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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.

    • Modern Global Seismology

      • 1st Edition
      • Volume 58
      • Thorne Lay + 1 more
      • English
      Intended as an introduction to the field, Modern Global Seismology is a complete, self-contained primer on seismology. It features extensive coverage of all related aspects, from observational data through prediction, emphasizing the fundamental theories and physics governing seismic waves--both natural and anthropogenic. Based on thoroughly class-tested material, the text provides a unique perspective on the earths large-scale internal structure and dynamic processes, particularly earthquake sources, and on the application of theory to the dynamic processes of the earths upper skin. Authored by two experts in the field of geophysics. this insightful text is designed for the first-year graduate course in seismology. Exploration seismologists will also find it an invaluable resource on topics such as elastic-wave propagation, seismicinstrumentati... and seismogram analysis useful in interpreting their high-resolution images of structure for oil and mineral resource exploration.
    • Rock Mechanics on a Geological Base

      • 1st Edition
      • Volume 77
      • R. Pusch
      • English
      Until a few years ago, hydropower, road tunneling and mining were the main fields interested in rock mechanics. Now, however, rock mechanics is becoming increasingly important in many more branches - the most significant globally being the disposal of hazardous, especially radiaoctive, waste in deeply located repositories. This has raised a number of new aspects on the mechanical behaviour of large rock masses hosting repositories and of smaller rock elements forming the nearfield of tunnels and boreholes with waste containers. The geological background and above all rock structure form the basis of this book. The structural scheme proposed is referred to explain the scale-dependent behaviour of rock. Thus, the reason for differences in strength and strain properties of different types and volumes of rocks is shown in a very clear fasion, using simple material models and very basic numerical models.The author's academic background in both geology and soil and rock mechanics and his long experience in practical design and construction work has led to an unusually pedagogic way of dealing with the subject. The book is intended for use by consultants in engineering geology and waste disposal and by students of these subjects. However, engineers and geologists with a limited background in stress/strain and fracture theory and computer-based calculation methods will also find the book attractive.
    • Subsidence due to Fluid Withdrawal

      • 1st Edition
      • Volume 41
      • E.C. Donaldson + 2 more
      • English
      Subsidence of geologic surface structures due to withdrawal of fluids from aquifers and petroleum reservoirs is a phenomenon experienced throughout the world as the demand for water and hydrocarbons increases with increasing population growth. This book addresses the definition and theories of subsidence, and the influences of unique conditions on subsidence; it includes discussions of specific field cases and a basic mathematical model of reservoir compaction and accompanying loss of porosity and permeability. The book is designed as a reference for readers giving immediate access to the geological events that establish conditions for compaction, the mathematical theories of compaction and subsidence, and practical considerations of field case histories in various regions of the world.
    • Statistical Methods in the Atmospheric Sciences

      An Introduction
      • 1st Edition
      • Volume 59
      • Daniel S. Wilks
      • English
      This book introduces and explains the statistical methods used to describe, analyze, test, and forecast atmospheric data. It will be useful to students, scientists, and other professionals who seek to make sense of the scientific literature in meteorology, climatology, or other geophysical disciplines, or to understand and communicate what their atmospheric data sets have to say. The book includes chapters on exploratory data analysis, probability distributions, hypothesis testing, statistical weather forecasting, forecast verification, time(series analysis, and multivariate data analysis. Worked examples, exercises, and illustrations facilitate understanding of the material; an extensive and up-to-date list of references allows the reader to pursue selected topics in greater depth.
    • Mechanics of Geomaterial Interfaces

      • 1st Edition
      • Volume 42
      • A.P.S. Selvadurai + 1 more
      • English
      The subject of geomaterial interfaces recognizes the important influences of the interface behaviour on the performance of interfaces involving cementaceous materials such as concrete and steel, ice-structure interfaces, concrete-rock interfaces and interfaces encountered in soil reinforcement. During the past two decades, the subject of geomaterial interfaces has attracted the concerted attention of scientists and engineers both in geomechanics and applied mechanics. These efforts have been largely due to the observation that the conventional idealizations of the behaviour of interfaces between materials by frictionless contact, bonded contact, Coulomb friction or finite friction tend to omit many interesting and important influences of special relevance to geomaterials. The significant manner in which non-linear effects, dilatancy, contact degradation, hardening and softening, etc., can influence the behaviour of the interface is borne out by experimental evidence. As a result, in many instances, the response of the interface can be the governing criterion in the performance of a geomechanics problem.The primary objective of this volume is to provide a documentation of recent advances in the area of geomaterial interfaces. The volume consists of subject groupings which cover ice-structure, soil-structure and steel-concrete interfaces, mechanics of rock and concrete joints and interfaces in discrete systems.
    • Tracers in the Oil Field

      • 1st Edition
      • Volume 43
      • B. Zemel
      • English
      This book is concerned with the application of tracers to a wide variety of oil field operations. It provides the necessary nuclear concepts and techniques which are basic to oil field tracer applications. Laboratory and field techniques are explained and illustrated as are the associated regulatory and safety aspects. Within the book, each area of oil field use is considered separately and specific applications of tracers discussed and relevant literature reviewed. The use of non-radioactive tracers is pointed out wherever it is applicable.Due to the nature of this competitive industry, much research is poorly documented, thus Tracers in the Oil Field aims to make the technology more available to current users in the oil field.
    • The International Lead Trade

      • 1st Edition
      • Vincent Rich
      • English
      The author has gathered information about all aspects of the industry and produced a concise review which covers everything from history and origins to future prospects. Written in six parts the book begins with a look at the scale and significance of the industry and goes on to illustrate the production process from mineralogy to production trends. Part three examines uses and consumption while part four looks at the industry organisation and structure including a study of trading patterns and arrangements. The fifth part surveys future prospects and the effect of pressing environmental concerns on market trends. The final part is an appendix of useful information and statistics.
    • Archean Crustal Evolution

      • 1st Edition
      • Volume 11
      • K.C. Condie
      • English
      The integration of Tectonics/Geochemist... up-to-date reviews by leading scientists as well as a broad topical coverage of the Archean, are some of the features of this particular volume. As geochronology has progressed in the last 20 years, the Archean has continued to attract interest. Advancements in the understanding of Archean crustal and mantle evolution have progressed rapidly since the first International Archean Symposium in Western Australia (1970). The landmark for the Archean was the NATO Advanced Study Institute at Leicester (1975). At this meeting the Archean truly "came of age". Investigators from many different disciplines focused their expertise on the early history of the earth. For the first time, the nature of the atmosphere, oceans, and life during the Archean was an important part of an Archean symposium. During the most recent Archean Symposium in Perth in 1990, there was a shift in interest from field and trace element data to the new rapidly evolving high-precision U/Pb geochronology of Archean rocks and to detailed structural studies of both low and high grade Archean terrains. The terrane concept so widely applied to the Phanerozoic was proposed for the Archean Yilgarn Province in Western Australia and is now widely accepted for the Archean (as evident by the articles in this book). Plate tectonics is now widely accepted as the principal process that controls the history of continents and oceans. There are, though, well substantiated differences between Archean and post-Archean rocks that indicate that Archean tectonic regimes must have differed in some respects from modern ones. The question of how and to what degree did Archean plate tectonics differ from modern plate tectonics is treated in many of the chapters of this book. Altogether, the editor has presented a selection of articles that provide a fascinating insight into the latest observations in this field.
    • Advances in Geophysics

      • 1st Edition
      • Volume 36
      • English
      From the Reviews of Previous Volumes"This series has provided workers in many fields with invaluable reference material and criticism."- SCIENCE PROGRESS"Should be on the bookshelf of every geophysicist."- PHYSICS TODAY"The entire series should be in the library of every group working in geophysics"- AMERICAN SCIENTIST
    • Asphaltenes and Asphalts, 1

      • 1st Edition
      • Volume 40A
      • G.V. Chilingarian + 1 more
      • English
      This is the first volume of a two-volume set of critical reviews of many aspects of both asphaltenes and asphalts and their interrelationship. Asphaltene is invariably present in asphalt or bitumen and other fossil fuel-derived liquids such as coal tar, coal liquefaction products, pyrolyzed shale oil from oil shales, source rock extracts and numerous naturally occurring bituminous substances. The latter include asphaltites, asphaltoids, waxes, and carbonaceous deposits containing a composition of petroleum and coal.The contents cover not only the basic science of asphaltene but also deal with the applications and technology such as upstreams (production, recovery) and down streams (refining, upgrading) of petroleum, and the paving technology and formulation preparation. The main features of the book are: it provides an up-to-date, in-depth review of every aspect of asphaltenes and asphalts; it spans five decades of research and technology of heavy fractions of petroleum; it presents a global view of asphaltene related to exploration production, refining and upgrading.The book will be welcomed as a valuable reference source for petroleum companies, research institutes, refineries, universities and also by individuals dealing with the production, origin, formation, engineering, conversion and catalysis of heavy oil, tar sands and other bitumens materials.