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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.

  • Agricultural Engineering Soil Mechanics

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 10
    • E. McKyes
    • English
    This book provides an introduction to classical soil mechanics and foundation engineering, and applies these principles to agricultural engineering situations. Theoretical design formulae are given, plus tables and graphs dealing with bearing capacity factors, wall pressure factors, soil cutting numbers and soil mechanical properties. Many example problems of design and analysis are solved in the text, and there are unsolved problems given for each chapter.The text begins with descriptions of soil origins and classification systems, including agricultural classification schemes, and then introduces classical concepts of soil strength and strength measurement techniques in the laboratory and in the field. Soil mechanics is applied to the design of shallow foundations, and the design formulae as well as tables of bearing capacity factors for design use are provided. New research and design findings in the specialized area of tall and heavy farm silos are also given, in addition to deep pile foundation design for heavy structures on very soft soils. Water flow in soils is treated, together with stability of ditch bank slopes and small earth dams, design of retaining walls and pressure pressures in bins and silos, soil erosion and protection methods, soil cutting and tillage design methods, soil compaction analysis, the use of geotextiles and problems of soil freezing.The book is directed primarily at professional university students in Agricultural Engineering, but will also be of interest to scientists working in other engineering branches, landscape architecture, soil physics and the like.

  • Chemical Analysis Of Silicate Rocks

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 6
    • A Easton
    • English
    Chemical Analysis of Silicate Rocks is the sixth book in the series, “Methods in Geochemistry and Geophysics.” This book provides procedures in chemical analysis of the principal types of silicate rocks and minerals, and it discusses each procedure at length. The book presents different apparatuses and reagents, such as balance and weighs, glassware and porcelain, platinum and substitutes, and filters that are used in the chemical analysis of silicate rocks. Laboratory instruments, such as pH meters, spectrophotometers and flame photometers, are presented in the third chapter. The fourth chapter focuses on the major factors in spectrophotometric methods. The next three chapters cover the common operations in silicate analysis, chemical analysis of silicate rocks, and preparation of the laboratory sample. From chapter eight through 20, each chapter discusses various silicate rocks and minerals, and presents the methods to be used for their chemical analysis. These chemical components are silicon, total iron, titanium, aluminum, calcium, magnesium, ferrous iron, manganese, chromium, alkalies, water and carbon dioxide, phosphorus, and total sulfur. Chapters 21 and 22 offer the formulas of minerals and the determination of specific gravity. The book closes by providing notes on the precision and accuracy of results obtained in silicate rock.

  • Computational Methods in Subsurface Flow

    • 3rd Edition
    • Peter S. Huyakorn
    • English
    Computational Methods in Subsurface Flow explores the application of all of the commonly encountered computational methods to subsurface problems. Among the problems considered in this book are groundwater flow and contaminant transport; moisture movement in variably saturated soils; land subsidence and similar flow and deformation processes in soil and rock mechanics; and oil and geothermal reservoir engineering. This book is organized into 10 chapters and begins with an introduction to partial differential and various solution approaches used in subsurface flow. The discussion then shifts to the fundamental theory of the finite element method, with emphasis on the Galerkin finite element method and how it can be used to solve a wide range of subsurface problems. The subjects treated range from simple problems of saturated groundwater flow to more complex ones of moisture movement and multiphase flow in petroleum reservoirs. The chapters that follow focus on fluid flow and mechanical deformation of conventional and fractured porous media; point and subdomain collocation techniques and the boundary element technique; and the applications of finite difference techniques to single- and multiphase flow and solute transport. The final chapter is devoted to other alternative numerical methods that are based on combinations of the standard finite difference approach and classical mathematics. This book is intended for senior undergraduate and graduate students in geoscience and engineering, as well as for professional groundwater hydrologists, engineers, and research scientists who want to solve or model subsurface problems using numerical techniques.

  • W-Sn Skarn Deposits

    and Related Metamorphic Skarns and Granitoids
    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 24
    • T.A.P. Kwak
    • English
    Intended as a reference for the academically-oriente... geologist as well as the practising economic geologist, this book is concerned with the study of skarn deposits having anomalously high tin or tungsten contents, or both. Unlike many other books on economic geology, both economic W-Sn skarns and non-economic examples are covered, in order to enable the academically-oriente... reader to grasp the full range of such deposits, and also to aid the economic geologist in distinguishing between W-Sn skarns having economic potential and those which do not.W-Sn skarns are notoriously complex, containing a wide range of textures, grain sizes, mineral assemblages, bulk compositions and structures. The lack of a sufficiently detailed data base, coupled with some unsupportable genetic models, has led to many misunderstandings and has often resulted in needless expenditure and effort on fruitless mineral exploration. Thus, the first aim of this book is simply to provide an adequate data base with sufficient references to enable an interested worker to define a skarn deposit and know where to find additional information on similar examples. To aid this, as much data as possible is presented as tables and diagrams.The second aim of the book is to show the reader how to separate skarn rocks found in W-Sn-bearing environments into those produced by metamorphic, isochemical processes (metamorphic skarns) which are uneconomic, and those produced by the introduction and exchange of components from an ore solution (ore skarn). W-Sn skarns are also separated into genetically logical subdivisions so that, if a deposit or a specific geological environment can be identified, then skarn zonation or the potential of finding specific skarn types can be predicted. This is particularly important to the practising exploration geologist because often only a small part of a skarn or only certain skarn types contain economic mineralization.In addition, the book provides an insight into how to assess where mineralogical complications may occur, especially with respect to Sn-skarns, and in which environments such complications may be expected. It also provides enough information for the reader to be able to conceptualize suitable models for W-Sn skarns based on primary data.

  • Semimetals

    1. Graphite and its Compounds
    • 1st Edition
    • N.B. Brandt + 2 more
    • English
    ``Semimetals'' presents, for the first time in the literature, a consistent and unifying treatment of semimetals (As, Bi, Sb, Bi-Sb alloys, graphite and its compounds). It describes their structural features and their electric, magnetic, galvanomagnetic, thermoelectric, optical, magneto-optical, acoustic, thermal, and mechanical properties on the basis of modern concepts of the electron and phonon energy spectra.The book discusses in detail the character of the changes in the energy spectrum and properties of semimetals due to temperature variations, application of a magnetic field, pressure, anisotropic strain, doping by donor, acceptor and neutral impurities, which indicate how the above properties may be altered and how materials with preassigned parameters can be produced. Furthermore, it discusses specific phenomena associated with low dimensionality and the very low carrier density, such as quantum oscillations and magnetoplasma behaviour.

  • Soil Water Repellency

    Occurrence, Consequences, and Amelioration
    • 1st Edition
    • C.J. Ritsema + 1 more
    • English
    It has become clear that soil water repellency is much more wide-spread than formerly thought. Water repellency has been reported in most continents of the world for varying land uses and climatic conditions. Soil water repellency often leads to severe runoff and erosion, rapid leaching of surface-applied agrichemicals, and losses of water and nutrient availability for crops. At present, no optimum management strategies exist for water repellent soils, focusing on minimizing environmental risks while maintaining crop production. The book starts with a historical overview of water repellency research, followed by seven thematic sections covering 26 research chapters. The first section discusses the origin, the second the assessment, and the third the occurrence and hydrological implications of soil water repellency. The fourth section is devoted to the effect of fire on water repellency, section five deals with the physics and modeling of flow and transport in water repellent soils, section six presents amelioration techniques and farming strategies to combat soil water repellency, and section seven concludes the book with an extensive bibliography on soil water repellency.

  • Comminution 1994

    • 1st Edition
    • K.S.E. Forssberg + 1 more
    • English
    This publication is the result of the 8th European Conference on Comminution. Containing many significant contributions concerning the topic of Comminution, the book gives the reader a vital insight into the subject.

  • Atomic Absorption Spectrometry In Geology

    • 2nd Edition
    • Volume 7
    • Ernest Angino
    • English
    Atomic Absorption Spectrometry in Geology, Second Edition, aims to introduce geologists to the basic simplicity and applicability of atomic absorption spectrometry as it relates to geologic problems; to provide a summary of applications of atomic absorption to geology that are at scattered throughout the literature; and to encourage the accelerated application of atomic absorption spectrometry to geological problems. The book is organized into two parts. The first part, ""Theory and instrumentation,"" explains the theory of atomic absorption spectrophotometry; the operation of the atomic absorption spectrophotometer; and the types of interferences in atomic absorption spectrometry. The second part, ""Methods and applications,"" deals with applications of the atomic absorption method, including detection of the metal content of natural waters; metallic content of ores; and the analysis of trace elements in rocks and minerals. Also discussed are applications of the atomic absorption method in marine geochemistry and for isotopic abundance studies. The book includes some Appendices to the First Edition.

  • Ground Freezing

    • 1st Edition
    • Hans L. Jessberger
    • English
    Developments in Geotechnical Engineering Volume 26: Ground Freezing presents the proceedings of the First International Symposium on Ground Freezing, held in Bochum, Germany on March 8-10, 1978. It summarizes progress in the application of the ground freezing technique in geotechnical engineering, with a focus on engineering with frozen soils and related frost research problems. It includes papers that discuss phase transformation of water, thermodynamics, heat and mass transfer, and mathematical models. The laboratory and theoretical studies of thermophysical and mechanical properties are discussed as well. Organized into 43 chapters, this volume begins with an overview of the freezing and thawing of soils, earth, and rock, and the engineering applications of the favorable properties of frozen ground. It then discusses the mechanical properties of artificially frozen soil for construction purposes, the principles of mechanical and thermal behavior of frozen soil, and the design and calculation of frozen soil-structures. Furthermore, it explains the calculation and dimensioning of refrigeration plants and monitoring of frost penetration. The methods and instrumentation for determining the locations of boundaries of frozen soils and the factors affecting the formation of soil cryogenic textures upon artificial active and passive soil freezing are described. The book also details the influence of salts in the pore water in freezing soils and explains how clay microstructure affects the amount of unfrozen water. In addition, it presents the physicomechanical and thermomechanical properties of frozen coarse-grained soil with sandy clay aggregate. This book will be a valuable source of information for scientists and engineers.

  • Analytical Geochemistry

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 5
    • L Brealey
    • English
    Analytical Geochemistry is the fifth book in the Methods in Geochemistry and Geophysics series. This book serves as an introductory manual, presenting techniques that are frequently required in the analysis of rocks and minerals. After a broad introduction to geochemistry, the book explores qualitative and quantitative chemical analysis. It then focuses on the chemical analysis of the minor elements, such as antimony, arsenic, barium, beryllium, bismuth, boron, bromine, cadmium, carbon, cerium, chlorine, chromium, cobalt, columbium and tantalum, copper, fluorine, gallium, germanium, gold, hydrogen, indium, iodine, iridium, lead, lithium, manganese, mercury, molybdenum, nickel, nitrogen, osmium, oxygen, palladium, platinum, rhenium, rhodium, rubidium and cesium, ruthenium, scandium, selenium and tellurium, silver, strontium, sulfur, thallium, thorium, tin, titanium, tungsten, uranium, vanadium, zinc, and zirconium and hafnium. The remaining chapters of the book illustrate different laboratory instruments, including emission spectrography, flame photometry, X-ray diffraction, fluorimetry, and chromatography. This book serves as a guide for geologists especially those who did not study chemistry as undergraduates.

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