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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.

  • Extractive Metallurgy of Copper

    • 3rd Edition
    • A.K. Biswas + 1 more
    • English
    A completely revised and up-to-date edition containing comprehensive industrial data. The many significant changes which occurred during the 1980s and 1990s are chronicled. Modern high intensity smelting processes are presented in detail, specifically flash, Contop, Isasmelt, Noranda, Teniente and direct-to-blister smelting. Considerable attention is paid to the control of SO2 emissions and manufacture of H2SO4. Recent developments in electrorefining, particularly stainless steel cathode technology are examined. Leaching, solvent extraction and electrowinning are evaluated together with their impact upon optimizing mineral resource utilization. The volume targets the recycling of copper and copper alloy scrap as an increasingly important source of copper and copper alloys. Copper quality control is also discussed and the book incorporates an important section on extraction economics.Each chapter is followed by a summary of concepts previously described and offers suggested further reading and references.
  • Nitrogen in the Marine Environment

    • 1st Edition
    • Edward J. Carpenter + 1 more
    • English
    Nitrogen in the Marine Environment provides information pertinent to the many aspects of the nitrogen cycle. This book presents the advances in ocean productivity research, with emphasis on the role of microbes in nitrogen transformations with excursions to higher trophic levels. Organized into 24 chapters, this book begins with an overview of the abundance and distribution of the various forms of nitrogen in a number of estuaries. This text then provides a comparison of the nitrogen cycling of various ecosystems within the marine environment. Other chapters consider chemical distributions and methodology as an aid to those entering the field. This book discusses as well the enzymology of the initial steps of inorganic nitrogen assimilation. The final chapter deals with the philosophy and application of modeling as an investigative method in basic research on nitrogen dynamics in coastal and open-ocean marine environments. This book is a valuable resource for plant biochemists, microbiologists, aquatic ecologists, and bacteriologists.
  • Geomorphology and Natural Hazards

    Proceedings of the 25th Binghamton Symposium in Geomorphology, Held September 24-25, 1994 at SUNY, Binghamton, USA
    • 1st Edition
    • M. Morisawa
    • English
    The theme of this proceedings volume is the latest research on geomorphic characteristics and processes associated with natural hazards. Presentations cover a gamut of types of disasters throughout the world, describing research and applications of studies in the U.S. and other countries. The book begins with a collection of papers giving a basic background and philosophy of approaching an understanding of natural disasters. These are followed by papers on natural hazards in coastal areas, mountainous regions, landslides, flooding and the detrimental effects of permafrost.The book should prove valuable in gaining an insight of natural hazards and their geomorphic relations, which is imperative for prudent environmental planning in coping with disasters.
  • Soil Mechanics of Earthworks, Foundations and Highway Engineering

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 3
    • Bozzano G Luisa
    • English
    This is the third volume of a handbook which covers the whole field of soil mechanics, discussing deterministic and stochastic theories and methods, and showing how they can be used in conjunction with one another. The first volume discusses soil physics, while the second deals with the determination of physical characteristics of the soil. Australian Mining wrote of the Handbook ``a valuable addition to the extensive literature on the topic and will be found to be more useful than most.''The main objective of the third volume is to present solutions to the problems of engineering practice. It deals with the most important theoretical and practical problems of soil mechanics, discussing the following in detail: stability of earthworks, load-bearing capacity and settlement of shallow foundations, design of pile foundations, soil mechanics in road construction, improving the physical properties of soils, the characteristics of soil dynamics, foundations for machines and soil behaviour as affected by earthquakes. The book not only presents up-to-date deterministic methods, but also discusses solutions of probability theory in the fields of design and safety.The book is divided into six chapters covering the stability of slopes, landslides, load-bearing capacity and settlement of shallow foundations and pile foundations, soil mechanics in road construction, and the improvement of the physical characteristics of soil with special emphasis on machine foundations and earthquakes, giving detailed treatment of each subject. For example, the first chapter deals not only with the stability of slopes, but also discusses the natural and artificial effects, slope protection, filter design, stresses in embankments, and the time factor. In this way, the book gives a clear and comprehensive picture of the special fields of soil mechanics and its subjects. It is therefore emminently suitable for postgraduate engineers, and engineers working in the fields of geotechnics, earthworks, foundations, road construction, engineering geology and statistics, and the design of structures.
  • Structural and Tectonic Modelling and its Application to Petroleum Geology

    Proceedings of Norwegian Petroleum Society Workshop, 18-20 October 1989, Stavanger, Norway
    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 1
    • R.M. Larsen + 3 more
    • English
    This monograph presents a unique combination of structural and tectonic modelling with applied petroleum geological problems. Focussing on the Norwegian Continental Shelf and neighbouring areas, it includes discussion covering all scales - from development of sedimentary basins, to formation of fractures and joints on a microscale - and from exploration, to the exploitation of hydrocarbons. The book's coverage of structural and tectonic modelling, petroleum geology applications, and the treatment of the Norwegian Continental Shelf should make this book an invaluable resource book for advanced students of structural and tectonic modelling, teachers, and researchers; as well as for geologists and geophysicists in the petroleum industry.
  • Simulating Nearshore Environments

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 12
    • P.A. Martinez + 1 more
    • Daniel F Merriam
    • English
    Simulating Nearshore Environments provides computer procedures that realistically represent nearshore processes and supplement or replace trial and error methodology. The procedures simulate transport by waves and fluvial processes on beaches and deltas at various scales. They will aid coastal engineers, oceanographers and sedimentary geologists who focus on both modern and ancient nearshore deposits.How do you simulate nearshore processes using a computer? Can evolving deltaic and coastal environments be simulated realistically by mathematically representing the physical processes that create them? Once the physics and mathematical formulation are described, what are the techniques for transforming them into computer programs? The authors deal with all these aspects and take a "how to" approach in guiding the reader through the development of computer models for simulating sediment transport in coastal environments. In addition to describing the devised computer programs, the book provides a basis for those wishing to formulate their own mathematical models for simulating nearshore processes.
  • Analytical Methods in Geochemical Prospecting

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 1
    • W.K. Fletcher
    • G.J.S. Govett
    • English
    Handbook of Exploration Geochemistry, Volume I: Analytical Methods in Geochemical Prospecting focuses on the principles, methodologies, approaches, and techniques employed in geochemical prospecting. The book first underscores quality control in the laboratory, sample preparation, sample decomposition-soluti... techniques, and colorimetry and related techniques. Discussions focus on colorimetry, turbidimetric methods, strong decompositions, partial extractions, preparation of rock samples, random and systematic errors, and quality control program. The publication then takes a look at atomic absorption spectrophotometry, emission spectroscopy, and X-ray fluorescence. Concerns cover instrumentation, operation of the X-ray fluorescence spectrometer, flame emission spectroscopy, semi-quantitative DC-arc spectroscopy, and plasma sources. The text examines electrochemical methods, including determination of pH and specific ion electrodes. The publication is a dependable reference for researchers interested in the analytical methods in geochemical prospecting.
  • The Terrestrial Environment, B

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume B
    • P. Fritz
    • English
    Handbook of Environmental Isotope Geochemistry, Volume 2: The Terrestrial Environment, B focuses on the processes, methodologies, principles, and approaches involved in isotope geochemistry. The selection first elaborates on mathematical models for the interpretation of environmental radioisotopes in groundwater systems; isotopes in cloud physics; and environmental isotopes in lake studies. Discussions focus on water balance studies of lakes, isotopic fractionations during evaporation of water, study of hailstone growth mechanisms by means of isotopic analyses, isotopic effects during growth of individual elements, and models and their hydrological significance. The text then takes a look at environmental isotope and anthropogenic tracers of lake sedimentation; stable isotope geochemistry of travertines; and isotope geochemistry of carbonates in the weathering zone. Topics include isotopic composition of carbonates in the weathering zone; reprecipitation processes in the weathering zone; isotopic composition of carbon and oxygen sources in the weathering zone; and geochemical conditions controlling travertine deposition. The manuscript also reviews radioactive noble gases in the terrestrial environment, isotope effects of nitrogen in the soil and biosphere, and oxygen and hydrogen isotope geochemistry of deep basin brines. The selection is a vital source of data for researchers interested in isotope geochemistry.
  • Regional Oceanography

    An Introduction
    • 1st Edition
    • Matthias Tomczak + 1 more
    • English
    Covers the traditional range of topics in regional oceanography. An important aspect of work is its novel approach to a description of the features which give each ocean region its character. The two core principles are the use of the most modern database for all maps of regional distributions of properties and a discussion of all observed features within a frame of reference developed from ocean dynamics, rather than based on the simple geographical approach. The ocean's role in climate variability and climate change is described in detail. The book also includes an evaluation of all major international research projects such as FGGE, IIOE and TOGA. The SI system is used throughout. The use of modern data and inclusion of the oceanographic literature up to 1992 and early 1993 make it a useful reference text.
  • Visualization in Modern Cartography

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 2
    • A.M. MacEachren + 1 more
    • English
    Visualization in Modern Cartography explores links between the centuries-old discipline of cartography and today's revolutionary developments in scientific visualization. The book has three main goals: (1) to pass on design and symbolization expertise to the scientific visualization community - information that comes from centuries of pre-computer visualization by cartographers, and their more recent experiences with computerizing the discipline; (2) to help cartographers cope with the dramatic shift from print cartography to a dynamic virtual cartography for which their role is changing from that of map designer to one of spatial information display (and/or interface) designer; (3) to illustrate the expanded role for cartography in geographic, environmental, planning, and earth science applications that comes with the development of interactive geographic visualization tools. To achieve these goals, the book is divided into three parts. The first sets the historical, cognitive, and technological context for geographic/cartograp... visualization tool development. The second covers key technological, symbolization, and user interface issues. The third provides a detailed look at selected prototype geographic/cartograp... visualization tools and their applications.