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Elsevier

Books in Earth and planetary sciences

Elsevier's Earth and Planetary Sciences collection brings together pioneering research on the complexities of our planet and beyond. Covering topics from Earth's structural dynamics and ecosystems to planetary exploration, these titles support advancements in geoscience, environmental science, and space studies, offering essential insights for researchers, professionals, and students.

  • Techniques for Image Processing and Classifications in Remote Sensing

    • 1st Edition
    • Robert A. Schowengerdt
    • English
    Techniques for Image Processing and Classifications in Remote Sensing provides an introduction to the fundamentals of computer image processing and classification (commonly called ""pattern recognition"" in other applications). The book begins with a discussion of digital scanners and imagery, and two key mathematical concepts for image processing and classification—spati... filtering and statistical pattern recognition. This is followed by separate chapters on image processing and classification techniques that are widely used in the remote sensing community. The emphasis throughout is on techniques that assist in the analysis of images, not particular applications of these techniques. The book also has four appendixes, featuring a bibliography; an introduction to computer binary data representation and image data formats; a discussion of interactive image processing; and a selection of exam questions from the Image Processing Laboratory course at the University of Arizona. This book is intended for use as either a primary source in an introductory image processing course or as a supplementary text in an intermediate-level remote sensing course. The academic level addressed is upper-division undergraduate or beginning graduate, and familiarity with calculus and basic vector and matrix concepts is assumed.

  • Design of Underground Hard-Coal Mines

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 3
    • J. Pazdziora
    • English
    The escalating worldwide demand for energy has had the effect, among other things, of promoting the development of coal mining. In some countries specialist design offices were set up and students trained as specialists in mine design and construction. Poland, a country having mining traditions stretching over many centuries, is a good example, and has gained a place in the forefront, not only as a coal producer and exporter, but also as an originator and exporter of technical mining know-how. The author of this book has himself had 25 years of practical experience in mine design, in the supervision of mining investment implementation both at home and abroad, and also in directing the activities of the Chief Mine Design and Studies Office in Poland, plus more than 20 years' teaching experience in the training of mining engineers, in particular as head of the Mine Design Department of the Mining Faculty at the Silesian Polytechnic University in Gliwice. This vast wealth of experience has prompted him to write the present book which discusses the basic problems met with in the design of underground hard-coal mines.The author's primary aim has been to deal with all those questions in mine design which have not yet been answered in mining textbooks and which, from his own personal experience, he considers to be of importance. Accordingly, he presents the general principles governing the design of new mines and the reconstruction of working mines, the development of mining regions, the design of coal-preparation plant, and energy economy in mines. Making use of the broad experience gained by the Polish mining industry in the implementation of mining investment projects, he has quoted several examples of technical and organizational solutions which effectively shorten the mine construction cycle.The book is addressed chiefly to investors and engineers engaged in preparing plans for the development of mining regions, for the construction of new mines, and the reconstruction of existing mines and preparation plants, as well as to students in mining departments of technical schools and universities. The information offered here is of great practical value and may well stimulate the development of new ideas for design and implementation concepts.

  • The Pocos de Caldas Project: Natural Analogues of Processes in a Radioactive Waste Repository

    • 1st Edition
    • N.A. Chapman + 3 more
    • English
    The safe disposal of radioactive wastes by burial in deep geological formations requires long-term predictions of the future behaviour of the wastes and their engineered repository. Such predictions can be tested by evaluating processes analogous to those which will occur in a repository, which have been long active in the natural geochemical environment. The Pocos de Caldas Project is a comprehensive study of two ore deposits in Minas Gerais, Brazil, aimed at looking at uranium and thorium series radionuclide and rare-earth element mobility, the development and movement of redox fronts, and the nature of natural groundwater colloids. A multidisciplinary team of experts from 27 laboratories carried out a fully integrated study of the geology, geomorphology, hydrogeology, geochemistry, hydrochemistry and geomicrobiology of the two sites for nearly four years. This book contains 20 papers covering the detailed findings, with particular emphasis on their significance for radioactive waste disposal, especially on the use of the data in testing models of radionuclide movement. It will interest economic geologists, geochemists and performance assessment modellers involved in the geological disposal of radioactive wastes.

  • Au, U, Fe, Mn, Hg, Sb, W, and P Deposits

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 7
    • Bozzano G Luisa
    • English
    Handbook of Strata-Bound and Stratiform Ore Deposits, Volume 7: Au, U, Fe, Mn, Hg, Sb, W, and P Deposits focuses on the characteristics, properties, origins, and structures of Au, U, Fe, Mn, Hg, Sb, W, and P deposits. The selection first elaborates on gold in the Proterozoic sediments of South Africa, nature of the Witwatersrand gold-uranium deposits, and origin of Western-States type uranium mineralization. Discussions focus on tectonic conditions, sedimentation, mineralization and alteration, architecture of the Witwatersrand Basin, source of wealth in the Witwatersrand Basin, gold mineralization in South Africa, and ground-rules for gold prospecting. The text then ponders on origin of the Precambrian banded iron-formations, aspects of the sedimentary petrology of cherty iron-formation, and genetic problems and environmental features of volcanosedimentary iron-ore deposits of the Lahn-Dill Type. Concerns cover geological setting, crystallization structures, origin of cherty iron-formations, similarities and differences between banded and oolitic iron-formations, regional geologic distribution, and general diagnostic statement. The manuscript examines sedimentary phosphate deposits, ancient manganese deposits, and freshwater ferromanganese deposits. The selection is a dependable reference for researchers wanting to explore Au, U, Fe, Mn, Hg, Sb, W, and P deposits.

  • Soil Properties and Behaviour

    • 1st Edition
    • R. Young
    • English
    Soil Properties and Behavior defines the structure of the soil-water system. This book provides the background of the nature of mineral particles and the existing forces between the particles in the soil system. It also examines the structure and fabric of soil, as well as their relationship with water. Furthermore, the book explores water movement and soil performance, which are related to the physics of soil-water movement and volume changes. This book illustrates the common clay minerals in soils and discusses the methods for their identification. It also reviews the theory of one-dimensional consolidation and discusses the soil structure in consolidation and compression. The book also presents the concepts of yield and failure in soils, yield criteria, and failure theories. It also focuses on granular and cohesive soil strength, including friction properties, the intrinsic friction angle, the volumetric strain, and pore-water pressure. The last part of the book discusses soil freezing and permafrost.

  • Modeling and Simulation of Mineral Processing Systems

    • 1st Edition
    • R. Peter King
    • English
    Dr. R. Peter King covers the field of quantitative modeling of mineral processing equipment and the use of these models to simulate the actual behavior of ore dressing and coal washing as they are configured to work in industrial practice. The material is presented in a pedagogical style that is particularly suitable for readers who wish to learn the wide variety of modeling methods that have evolved in this field. The models vary widely from one unit type to another. As a result each model is described in some detail. Wherever possible model structure is related to the underlying physical processes that govern the behaviour of particulate material in the processing equipment. Predictive models are emphasised throughout so that, when combined, they can be used to simulate the operation of complex mineral processing flowsheets. The development of successful simulation techniques is a major objective of the work that is covered in the text.

  • Biogeomorphology, Terrestrial and Freshwater Systems

    • 1st Edition
    • C.R. Hupp + 2 more
    • English
    Biogeomorphology, a relatively new term, refers to relations between the biota and geomorphic form and process. Ecology is the study of organisms in relation to their physical and biotic environment. Thus, ecogeomorphology could have been an equally acceptable name for this publication which stresses the ecological aspects of the larger field of biology. Most of the articles relate vegetation to fluvial geomorphology, erosion, and sedimentation. However, articles showing the significance of animal ecological studies and their bearing on geomorphic form and process are also included.Geographica... the papers range from arid areas in the American Southwest and Israel to the new world tropics. Most articles, however, are concerned with temperate areas of North America and Western Europe.This is among the first books to approach the role that biota and ecology play in geomorphic processes and should be on the shelf of every landscape ecologist.

  • Cu, Zn, Pb, and Ag Deposits

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 6
    • Bozzano G Luisa
    • English
    Handbook of Strata-Bound and Stratiform Ore Deposits, Volume 6: Cu, Zn, Pb, and Ag Deposits focuses on the characteristics, properties, origins, and structures of Cu, Zn, Pb, and Ag deposits. The selection first underscores a comparative review of the genesis of the copper-lead sandstone-type deposits; "volcanic" massive sulfide deposits and their host rocks; and tectonic setting of some strata-bound massive sulfide deposits in New South Wales, Australia. Discussions focus on tectonic setting of Cyprus-type and Kuroko-type strata-bound massive sulfide deposits; development of some tectonic units in which strata-bound massive sulfide deposits occur in the Paleozoic sequences of New South Wales; volcanic host rocks; and interim summary of field and laboratory data. The text then ponders on Caledonian massive sulfide deposits in Scandinavia, Precambrian, strata-bound, massive Cu-Zn-Pb sulfide ores of North America, and geology of the Zambian Copperbelt. Concerns cover types of orebodies, structures of the Zambian Copperbelt, geology of representative deposits, general geological features, and lithostratigraphical relations of the ores. The manuscript takes a look at the McArthur zinc-lead-silver deposits, Appalachian zinc-lead deposits, and tri-state ore deposits. The selection is a dependable source of data for researchers wanting to study Cu, Zn, Pb, and Ag deposits.

  • Man's Impact on Climate

    • 1st Edition
    • Wilfred Bach
    • English
    Man’s Impact on Climate provides a technical review of various aspects of climate change. It deals not only with the general aspects of climate change but also with the climate/food and climate/energy interactions. This book is divided into three parts. The first part explores climate history, climate theory, and climate modeling. This part also offers climate models in which results from past climate events can be verified with paleoclimatic methods; hence, they serve as guides for interpreting future climate simulations. The second part deals with the external causes of climate change that are induced by man, such as altering the composition of the atmosphere, adding heat to the system and changing the characteristics of the earth’s surface. The third and last part focuses on the future climate and potential consequences of climatic changes. It also offers a few constructive solutions in reference to the carbon dioxide problem. Scientists and government officials involved in climate research may find this book valuable.

  • Geostatistical Ore Reserve Estimation

    • 1st Edition
    • M. David
    • English
    Developments in Geomathematics, 2: Geostatistical Ore Reserve Estimation focuses on the methodologies, processes, and principles involved in geostatistical ore reserve estimation, including the use of variogram, sampling, theoretical models, and variances and covariances. The publication first takes a look at elementary statistical theory and applications; contribution of distributions to mineral reserves problems; and evaluation of methods used in ore reserve calculations. Concerns cover estimation problems during a mine life, origin and credentials of geostatistics, precision of a sampling campaign and prediction of the effect of further sampling, exercises on grade-tonnage curves, theoretical models of distributions, and computational remarks on variances and covariances. The text then examines variogram and the practice of variogram modeling. Discussions focus on solving problems in one dimension, linear combinations and average values, theoretical models of isotropic variograms, the variogram as a geological features descriptor, and the variogram as the fundamental function in error computations. The manuscript ponders on statistical problems in sample preparation, orebody modeling, grade-tonnage curves, ore-waste selection, and planning problems, the practice of kriging, and the effective computation of block variances. The text is a valuable source of data for researchers interested in geostatistical ore reserve estimation.

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