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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.

  • Rock Dynamics and Geophysical Exploration

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 8
    • L.N. Persen
    • English
    Rock Dynamics and Geophysical Exploration: Introduction to Stress Waves in Rocks deals with a theoretical tool for predicting stress waves in rocks. The book considers both elastic and Kelvin type materials, and also explains some experiments of stress waves in rocks. The book reviews concepts in the analysis of stresses and deformations, the fundamental equations used to examine the propagation of stress waves in certain types of solids, and the characteristics features of plane waves in elastic mediums. The text explains wave propagation in rocks due to a detonating charge (resulting in stress waves with a spherical symmetry), the response of a cylinder to an outside excitation (resulting in a cylindrical wave), or a harmonically oscillating stress from an outside excitation (resulting in a harmonic input pulse). The text explains Kelvin materials as a generalization of the behavior of the material where a damping effect is incorporated with the elastic medium being studied. The book also compares experimental results of the application of stress waves in rocks with theory, and explains the sensitivity criteria for tunnels. The text cites as an example, the significance of the interaction between tunnels and shock waves before any tunnel expansion can be made by engineers. The book will prove valuable for geologists or for structural, civil, and mining engineers.
  • Global Physical Climatology

    • 2nd Edition
    • Dennis L. Hartmann
    • English
    Global Physical Climatology, Second Edition, provides an introduction to the science of climate and climate change that spans the atmosphere, ocean, and land surface, and the interactions among them. It begins with a basic introduction to the climate system, and then introduces the physics of the climate system, including the principles and processes that determine the structure and climate of the atmosphere, ocean, and land surface. More advanced topics apply the basic knowledge introduced to understanding natural variability of the climate in both the present and past, the sensitivity of climate to external forcing, explanations for the ice ages, and the science of human-induced climate change. The physical principles and computer models necessary for understanding past climate and predicting future climate are also discussed. This book is recommended for upper division undergraduates and graduates in meteorology, atmospheric science, oceanography, and other environmental fields. It is also suitable for students with a background of at least one year of college physics and calculus as well as researchers in academia, government (military, NOAA, NWS), and policymakers.
  • Physical Properties of Rocks

    Fundamentals and Principles of Petrophysics
    • 2nd Edition
    • Volume 65
    • Juergen H. Schön
    • English
    The interpretation of geophysical data in exploration geophysics, well logging, engineering, mining and environmental geophysics requires knowledge of the physical properties of rocks and their correlations. Physical properties are a "key" for combined interpretation techniques. The study of rock physics provides an interdisciplinary treatment of physical properties, whether related to geophysical, geotechnical, hydrological or geological methodology. Physical Properties of Rocks, 2nd Edition, describes the physical fundamentals of rock properties, based on typical experimental results and relevant theories and models. It provides readers with all relevant rock properties and their interrelationships in one concise volume. Furthermore, it guides the reader through experimental and theoretical knowledge in order to handle models and theories in practice. Throughout the book the author focuses on the problems of applied geophysics with respect to exploration and the expanding field of applications in engineering and mining geophysics, geotechnics, hydrology and environmental problems, and the properties under the conditions of the upper Earth crust.
  • Earth as an Evolving Planetary System

    • 3rd Edition
    • Kent C. Condie
    • English
    Earth as an Evolving Planetary System, Third Edition, examines the various subsystems that play a role in the evolution of the Earth, including subsystems in the crust, mantle, core, atmosphere, oceans, and life. This third edition includes 30% new material and, for the first time, includes full color images in both the print and electronic versions. Topics in the great events chapters are now included in the beginning of the book, with the addition of a new feature of breakout boxes for each event. The second half of the book now focuses on a better understanding of Earth's history by looking at the interactions of the subsystems over time. The Earth’s atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere, crustal and mantle evolution, the supercontinent cycle, great events in Earth history, and the Earth in comparison to other planets are also covered.
  • Fluvial-Tidal Sedimentology

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 68
    • English
    Fluvial-Tidal Sedimentology provides information on the ‘Tidal-Fluvial Transition', the transition zone between river and tidal environments, and includes contributions that address some of the most fundamental research questions, including how the morphology of the tidal-fluvial transition zone evolves over short (days) and long (decadal) time periods and for different tidal and fluvial regimes, the structure of the river flow as it varies in its magnitude over tidal currents and how this changes at the mixing interface between fresh and saline water and at the turbidity maximum, the role of suspended sediment in controlling bathymetric change and bar growth and the role of fine-grained sediment (muds and flocs), whether it is possible to differentiate between ‘fluvial’ and ‘tidally’ influenced bedforms as preserved in bars and within the adjacent floodplain and what are the diagnostic sedimentary facies of tidal-fluvial deposits and how are these different from ‘pure’ fluvial and tidal deposits, amongst other topics. The book presents the latest research on the processes and deposits of the tidal-fluvial transition, documenting recent major field programs that have quantified the flow, sediment transport, and bed morphology in tidal-fluvial zones. It uses description of contemporary environments and ancient outcrop analogues to characterize the facies change through the tidal-fluvial transition.
  • Air Pollution V1

    Air Pollutants, Their Transformation and Transport
    • 3rd Edition
    • Arthur C. Stern
    • English
  • The Metallogeny of Lode Gold Deposits

    A Syngenetic Perspective
    • 1st Edition
    • Ulrich Kretschmar + 1 more
    • English
    The Metallogeny of Lode Gold Deposits: A Syngenetic Perspective is a synthesis of lode gold vein forming processes, addressing the commonality in similar worldwide deposits. The book’s empirical model incorporates widely known and accepted principles of ore deposition and shows how it applies in the volcanic-sedimentary greenstone belt environment. Several chapters detail outcrop maps and photos of field occurrences and textures. The interpretations flow directly from the authors’ field work, and are coupled with analyses of underlying physical processes. Utilizing detailed geological mapping, field work, and chemical analyses as the basis of a syngenetic formation mode, the text arms readers with the tools necessary to accurately analyze and interpret new data on the subject. This includes information on decoding the significance of asymmetry in vein formation, as well as the role of lamprophyres in gold camps, how Archean geology requires integration into a lode vein formation model, and how to develop an understanding of the worldwide applicability of gold cycles to lode vein formation and exploration and how it can be applied to deposits of all ages.
  • Geotechnical Engineering Calculations and Rules of Thumb

    • 2nd Edition
    • Ruwan Abey Rajapakse
    • English
    Geotechnical Engineering Calculations and Rules of Thumb, Second Edition, offers geotechnical, civil and structural engineers a concise, easy-to-understand approach to selecting the right formula and solving even most difficult calculations in geotechnical engineering. A "quick look up guide", this book places formulas and calculations at the reader’s finger tips. In this book, theories are explained in a "nutshell" and then the calculation is presented and solved in an illustrated, step-by-step fashion.In its first part, the book covers the fundamentals of Geotechnical Engineering: Soil investigation, condition and theoretical concepts. In the second part it addresses Shallow Foundations, including bearing capacity, elastic settlement, foundation reinforcement, grillage design, footings, geogrids, tie and grade beams, and drainage. This session ends with a chapter on selecting foundation types. The next part covers Earth Retaining Structures and contains chapters on its basic concepts and types, gabion walls and reinforced earth walls. The following part covers Geotechnical Engineering Strategies providing coverage of softwares, instrumentation, excavations, raft design, rock mechanics, dip angle and strike, rock stabilization equipment, soil anchors, tunnel design, seismology, geosynthetics, and slurry cutoff walls. The final part is on Pile Foundations including content on design on sandy soils, clay soils, pin piles, negative skin friction, caissons and pile clusters.In this new and updated edition the author has incorporated new software calculation tools, current techniques for foundation design, liquefaction information, seismic studies, laboratory soil tests, geophysical techniques, new concepts for foundation design and Dam designs. All calculations have been updated to most current material characteristics available in the market.Practicing Geotechnical, Civil and Structural Engineers may find in this book an excellent companion to their day-to day work, benefiting from the clear and direct calculations, examples, and cases. Civil Engineering students may find particular interest in the concise theory presented in the beginning of each chapter.
  • A Comprehensive Database of Tests on Axially Loaded Piles Driven in Sand

    • 1st Edition
    • Zhongxuan Yang + 3 more
    • English
    A Comprehensive Database of Tests on Axially Loaded Driven Piles in Sands reviews the critical need to develop better load-test databases for piles driven in sands. The key quality parameters, population of current entries and reporting formats are described before offering preliminary results obtained from comparisons between axial capacities calculated by various predictive approaches and site measurements. This book also shows that the "simplified" and "offshore" ICP and UWA variants proposed by some practitioners are over-conservative and that their use could be discontinued. The new pile capacity and stiffness database offers a broad scope for evaluating potential prediction biases relating to a wide range of soil and pile parameters. Submission of further high quality tests for inclusion in regularly updated versions is encouraged.
  • Cretaceous Sea Level Rise

    Down Memory Lane and the Road Ahead
    • 1st Edition
    • Mu Ramkumar
    • English
    Cretaceous Sea Level Rise delves into the question of whether the observed short-term sea-level changes are regional (tectonic) or global (eustatic) and determines their possible relation to climate cycles; to assess the role of feedback mechanisms, i.e. thermal expansion/contractio... of seawater, subsidence due to loading by water, changing vegetation of the Earth System and to investigate the relation of sea-level highs and lows to ocean anoxia and oxidation events, represented by black shales and oceanic red beds, and to evaluate the evidence for ephemeral glacial episodes or other climate events. Though research has been, and is being, conducted in these fields since the introduction of sea level cycles and sequence development concepts in the 1970"s, the available information is scattered. Cretaceous Sea Level Rise presents the current understanding and future directions of the research on Cretaceous sea level cycles in a single source, forming a reference work for beginners, graduates and postgraduates who are interested in this subject.