sediments is poorly known by the majority of non-specialists. Notwithstanding the growing interest and the intensified research in contourites, a textbook that might also serve as a reference book on contourites was missing until now. This book addresses all aspects of the knowledge in the field of contourites and provides an authoritative and comprehensive coverage of the subject. It also can serve as a standard reference work for non-specialists, and in particular postgraduate students, university teachers and lecturers, researchers and professionals who are seeking an authoritative source of information about contourites.

  • Shore Processes and their Palaeoenvironmental Applications

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 4
    • Edward J. Anthony
    • English
    The last five years have been marked by rapid technological and analytical developments in the study of shore processes and in the comprehension of shore deposits and forms, and shoreline change over time. These developments have generated a considerable body of literature in a wide range of professional journals, thus illustrating the cross-disciplinary nature of shore processes and the palaeo-environmental dimension of shore change. The justification of the book lies in bringing together these developments using an objective approach that synthesises current advances, technical progress in the analysis of shores and shore processes, contradictory interpretations, and potential advances using future-generation developments in techniques. The book provides a comprehensive state-of-the-art presentation of shore processes and deposits across ranges of wave energy and tide-range environments, sediment supply and textural conditions, sea-level change, exceptional events and longer-term climate change, based on the most recently published literature in the marine sciences. The book insists on the nested time and spatial scales through which are inter-linked shore processes and deposits, thus providing a better understanding of the way shores change over time. The approach is thus cross-disciplinary, and gap-bridging between processes and deposits, between analytical techniques, and between timescales. The audience is from graduate level upwards, and the book is intended as a comprehensive reference source for professionals in a wide range of coastal science fields (geologists, sedimentologists, geomorphologists, oceanographers, engineers, managers, archaeologists…).

  • The Sedimentary Basins of the United States and Canada

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 5
    • Andrew Miall
    • English
    In recent years there have been rapid strides in our understanding of plate-tectonic processes, many developments in methods of basin analysis, and the accumulation of much new surface and subsurface geological and geophysical data. Projects such as COCORP (in the United States) and Lithoprobe (in Canada) have provided essential insights into the deep crustal structure of the continent. Synthesis of all the available information about North America’s geological regions has not been attempted systematically since the “Decade of North American Geology” project undertaken by the Geological Society of America and the Geological Survey of Canada nearly twenty years ago. The book commences with a summary of the Phanerozoic geological history of the United States and Canada, illustrated with a suite of new paleogeographic maps, and tying in each of the subsequent regional chapters by the inclusion of numerous cross-references. This followed by a set of fifteen regional syntheses of the principal tectonic regions of the United States and Canada, focusing on the stratigraphic and tectonic history of the major sedimentary basins. Most of these chapters have been contributed by specialists, drawing on their own research, and providing interpretive summaries of a type not previously attempted.

  • Global Sedimentology of the Ocean

    An Interplay between Geodynamics and Paleoenvironment
    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 3
    • Christian M. Robert
    • English
    A great deal of information has been gained during the past 20 years about the deep ocean. This book synthesizes new information in marine sedimentology, applying concepts to case studies, and integrating the information in a context of plate tectonics, global circulation, and sedimentary processes. The potential of sediment series as archives of past environments is highlighted.

  • Evolution and Geological Significance of Larger Benthic Foraminifera

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 21
    • Marcelle K. BouDagher-Fadel
    • English
    The over-all aim of the book is to collect and add to the information published already on the larger benthic foraminifera and in cases their associated algae. Many decades of research in the Far East, to some extent in the Middle East and Americas has lead to numerous articles with confused systematics. Therefore, with the aid of new and precise age dates, from calcareous nannofossils and Sr isotopes, the current schemes of the larger foraminifera in a relatively precise chronostratigraphic and sequence stratigraphic framework are revised. This is achieved by: 1) establishing the systematic and occurrences of larger foraminifera from carbonate rocks in successions covering the Carboniferous to Miocene, with careful taxonomic comparison with the known records in the different bioprovinces; 2) illustration fossils of different families and groups at generic levels. 3) illustrations of important species and comparing distributions of different taxa.The inventory of larger benthic foraminifera focuses on the main important groups and the illustration of their genera. Reviews of the global state of the art of each group are complemented with the new data, and the direct palaeobiogeographic relevance of the new data is analyzed.

  • Arctic Ocean Sediments: Processes, Proxies, and Paleoenvironment

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 2
    • R. Stein
    • English
    Although it is generally accepted that the Arctic Ocean is a very sensitive and important region for changes in the global climate, this region is the last major physiographic province of the earth whose short-and long-term geological history is much less known in comparison to other ocean regions. This lack of knowledge is mainly caused by the major technological/logist... problems in reaching this harsh, ice-covered region with normal research vessels and in retrieving long and undisturbed sediment cores. During the the last about 20 years, however, several international and multidisciplinary ship expeditions, including the first scientific drilling on Lomonosov Ridge in 2004, a break-through in Arctic research, were carried out into the central Artic and its surrounding shelf seas. Results from these expeditions have greatly advanced our knowledge on Arctic Ocean paleoenvironments. Published syntheses about the knowledge on Arctic Ocean geology, on the other hand, are based on data available prior to 1990. A comprehensive compilation of data on Arctic Ocean paleoenvironment and its short-and long-term variability based on the huge amount of new data including the ACEX drilling data, has not been available yet. With this book, presenting (1) detailed information on glacio-marine sedimentary processes and geological proxies used for paleoenvironmental reconstructions, and (2) detailed geological data on modern environments, Quaternary variability on different time scales as well as the long-term climate history during Mesozoic-Tertiary times, this gap in knowledge will be filled.

  • The Late Cenozoic of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 11
    • J. Rabassa
    • English
    Written by highly qualified Argentine scientists and scholars, this book focuses on the uninterrupted geological and paleontological record of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego since the Miocene-Pliocene boundary to the arrival of man and modern times. This region is an outstanding area for research, with significant interest at the international level. It provides an updated overview of the scientific work in all related fields with a strong paleoclimatic approach. Patagonia has also been a sort of a "paleoclimatic bridge" between the Antarctic Peninsula and the more northerly land masses, since the final opening of the Drake Passage in the middle Miocene. Timely and comprehensive, The Late Cenozoic of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego is the only monograph book written in English.

  • Caldera Volcanism

    Analysis, Modelling and Response
    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 10
    • Joachim Gottsmann + 1 more
    • English
    This volume aims at providing answers to some puzzling questions concerning the formation and the behavior of collapse calderas by exploring our current understanding of these complex geological processes. Addressed are problems such as:- How do collapse calderas form? - What are the conditions to create fractures and slip along them to initiate caldera collapse and when are these conditions fulfilled? - How do these conditions relate to explosive volcanism?- Most products of large caldera-forming eruptions show evidence for pre-eruptive reheating. Is this a pre-requisite to produce large volume eruptions and large calderas?- What are the time-scales behind caldera processes? - How long does it take magma to reach conditions ripe enough to generate a caldera-forming eruption?- What is the mechanical behavior of magma chamber walls during caldera collapse? Elastic, viscoelastic, or rigid? - Do calderas form by underpressure following a certain level of magma withdrawal from a reservoir, or by magma chamber loading due to deep doming (underplating), or both?- How to interpret unrest signals in active caldera systems?- How can we use information from caldera monitoring to forecast volcanic phenomena?In the form of 14 contributions from various disciplines this book samples the state-of-the-art of caldera studies and identifies still unresolved key issues that need dedicated cross-boundary and multidisciplinary efforts in the years to come.

  • The Great Sand Sea in Egypt

    Formation, Dynamics and Environmental Change - a Sediment-analytical Approach
    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 59
    • H. Besler
    • English
    The Great Sand Sea in Egypt presents the history of one of the large sand seas in the Sahara, beginning with the sand supply by fluvial transport from partly distant areas and also by local sandstone weathering. It also details sand as carrier of information and shows the possibilities of sedimentary analysis in dealing with such a topic. Simple measurements may supply important information (e.g. salinity measurements). Well known methods can be developed further to answer special questions. A wealth of information can be drawn from especially adapted sedimentological investigations. In the end, bits of information from different analytical sources can be put together to reveal the history of a large sand sea.

  • The Jehol Fossils

    The Emergence of Feathered Dinosaurs, Beaked Birds and Flowering Plants
    • 1st Edition
    • Mee-Mann Chang + 3 more
    • English
    No other single volume reference to the Jehol site and its fossils exists and nowhere is there such a collection of fine photos of the fossils concerned. This book has pieced together the most up-to-date information on the Jehol Biota, a place that has shown the world some of the most astonishing fossil finds including the first complete skeleton of Archaeopteryx in 1861, four-winged dinosaurs- many feathered ones, the first beaked bird, the first plants with flowers and fruits, and thousands of species of invertebrates. Authors shed new light on a number of interesting theoretical issues in evolutionary biology today, such as the origin and early evolution of some major taxonomic groups. The first two chapters give an inviting introduction to the Jehol Biota in terms of its history of study, its main components, its scientific importance, its geographical, geological and biostratigraphic framework, and its renowned fossil discoveries. Each of the remaining chapters deals with a particular organismal group of the Biota written by leading experts. The book is lavishly illustrated with nearly 280 illustrations, which include 200 photographs that show the diversity of the taxa and beauty of their preservation. The colored life restorations, elegantly done by some of China's most celebrated scientific illustrators, give a kiss of life to the dead bones. Although targeted primarily at an educated public, the book is also an invaluable source of information for students and professionals in paleontology, geology, evolutionary biology and science education in general.

  • The Indian Ocean Nodule Field

    Geology and Resource Potential
    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 10
    • Ranadhir Mukhopadhyay + 2 more
    • English
    The book includes a synthesis of research findings on the structure and evolution of the Central Indian Ocean Basin and its ferromanganese deposits, in particular, on the exploration campaign since 1980s. A comprehensive mixture of recent studies along with classical theories starting from the 1960s is the hallmark of the book. Recent concepts and hypotheses, and also critical appreciation of the state-of-the-art knowledge on nodule formation and resource management are incorporated. After limiting the geographical extension of the nodule field and describing its physiographic, geological, biological, physical and chemical characteristics in chapter 1, the various structural, tectonic and volcanic elements are described in chapters 2 and 3. The bottom sediment characteristics that floor the nodules and crusts are dealt with in chapter 4. The nodules and crusts are described in detail in chapter 5, and their process of formation in the light of variable source material, local and regional tectonic activities, and midplate secondary volcanisms are discussed. The mining, environment, metallurgy, legal and economic aspects of the nodule resources are discussed in chapter 6. This title fulfils the growing need to bring voluminous, but scattered information in the form of a book for easy dissemination to students and researchers.

  • Sediment and Ecohydraulics

    INTERCOH 2005
    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 9
    • Tetsuya Kusuda + 3 more
    • English
    Sediments and Ecohyraulics is comprised of papers submitted to the 6th International Conference on Cohesive Sediments (INTERCOH 2005) held in Saga, Japan, September 2005. The papers are divided into two major categories. The first is basic processes, including erosion, settling, flocculation, and consolidation. The second major catagory is application of the understanding of cohesive sediments to address specific issues, including waterway and part management, fluid mud behavior, and contaminiated sediment management.

  • Tropical and sub-tropical West Africa - Marine and continental changes during the Late Quaternary

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 10
    • P. Giresse
    • English
    West Africa and the eastern Atlantic stretching from Mauritania in the north to Namibia in the south offer a large latitudinal stretch incorporating nearly symmetrical climatic gradients from the Equator. On the time scale of Quaternary Glacial and Interglacial cycles, today, we possess well-documented and recently published marine sedimentary records showing changes in oceanic and atmospheric circulations and terrestrial fluxes. Deep-sea sediment records contain a wide range of palaeoenvironmental indicators like oxygen and carbon isotopes, alkenones, foraminiferal and other planktonic assemblages over time periods up to and greater than 125,000 years. These are signals of temperature and circulation shifts and allow Interglacial and Glacial comparisons on a regional and inter-hemispheric scale. However, this effort to synthesize the existing knowledge cannot yet aspire to a global modelling. Linking with terrestrial records, albeit spatially patchy and generally lacking a firm chronology, this book points to shorter time scale chronologies from lakes, marshes and river deposits. Diverse and not very wellknown literature, both French and English, is reported here. Lastly, the book records recent knowledge of the first steps of human occupation of frequently hostile environments and considers the environmental impact of ancient and modern societies.

  • Sediment Management at the River Basin Scale

    • 1st Edition
    • Phil Owens
    • English
    Sediments are a natural part of aquatic systems and they are essential for the hydrological, geomorphological and ecological functioning of those systems. For society they are important and represent an important resource. However, due to the ever increasing use of river catchments, sediments need to be managed in a balanced and sustainable way. Sediment Management at the River Basin Scale reviews some of the key requirements and challenges facing scientists, river basin managers, and policy makers for sustainable sediment management at the river basin scale, and puts forward important recommendations. This volume also available as part of a 4-volume set, ISBN 0444519599. Discount price for set purchase.

  • Earth's Oldest Rocks

    • 1st Edition
    • Martin J. Van Kranendonk + 2 more
    • English
    Earth’s Oldest Rocks provides a comprehensive overview of all aspects of early Earth, from planetary accretion through to development of protocratons with depleted lithospheric keels by c. 3.2 Ga, in a series of papers written by over 50 of the world's leading experts. The book is divided into two chapters on early Earth history, ten chapters on the geology of specific cratons, and two chapters on early Earth analogues and the tectonic framework of early Earth. Individual contributions address topics that range from planetary accretion, a review of Earth meteorites, significance and composition of Hadean protocrust, composition of Archaean mantle and deep crust, all aspects of the geology of Paleoarchean cratons, composition of Archean oceans and hydrothermal environments, evidence and geological settings of early life, early Earth analogues from Venus and New Zealand, and a tectonic framework for early Earth.

  • Atlas of Microbial Mat Features Preserved within the Siliciclastic Rock Record

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 2
    • Juergen Schieber + 6 more
    • English
    Drawing on a combination of modern occurrences and likely ancient counterparts, this atlas is a treatise of mat-related sedimentary features that one may expect to see in ancient terrigenous clastic sedimentary successions. By combining modern and ancient examples, the connection is made to likely formative processes and the utilization of these features in the interpretation of ancient sedimentary rocks.

  • Borehole Climatology

    a new method how to reconstruct climate
    • 1st Edition
    • Louise Bodri + 1 more
    • English
    Climate for the 21st century is expected to be considerably different from the present and recent past. Industrialization growth combined with the increasing CO2 concentration in the atmosphere and massive deforestation are well above the values over the past several decades and are expected to further grow. Air temperature is rising rapidly well as does the weather variability producing frequent extreme events. Six of the ten warmest years occurred in the 1990s. Temperatures predicted for the 21st century ranges well above the present day value. The time period of the last 100-200 years covered by the direct meteorological observations is too short and does not provide material to reliably assess what may happen over the next hundred(s) years. A faithful prediction of the future requires understanding how climate system works, i.e. to reconstruct past climate much further in the past. Borehole paleoclimatology enables climate reconstruction of the past several millennia, unlike proxy methods provides direct past temperature assessment and can well broaden the areal range to the remote regions poorly covered with meteorological observations. Considerable debates have recently focused on the causes of the present-day warming, i.e. to distinguish between the natural and anthropogenic contribution to the observed temperature increase, eventually to quantify their regional distribution. Complex interpretation of borehole data with the proxies and additional socio-economic information can hopefully help. On observed data taken in various places all over the world we demonstrate suitable examples of the interaction between the subsurface temperature response to time changes in vegetation cover, land-use (farming) and urbanization. Precise temperature-time monitoring in shallow subsurface can further provide the magnitude of the present-day warming within relatively short time intervals. As far as we know, there exists so far no book dealing entirely with the subject of the Borehole climatology. Only relatively rarely this method is mentioned in otherwise plentiful literature on climate reconstruction or on climate modelling. There are, however, series of papers focussing on various borehole--climate related studies in numerous journals (e.g. Global and Planetary Change, Climate Change, Tectonophysics, Journal of Geophysical Research, Geophysical Research Letters, etc). Time to time a special issue appears to summarize papers on this topic presented during specialized symposia.Key Features- Description of a new useful alternative paleoclimate reconstruction method- A suitable source of information for those wishing to learn more about climate change- Material for lecturing and use in the classroom- Ample practical examples of borehole temperature inversions worldwide- Ample illustrations and reference list- Authors have a good knowledge of the problem based on more than 20 years of experience, one of them actually pioneered the method

  • Heavy Minerals in Use

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 58
    • Maria A. Mange + 1 more
    • English
    The book is structured thematically, encompassing principles, processes and products, practice and applications. Discussion of processes that control heavy mineral assemblages throughout the rock cycle are presented by leading experts, whose key-note works are followed by specialist case studies. Each work also provides details on the geology of the study area, techniques and data treatment. The high number of contributions represent the collective experience and wisdom of generations of geologists, and provide an invaluable source of references to works carried out in many parts of the world.

  • Mountains: Witnesses of Global Changes

    Research in the Himalaya and Karakoram: SHARE-Asia Project
    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 10
    • Renato Baudo + 2 more
    • English
    From an environmental point of view, mountains are particularly sensitive and important for monitoring the state of health of our planet. Only through distribution of meteoclimatic and atmospheric composition monitoring points in mountain regions, coupled with modelling simulations, will we be able to thoroughly analyze complex pollutant transport mechanisms and better understand imminent global changes. The Himalayan-Karakoram range. For its elevation and geographic location, represents one of the ideal places for studying long-range pollutant transport systems on a regional scale and for monitoring changes index by mechanisms that act on global scale through monsoon circulation.The Ev-K2-CNR committee with this book reached its objective of creating a unique opportunity for dialogue between major environmental scientists and experts, highlighting the close relationship between diverse themes with a common underlying thread: in-depth comprehension of the environmental phenomena which are determining the health of our planet.

  • Global Warming and Global Cooling

    Evolution of Climate on Earth
    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 5
    • O.G. Sorokhtin + 2 more
    • English
    The theory of the Earth's climate evolution based on universal chemical-physical laws of matter-energy transformation is presented in the book. It shows how the process of Earth's core separation has led to formation and evolution of the hydrosphere and atmosphere. Having analyzed the processes of heat transfer in the atmosphere, the writers developed the adiabatic theory of the greenhouse effect, which was applied for analysis of climatic changes on the Earth. The influence of changes in climate on formation of mineral deposits and development of life on Earth was considered and presented based on modeling of typical climatic regimes. It shows that the anthropogenic effect on the Earth's global temperature is negligible in comparison with the effect of global forces of nature.

  • Proxies in Late Cenozoic Paleoceanography

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 1
    • C. Hillaire-Marcel + 1 more
    • English
    The present volume is the first in a series of two books dedicated to the paleoceanography of the Late Cenozoic ocean. The need for an updated synthesis on paleoceanographic science is urgent, owing to the huge and very diversified progress made in this domain during the last decade. In addition, no comprehensive monography still exists in this domain. This is quite incomprehensible in view of the contribution of paleoceanographic research to our present understanding of the dynamics of the climate-ocean system. The focus on the Late Cenozoic ocean responds to two constraints. Firstly, most quantitative methods, notably those based on micropaleontological approaches, cannot be used back in time beyond a few million years at most. Secondly, the last few million years, with their strong climate oscillations, show specific high frequency changes of the ocean with a relatively reduced influcence of tectonics. The first volume addresses quantitative methodologies to reconstruct the dynamics of the ocean andthe second, major aspects of the ocean system (thermohaline circulation, carbon cycle, productivity, sea level etc.) and will also present regional synthesis about the paleoceanography of major the oceanic basins. In both cases, the focus is the “open ocean” leaving aside nearshore processes that depend too much onlocal conditions. In this first volume, we have gathered up-to-date methodologies for the measurement and quantitative interpretation of tracers and proxies in deep sea sediments that allow reconstruction of a few key past-properties of the ocean( temperature, salinity, sea-ice cover, seasonal gradients, pH, ventilation, oceanic currents, thermohaline circulation, and paleoproductivity). Chapters encompass physical methods (conventional grain-size studies, tomodensitometry, magnetic and mineralogical properties), most current biological proxies (planktic and benthic foraminifers, deep sea corals, diatoms, coccoliths, dinocysts and biomarkers) and key geochemical tracers (trace elements, stable isotopes, radiogenic isotopes, and U-series). Contributors to the book and members of the review panel are among the best scientists in their specialty. They represent major European and North American laboratories and thus provide a priori guarantees to the quality and updat of the entire book. Scientists and graduate students in paleoclimatology, paleoceanography, climate modeling, and undergraduate and graduate students in marine geology represent the target audience. This volume should be of interest for scientists involved in several international programs, such as those linked to the IPCC (IODP – Integrated Ocean Drilling Program; PAGES – Past Global Changes; IMAGES – Marine Global Changes; PMIP: Paleoclimate Intercomparison Project; several IGCP projects etc.), That is, all programs that require access to time series illustrating changes in the climate-ocean system.

  • Trace Fossils

    Concepts, Problems, Prospects
    • 1st Edition
    • William Miller III
    • English
    This book serves as an up-to-date introduction, as well as overview to modern trace fossil research and covers nearly all of the essential aspects of modern ichnology. Divided into three section, Trace Fossils covers the historical background and concepts of ichnology, on-going research problems, and indications about the possible future growth of the discipline and potential connections to other fields. This work is intended for a broad audience of geological and biological scientists. Workers new to the field could get a sense of the main concepts of ichnology and a clear idea of how trace fossil research is conducted. Scientists in related disciplines could find potential uses for trace fossils in their fields. And, established workers could use the book to check on the progress of their particular brand of ichnology. By design, there is something here for novice and veteran, insider and outsider, and for the biologically-oriente... workers and for the sedimentary geologists.

  • 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.

  • Creativity

    Theories and Themes: Research, Development, and Practice
    • 1st Edition
    • Mark A. Runco
    • English
    An integrative introduction to the theories and themes in research on creativity, this book is both a reference work and text for courses in this burgeoning area of research. The book begins with a discussion of the theories of creativity (Person, Product, Process, Place), the general question of whether creativity is influenced by nature or nurture, what research has indicated of the personality and style of creative individuals from a personality analysis standpoint, how social context affects creativity, and then coverage of issues like gender differences, whether creativity can be enhanced, if creativity is related to poor mental or physical health, etc. The book contains boxes covering special interest items including one page biographies of famous creative individuals and activities for a group or individual to test and/or encourage creativity, as well as references to internet sites relating to creativity.

  • Encyclopedia of Quaternary Science

    • 1st Edition
    • Scott A. Elias
    • English
    The quaternary sciences constitute a dynamic, multidisciplinary field of research that has been growing in scientific and societal importance in recent years. This branch of the Earth sciences links ancient prehistory to modern environments. Quaternary terrestrial sediments contain the fossil remains of existing species of flora and fauna, and their immediate predecessors. Quaternary science plays an integral part in such important issues for modern society as groundwater resources and contamination, sea level change, geologic hazards (earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis), and soil erosion. With over 360 articles and 2,600 pages, many in full-color, the Encyclopedia of Quaternary Science provides broad ranging, up-to-date articles on all of the major topics in the field. Written by a team of leading experts and under the guidance of an international editorial board, the articles are at a level that allows undergraduate students to understand the material, while providing active researchers with the latest information in the field. Also available online via ScienceDirect (2006) – featuring extensive browsing, searching, and internal cross-referencing between articles in the work, plus dynamic linking to journal articles and abstract databases, making navigation flexible and easy. For more information, pricing options and availability visit www.info.sciencedire...

  • Seismic Stratigraphy, Basin Analysis and Reservoir Characterisation

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 37
    • P.C.H. Veeken
    • English
    The interest in seismic stratigraphic techniques to interpret reflection datasets is well established. The advent of sophisticated subsurface reservoir studies and 4D monitoring, for optimising the hydrocarbon production in existing fields, does demonstrate the importance of the 3D seismic methodology. The added value of reflection seismics to the petroleum industry has clearly been proven over the last decades. Seismic profiles and 3D cubes form a vast and robust data source to unravel the structure of the subsurface. It gets nowadays exploited in ever greater detail. Larger offsets and velocity anisotropy effects give for instance access to more details on reservoir flow properties like fracture density, porosity and permeability distribution, Elastic inversion and modelling may tell something about the change in petrophysical parameters. Seismic investigations provide a vital tool for the delineation of subtle hydrocarbon traps. They are the basis for understanding the regional basin framework and the stratigraphic subdivision. Seismic stratigraphy combines two very different scales of observation: the seismic and well-control. The systematic approach applied in seismic stratigraphy explains why many workers are using the principles to evaluate their seismic observations. The here presented modern geophysical techniques allow more accurate prediction of the changes in subsurface geology. Dynamics of sedimentary environments are discussed with its relation to global controling factors and a link is made to high-resolution sequence stratigraphy. ‘Seismic Stratigraphy Basin Analysis and Reservoir Characterisation’ summarizes basic seismic interpretation techniques and demonstrates the benefits of intergrated reservoir studies for hydrocarbon exploration. Topics are presented from a practical point of view and are supported by well-illustrated case histories. The reader (student as well as professional geophysicists, geologists and reservoir engineers) is taken from a basic level to more advanced study techniques.

  • Sediment and Dredged Material Treatment

    • 1st Edition
    • Peppe Bortone
    • English
    Sediment and Dredged Material Treatment forms the second volume in the SEDNET mini-series, Sustainable Management of Sediment Resources. The volume asks "How can you achieve sustainable sediment treatment?". In fact, before this question can be answered, many steps have to be considered beforehand. This book tackles the questions and issues which arise when looking at the various steps involved. This volume is applicable to a wide audience, from students at the graduate level, to experienced researchers and laboratory personnel in academia, industry and government. This volume also available as part of a 4-volume set, ISBN 0444519599. Discount price for set purchase.

  • Estuarine and Coastal Fine Sediment Dynamics

    INTERCOH 2003
    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 8
    • Jerome Maa + 2 more
    • English
    This volume is the product of the International Conference on Cohesive Sediment Transport (INTERCOH 2003) held at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, U.S.A., during October 1-4, 2003. The topics included in this monograph range from basic research on cohesive sediment dynamics to practical applications. Also included with this book is a database that contains all experimental results as well as a comparison of numerical simulation results supported by the COSINUS project.

  • 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.

  • Polymerid Tribolites from the Cambrian of Northwestern Hunan, China, Two-Volume Set

    • 1st Edition
    • S. Peng + 2 more
    • English
    China is richly endowed with Cambrian strata yielding some of the best-preserved fossils known anywhere in the world. The trilobites are most important element in the fauna, and of scientific relevance for several reasons. First, they are of regional importance in the precise correlation of strata, and are of primary use in characterising mappable formations. Second, some of the species are widespread internationally, and these permit the placing of Chinese stratigraphical schemes within the global chronostratigraphy. Thirdly, the variety, relationships and endemicity of the faunas contributes to the broad questions of how evolution proceeded in the Cambrian, and is relevant to debates about whether special conditions applied at the early stage of the Phanerozoic radiation. Volume 1 of this set contains general geologic information concerning the Huaqiao Formation of the northwestern Hunan, lithostratigraphic data, biostratigraphic zonation, detailed description of three stratigraphic sections, and the systematic of corynexochid, lichid, and as aphid trilobites. Volume 2 contains systematic treatments of ptychopariids, eodiscids, trilobites of uncertain affinity, and some undertermined sclerites. In both volumes, considerable effort was made to reillustrate type material of many previously described taxa. In some older literature, illustrations were not always reproduced well, so the new illustrations should help to clarify taxonomic concepts.

  • Handbook of Clay Science

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 1
    • Faïza Bergaya + 2 more
    • English
    The first general texts on clay mineralogy and the practical applications of clay, written by R.E. Grim, were published some 40-50 years ago. Since then, a vast literature has accumulated but this information is scattered and not always accessible. The Handbook of Clay Science aims at assembling the scattered literature on the varied and diverse aspects that make up the discipline of clay science. The topics covered range from the fundamental structures (including textures) and properties of clays and clay minerals, through their environmental, health and industrial applications, to their analysis and characterization by modern instrumental techniques. Also included are the clay-microbe interaction, layered double hydroxides, zeolites, cement hydrates, genesis of clay minerals as well as the history and teaching of clay science. No modern book in the English language is available that is as comprehensive and wide-ranging in coverage as the Handbook of Clay Science.In providing a critical and up-to-date assessment of the accumulated information, this will serve as the first point of entry into the literature for both newcomers and graduate students, while for research scientists, university teachers, industrial chemists, and environmental engineers the book will become a standard reference text.

  • Principles of Sequence Stratigraphy

    • 1st Edition
    • Octavian Catuneanu
    • English
    Principles of Sequence Stratigraphy provides an in-depth coverage and impartial assessment of all current ideas and models in the field of sequence stratigraphy. This textbook thoroughly develops fundamental concepts of sequence stratigraphy that links base-level changes to sedimentary deposits. It examines differing approaches to how the sequence stratigraphic method can be applied to the rock record, and reviews practical applications such as how petroleum geologists can target where to drill for oil. The book's balanced approach helps students acquire a common terminology and conceptual understanding that will be helpful later in their academic and professional careers, whether they pursue jobs as geologists, geophysicists, or reservoir engineers. This textbook offers theoretical guidelines of how the facies and time relationships are expected to be under specific circumstances such as subsidence patterns, sediment supply, topographic gradients, etc. It goes beyond the standard treatment of sequence stratigraphy by focusing on a more user-friendly and flexible method of analysis of the sedimentary rock record than other current methods. The text is richly illustrated with dozens of full color photographs and original illustrations of outcrop, core, well log, and 3D seismic data. There is a dedicated chapter on discussions and conclusions, along with an instructor site containing images from the book. Principles of Sequence Stratigraphy will appeal to researchers and professionals, as well as upper graduate and graduate students in stratigraphy, sedimentology, petroleum peology and engineering, economic geology, coal geology, seismic exploration, precambrian geology, and mining geology and engineering.

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