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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.

  • Seismology and Structure of the Earth

    Treatise on Geophysics
    • 1st Edition
    • Barbara Romanowicz + 1 more
    • English
    Treatise on Geophysics: Seismology and Structure of the Earth, Volume 1, provides a comprehensive review of the state of knowledge on the Earths structure and earthquakes. It addresses various aspects of structural seismology and its applications to other fields of Earth sciences. The book is organized into four parts. The first part principally covers theoretical developments and seismic data analysis techniques from the end of the nineteenth century until the present, with the main emphasis on the development of instrumentation and its deployment. The second part reviews the status of knowledge on the structure of the Earths shallow layers, starting with a global review of the Earth's crustal structure. The third part focuses on the Earth's deep structure, divided into its main units: the upper mantle, the transition zone and upper-mantle discontinuities, the D region at the base of the mantle, and the Earth's core. The fourth part comprises two chapters which discuss constraints on Earth structure from fields other than seismology: mineral physics and geodynamics.
  • Treatise on Geophysics, Volume 6

    Crust and Lithosphere Dynamics
    • 1st Edition
    • Anthony B Watts
    • English
    Treatise on Geophysics: Crust and Lithosphere Dynamics, Volume 6, provides a comprehensive review of the state of knowledge on crust and lithosphere dynamics, which is defined as the study of how the outermost layers of the Earth respond to loads that are emplaced on, within, and below it and its implications for plate mechanics and mantle flow. The book begins with a chapter on plate kinematics, which shows how new observations and methodologies have improved the resolution of relative and absolute plate motions. This is followed by studies of plate mechanics, focusing on the long-term rheology of the plates and response of the plates to both relatively short-term and long-term loads. The book also includes chapters that examine the evidence from surface heat flow, borehole breakouts, and magma models for the thermal and mechanical structure of the lithosphere; the deformation of the lithosphere in extensional and compressional settings. The final two chapters deal with the structural styles of faulting in the shallow brittle part of the lithosphere, the brittle-ductile transition, and the shear zone in the ductile part of the lithosphere; and how developments in plate mechanics have impacted our understanding of geological processes.
  • Treatise on Geophysics, Volume 2

    Mineral Physics
    • 1st Edition
    • G David Price
    • English
    Treatise on Geophysics: Mineral Physics, Volume 2, provides a comprehensive review of the current state of understanding of mineral physics. Each chapter demonstrates the significant progress that has been made in the understanding of the physics and chemistry of minerals, and also highlights a number of issues which are still outstanding or that need further work to resolve current contradictions. The book first reviews the current status of our understanding of the nature of the deep Earth. These include the seismic properties of rocks and minerals; problems of the lower mantle and the core-mantle boundary; and the state of knowledge on mantle chemistry and the nature and evolution of the core. The discussions then turn to the theory underlying high-pressure, high-temperature physics, and the major experimental methods being developed to probe this parameter space. The remaining chapters explain the specific techniques for measuring elastic and acoustic properties, electronic and magnetic properties, and rheological properties; the nature and origin of anisotropy in the Earth; the properties of melt; and the magnetic and electrical properties of mantle phases.
  • Treatise on Geophysics, Volume 10

    Planets and Moons
    • 1st Edition
    • Tilman Spohn
    • English
    Planets and Moons covers topics relating to the physics of the major planetary bodies in the solar system, starting with an introductory description of the solar system and collection of pertinent data, continuing with a discussion of the early history of the planets, and finishing with articles about planet dynamics, thermal evolution of planets and satellites, and descriptions of their magnetic fields and the processes that generate them. In addition to providing a review on the solid planets and the satellites, this volume addresses the interactions of solid surfaces and atmospheres as well as the roles of water and ice in shaping the surfaces of planetary bodies.
  • Treatise on Geophysics, Volume 7

    Mantle Dynamics
    • 1st Edition
    • David Bercovici
    • English
    Treatise on Geophysics: Mantle Dynamics, Volume 7 aims to provide both a classical and state-of-the-art introduction to the methods and science of mantle dynamics, as well as survey leading order problems (both solved and unsolved) and current understanding of how the mantle works. It is organized around two themes: (1) how is mantle convection studied; and (2) what do we understand about mantle dynamics to date. The first four chapters are thus concerned with pedagogical reviews of the physics of mantle convection; laboratory studies of the fluid dynamics of convection relevant to the mantle; theoretical analysis of mantle dynamics; and numerical analysis and methods of mantle convection. The subsequent chapters concentrate on leading issues of mantle convection itself, which include the energy budget of the mantle; the upper mantle and lithosphere in and near the spreading center (mid-ocean ridge) environment; the dynamics of subducting slabs; hot spots, melting anomalies, and mantle plumes; and finally, geochemical mantle dynamics and mixing.
  • Treatise on Geophysics, Volume 3

    Geodesy
    • 1st Edition
    • Tom Herring
    • English
    Geodesy, which is the science of measuring the size and shape of the Earth, explores the theory, instrumentation and results from modern geodetic systems. The beginning sections of the volume cover the theory of the Earth's gravity field, the instrumentation for measuring the field, and its temporal variations. The measurements and results obtained from variations in the rotation of the Earth are covered in the sections on short and long period rotation hanges. Space based geodetic methods, including the global positioning system (GPS) and Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (SAR), are also examined in detail.
  • 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.
  • Well Testing Project Management

    Onshore and Offshore Operations
    • 1st Edition
    • Paul J. Nardone
    • English
    Well test planning is one of the most important phrases in the life cycle of a well, if done improperly it could cost millions. Now there is a reference to ensure you get it right the first time. Written by a Consultant Completions & Well Test Engineer with decades of experience, Well Test Planning and Operations provides a road map to guide the reader through the maze of governmental regulations, industry codes, local standards and practices. This book describes how to plan a fit-for-purpose and fault free well test, and to produce the documents required for regulatory compliance. Given the level of activity in the oil and gas industry and the shortage of experienced personnel, this book will appeal to many specialists sitting in drilling, completion or exploration departments around the world who find themselves in the business of planning a well test, and yet who may lack expertise in that specialty. Nardone provides a roadmap to guide the planner through this complex subject, showing how to write the necessary documentation and to coordinate the many different tasks and activities, which constitute well test planning. Taking the reader from the basis for design through the well Test program to well test reports and finally to the all-important learning to ensure continuous improvement.
  • Calcareous algae

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 4
    • English
  • Climate Change

    Observed impacts on Planet Earth
    • 1st Edition
    • Trevor Letcher
    • English
    The climate of the Earth is always changing. As the debate over the implications of changes in the Earth's climate has grown, the term climate change has come to refer primarily to changes we've seen over recent years and those which are predicted to be coming, mainly as a result of human behavior. This book serves as a broad, accessible guide to the science behind this often political and heated debate by providing scientific detail and evidence in language that is clear to both the non-specialist and the serious student.