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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.

  • Recent Crustal Movements, 1979

    Proceedings of the IUGG Interdisciplinary Symposium No. 9, Recent Crustal Movements, Canberra, A.C.T., Australia, December 13—14, 1979
    • 1st Edition
    • P. Vyskočil + 2 more
    • English
    Developments in Geotectonics, 16: Recent Crustal Movements, 1979 covers the proceedings of the IUGG Interdisciplinary Symposium No. 9, ""Recent Crustal Movements"", held in Canberra, A.C.T., Australia on December 13-14, 1979. The book focuses on instruments and methods for the determination of crustal movements; methods of evaluating crustal movements; and interpretation of the crustal structure and crustal movements with the assistance of other geophysical data. The selection first offers information on the design and error characteristics of a fundamental global geodetic network; state and prospects of development of high-precision geodetic methods for studying crustal movements; and interferometric techniques for measuring horizontal earth crustal movements. The text then takes a look at the vertical crustal movements of the Carpatho-Balkan region and height changes and vertical crustal movements in Western German areas. Discussions focus on vertical movements map, instrumental improvements for the observation of vertical crustal movements, and map of height changes and vertical crustal movements. The text ponders on the episodic block motion and convergence along the Calaveras fault in central California and complete determination of local crustal deformation from geodetic observations. The selection is a valuable source of data for geologists and readers interested in crustal movements.
  • Water at the Surface of the Earth

    An Introduction to Ecosystem Hydrodynamics
    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 21
    • David H. Miller
    • J. Van Mieghem
    • English
    For advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate students in atmospheric, oceanic, and climate science, Atmosphere, Ocean and Climate Dynamics is an introductory textbook on the circulations of the atmosphere and ocean and their interaction, with an emphasis on global scales. It will give students a good grasp of what the atmosphere and oceans look like on the large-scale and why they look that way. The role of the oceans in climate and paleoclimate is also discussed. The combination of observations, theory and accompanying illustrative laboratory experiments sets this text apart by making it accessible to students with no prior training in meteorology or oceanography.
  • Plate Tectonics

    • 1st Edition
    • Xavier Le Pichon + 2 more
    • English
    Developments in Geotectonics, 6: Plate Tectonics focuses on the exposition of the plate-tectonics hypothesis, as well as plate boundaries, stratification, and kinematics. The book first offers information on the rheological stratification of the mantle and kinematics of relative movements. Topics include lithosphere, asthenosphere, kinematics of finite motions, measurements of instantaneous movements, and worldwide kinematic pattern. The text then ponders on movements relative to a frame external to the plates and processes at accreting plate boundaries. Discussions focus on reference frames, paleomagnetic synthesis, creation of oceanic crust, and continental rifts. The publication elaborates on processes at consuming plate boundaries, including sinking plate model, structure of trenches and associated island arcs and cordilleras, and consumption of continent-bearing lithosphere. The text is a valuable source of data for readers interested in plate tectonics.
  • 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.
  • The Expanding Earth

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 10
    • S.W. Carey
    • English
    Developments in Geotectonics, 10: The Expanding Earth focuses on the principles, methodologies, transformations, and approaches involved in the expanding earth concept. The book first elaborates on the development of the expanding earth concept, necessity for expansion, and the subduction myth. Discussions focus on higher velocity under Benioff zone, seismic attenuation, blue schists and paired metamorphic belts, dispersion of polygons, arctic paradox, and kinematic contrast. The manuscript then ponders on the scale of tectonic phenomena, non-uniformitarianis... tectonic profiles, and paleomagnetism. Concerns cover global paleomagnetism, general summary of the tectonic profile, implosions, fluid pressures, pure shear, crustal extension, simple shear with horizontal axis, geological examples of scale fields, and length-time fields of deformation. The publication explores the cause of expansion, modes of crustal extension, and rotation and asymmetry of the earth, including dynamic asymmetry, precessions, nutations, librations, and wobbles at fixed obliquity, variation of rate of rotation, and categories of submarine ridges. The text is a dependable source of data for researchers wanting to study the concept of expanding earth.
  • Kimberlites I : Kimberlites and Related Rocks

    Proceedings of the “Third International Kimberlite Conference", Volume-I
    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 11A
    • J Kornprobst
    • English
    Developments in Petrology 11A, Volume A: Kimberlites I: Kimberlites and Related Rocks covers the proceedings of the Third International Kimberlite Conference, held in Clermont Ferrand, France in September 1982. Separating 75 papers into three parts and 28 chapters, this volume focuses on Western Australian lamproites and kimberlites. Significant chapters are also devoted to Alpine type ultramafic bodies. The occurrence, detection, geology, petrology, and synthesis of these precious rocks are discussed. Other general topics covered include diatremes, diamonds, and mantle sample.
  • Multilingual Thesaurus of Geosciences

    • 1st Edition
    • G. N. Rassam
    • English
    This thesaurus is presented in six languages, English, French, German, Italian, Russian and Spanish, and sponsored by the International Council for Scientific and Technical Information (ICSTI) and the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS). There is a main list of approximately 5000 key terms together with indexes and translations which include a specific linguistic index and a field index in which key terms have been classified by field.
  • Advances in Hydroscience

    Volume 7
    • 1st Edition
    • Ven Te Chow
    • English
    Advances in Hydroscience, Volume 7 covers topics on the progress in the field of hydroscience. The book presents articles on the theoretical characteristics of water gravity waves generated by explosions; the dynamics of glaciers, including progress in field techniques and ice rheology; and the dispersion in porous media. The text also includes articles on seepage through dams, as well as the concept of hydrobionics and the examples of biological flows which can lead to useful engineering applications. Oceanic engineers, coastal engineers, hydrologists, hydraulicians, hydraulic engineers, and bioengineers will find the book invaluable.
  • Storage in Excavated Rock Caverns: Rockstore 77

    Proceedings of the First International Symposium, Stockholm, 5–8 September 1977
    • 1st Edition
    • Magnus Bergman
    • English
  • Thematic Mapping from Satellite Imagery

    An International Report
    • 1st Edition
    • J. Denègre
    • English
    This report, produced between 1984 and 1987 in a bilingual edition (English and French), provides a wealth of information on a wide variety of cartographic applications which are being developed to make effective use of new data that is now being collected by Earth observation satellites. At a time when natural resource development and environmental problems have to be taken into account in their entirety, satellites provide an exceptional means of evaluating, synthesizing and creating geographic information. The production of new images, such as the Landsat Thematic Mapper, the SPOT High Resolution Visible Sensor and the adoption meteorological images such as AVHRR sensors on NOAA satellites, which have been extended to thematic domains such as agriculture and glaciology, have led to many new developments as well as problems for the cartographer. These problems are numerous and varied and recur frequently depending on the images and themes being processed e.g. how to select the graphic specification of maps and legends and account for classification accuracy; how to introduce the minimum of topographical data into an image in order to supply users with an adequate geographic reference; when using a physical terrain image, on which, by definition there are no `blanks' and where no details have been eliminated, how to overcome conceptual difficulties e.g. the side by side placing of different semiological information; the interpretation levels left to reader; achieving a balance between objectivity and readability. Obviously the cartographers role is of prime importance in solving these problems. In order to illustrate the way in which this information is presented, the report provides samples from 33 thematic applications taken from 13 different categories, including agriculture, town planning and water resources. Each application is provided with a descriptive note both in English and French indicating the objective, method and results obtained. This volume provides an important record of current developments in thematic mapping from satellite imagery and should be essential reference for all cartographers.