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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.

    • Storm and Cloud Dynamics

      • 1st Edition
      • Volume 44
      • William R. Cotton + 1 more
      • English
      This book focuses on the dynamics of clouds and of precipitating mesoscale meteorological systems. Clouds and precipitating mesoscale systems represent some of the most important and scientifically exciting weather systems in the world. These are the systems that produce torrential rains, severe winds including downburst and tornadoes, hail, thunder and lightning, and major snow storms. Forecasting such storms represents a major challenge since they are too small to be adequately resolved by conventional observing networks and numerical prediction models.
    • Atmospheric Ultraviolet Remote Sensing

      • 1st Edition
      • Volume 52
      • Robert E. Huffman
      • English
      This book is an introduction to the use of the ultraviolet for remote sensing of the Earth's atmosphere. It covers the Earth's UV radiative environment, experimental techniques, and current applications. it is my intention to provide the information needed to "make a first approximation" concerning the use of the ultraviolet and to provide access through the literature for a more thorough study.
    • Shallow Water Hydrodynamics

      Mathematical Theory and Numerical Solution for a Two-dimensional System of Shallow-water Equations
      • 1st Edition
      • Volume 55
      • W.Y. Tan
      • English
      Within this monograph a comprehensive and systematic knowledge on shallow-water hydrodynamics is presented. A two-dimensional system of shallow-water equations is analyzed, including the mathematical and mechanical backgrounds, the properties of the system and its solution. Also featured is a new mathematical simulation of shallow-water flows by compressible plane flows of a special virtual perfect gas, as well as practical algorithms such as FDM, FEM, and FVM. Some of these algorithms have been utilized in solving the system, while others have been utilized in various applied fields. An emphasis has been placed on several classes of high-performance difference schemes and boundary procedures which have found wide uses recently for solving the Euler equations of gas dynamics in aeronautical and aerospatial engineering. This book is constructed so that it may serve as a handbook for practicians. It will be of interest to scientists, designers, teachers, postgraduates and professionals in hydraulic, marine, and environmental engineering; especially those involved in the mathematical modelling of shallow-water bodies.
    • The International Silver Trade

      • 1st Edition
      • Thomas Mohide
      • English
      Thomas Mohide, one of the world's acknowledged silver authorities has produced a panoramic study of this remarkable commodity. It provides in-depth analysis of the outlook in all demand sectors, the future availability from mines and recovered from scrap, the changing structure of the industry and the anticipated supply and demand brackets. Coupled with a look at markets, price, consumption and applied technology the result is a book of global interest for anyone in the mining or financial professions.
    • Creep of Soils

      and Related Phenomena
      • 1st Edition
      • Volume 68
      • J. Feda
      • English
      In this volume, soil creep is analysed within the framework of other soil-rheological phenomena, such as stress relaxation and long-term resistance, to present an in-depth discussion of the effect of time on soil behaviour. As time is the only state parameter which cannot be entirely modelled in the laboratory, the presented extrapolation is based upon a combination of appropriate theoretical analysis, and the principles of the physical behaviour of soils affected by state parameters such as porosity, water content, stress, strain, time and temperature. Principal macro- and microrheological theories are analysed, and a comprehensive picture of the soil structure and of the effect of state parameters is presented, documented by the author's experiments and illustrated by many examples. The theory of hereditary creep was selected as the best theory serving the author's purpose to propose simple constitutive relations governing creep of soils. The proposed constitutive relations have been implemented into FEM programs and the effect of the time factor has been demonstrated by the solution of such boundary value problems as a dams and underground tunnels. This volume should be of interest to civil engineers, scientists, research and postgraduate students, and advanced undergraduates.
    • Diagenesis, III

      • 1st Edition
      • Volume 47
      • G.V. Chilingarian + 1 more
      • English
      The present volume is an intellectual agglomeration covering a variety of topics in diagenesis. It starts with the diagenesis of marine pore waters and soft-sediment deformations, followed by two chapters on sandstones - one on climatic influence in terrestrial sandstone diagenesis and the other on the deep-sea volcaniclastic sandstones. Diagenesis of carbonates is treated next, with one chapter on compactional diagenesis and another devoted to a case study (Aymestry Limestone Beds, UK). There are two chapters on the origin and migration of oil: (a) maturation of organic matter, and (b) relation of diagenesis to mineralization and hydrocarbon reservoir development, followed by a chapter on sedimentary ore genesis - banded iron-formation. In conclusion there are two chapters on paleosols. This book will be of interest to geologists, geochemists and petroleum engineers.
    • Fundamentals of Spatial Information Systems

      • 1st Edition
      • Robert Laurini + 1 more
      • English
      The study and application of spatial information systems have been developed primarily from the use of computers in the geosciences. These systems have the principle functions of capturing, storing, representing, manipulating, and displaying data in 2-D and 3-D worlds. This book approaches its subject from the perspectives of informatics and geography, presenting methods of conceptual modeling developed in computer science that provide valuable aids for resolving spatial problems. This book is an essential textbook for both students and practitioners. It is indispensable for academic geographers, computer scientists, and the GIS professional.
    • Reservoir Induced Earthquakes

      • 1st Edition
      • Volume 64
      • H.K. Gupta
      • English
      Since the publication of the first Dams and Earthquakes in 1976, the phenomenon of reservoir induced seismicity (RIS) is more widely understood. There are now over 70 known cases of reservoir-induced earthquakes. These damaging earthquakes have occurred in China, Kariba, Zambia, Greece, Kremasta, Koyna, India, California and elsewhere. The December 10, 1967 Koyna earthquake, with a magnitude of 6.3 claimed over 200 lives, injured 1500 and rendered thousands homeless. Because of the ever increasing demand for dam construction, for power generation, irrigation, and flood control, it is necessary to understand how, where and why induced earthquakes occur. Recent research has demonstrated that when suitable physical measurements of rock properties are made, a fairly accurate model of induced seismicity can be obtained. It appears possible to mitigate the hazard of RIS through manipulation of reservoir levels.The present volume is an updated and revised follow-up to the 1976 book. It presents an overview of the world-wide distribution of RIS, the salient aspects of RIS at specific reservior sites where earthquakes of M⟩5 have occurred and where new results on RIS are reported, and how they differ from the normal earthquake sequences. An examination of the non-occurrence of induced earthquakes in the vicinity of the Himalyan reservoirs and other related topics such as: the size of the largest induced earthquake that could occur at a given reservoir site; prediction of induced earthquakes; and dam site investigations which should be completed during the planning and operation of the reservoirs are also included.
    • Thermal Properties and Temperature-Related Behavior of Rock/Fluid Systems

      • 1st Edition
      • Volume 37
      • W.H. Somerton
      • English
      This book brings together for the first time the results of research on the thermal properties and temperature-related behavior of rocks with their contained fluids, under subsurface environmental conditions. These data are of increasing importance with increased application of underground processes involving high temperature and, in some cases, low temperature environments. Some of the important processes are described in which thermal data are needed. Chapters deal with thermal properties of rocks, including heat capacities, thermal conductivities and thermal diffusivities under conditions simulating subsurface environments. Discussion about the difficulty in measuring thermal properties of rock/fluid systems is included along with newly-developed models for predicting thermal properties from more-easily measured properties. The effects of thermal reactions in rocks, differential thermal expansion, and thermal alterations are discussed in separate chapters. The effects of temperature on rock properties, as distinct from the irreversible effects of heating, are reviewed. Lastly the book deals with wellbore applications of thermal and high-temperature behavior of rocks and methods of deducing thermal properties from geophysical logs run in boreholes. Appendices include thermal units conversion factors and thermal properties of some typical reservoir rocks and fluids.