Book Description

Take a jaunt through geologic time to learn about ancient plants and animals, and how the Earth's surface has changed over time. Like pages in a good history book, discover how stratigraphy and breaks in the rock record help unravel the past.Explore the idea of continental drift and evaluate the supporting evidence.Gain an understanding of how continental drift led to the discovery of the grand theory of plate tectonics.Gain insight into plate tectonic forces, hotspots, mantle plumes, folds, faults, the processes of mountain building, the power of volcanoes and earthquakes, and discover the most dynamic places on Earth - the plate tectonic boundaries. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Authoritative new treatise in seismology from Nat. Acad. Sci
A new 418-page authoritative treatise in seismology has been prepared by a select panel of 14 seismologists and one geologist under auspices of the National Academy of Sciences. The distinguished authors are: Jordan (chairman), Beroza, Cornell, Crouse, Deiterich, Frankel, Jackson, Johnston, Kanamori, Langer, McNutt, Rice, Romanowicz, Sieh, and Somerville.

The book is divided into 7 chapters with two appendices: (1) The Challenge of Earthquake Science; (2) Rise of Earthquake Science; (3) Facing the Earthquake Threat; (4) Observing the Active Earth -- current technologies and the role of the disciplines; (5) Earthquake Physics and Fault-System Science; (6) Research Opportnities and Requirements; and (7) Summary.

The title sounds rather trendy, but this book is not for the casual reader. It appears best suited for upper-division geology and seismology students and first-year graduate students in applied seismology, or general readers who want to catch-up with advanced concepts in applied seismology. "Living on an Active Earth" was over three years in preparation, and (like all National Academy publications) it has been heavily peer-reviewed for rigorous scientific content.

The book makes good use of colored maps, diagrams, and photos to convey applied seismology concepts. Each chapter contains an unusually large number of footnotes that carefully document each statement in the text. (example: Chapter 5 has 219 footnotes.)

"Living on an Active Earth" is available in both hardbound book format, and on CD-ROM. Because it is an authoritative treatise, it will greatly influence textbooks written for lower-division students. It will be particularly well suited to west coast states (California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Montana, Wyoming) in Seismic Zone 3 and 4 that have substantial earthquake hazards, plus mid-continent states that were affected by the great New Madrid Earthquakes of 1811-1812 (SE Missouri, W Tennessee, W Kentucky); and the M7.3 Charleston, SC, earthquake of 1886.

The book cites hyperlinks to useful websites for additional information. Both Seismic Hazard Zone maps and Alquist-Priolo Earthquake Fault Zone Maps of the California Geological Survey are show-cased as effective tools in earthquake hazard reduction.

"Living on an Active Earth -- perspectives on Earthquake Science" is highly recommended. It will be well-received by a wide spectrum of collegiate-level readers for its comprehensive evaluation of applied seismology, and its authoritative recommendations for future research topics in seismology.
Robert H. Sydnor, Senior Engineering Geologist
California Geological Survey
RSydnor@consrv.ca.gov
wwww.conservation.ca.gov/cgs ... Read more

Book Description

This book provides a catalog of earthquakes that have occurred in Egypt, Arabia, the Red Sea region, and the surrounding areas of Libya, Sudan, and Ethiopia from the earliest times (184 BC) to the present day. By careful and intensive study of historical sources and a review of the instrumental data of this century, the authors describe each earthquake as fully as possible and analyze each in a geographical and historical context. They further scrutinize the completeness of the earthquake catalog over time and examine the range of sources and the problems associated with such historical records. ... Read more

Book Description

Nothing can be more breathtaking than the spectacle of a volcano erupting. Space-age lunar and planetary missions offer us an unprecedented perspective on volcanism. Starting with the Earth, Volcanoes of the Solar System takes the reader on a guided tour of the terrestrial planets and moons and their volcanic features.We see lunar lava fields through the eyes of the Apollo astronauts, and take an imaginary hike up the Martian slopes of Olympus Mons--the tallest volcano in the solar system.Complemented by over 150 photographs, this comprehensive and lucid account of volcanoes describes the most recent data on the unique and varied volcanic features of Venus and updates our knowledge on the prodigiously active volcanoes of Io.A member of the Association of European Volcanologists, Charles Frankel has directed documentary films on geology, astronomy and space exploration and has authored a number of articles on the earth sciences. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A good introductory review of extraterrestrial volcanism
Mention the word "volcano", and most people think only of the Earth. However, as this fine book shows, such is hardly the case. Indeed, the phenomenon of volcanic activity is widespread in our own solar system.

The text is introductory in nature, and the book is unconfounded by spates of hypertechnical language. Anyone with an average scientific backgound will easily understand the great bulk of the matters discussed. Excellent photography, both from telescopes, as well as manned and robotic space vehicles, closely follows the text and contributes to its comprehension.

I believe the author occasionally leaves technical terms unexplained, however. Also, the photography is largely in black and white.

The book begins with chapters on Earth's own volcanism, and then proceeds to other planets and moon, including our moon, Venus, Mars, Io, and Triton. I found the chapters on Venus especially fascinating, given the wide variety of igneous features.

Any reader will come away with a well enhanced understanding of both our solar system and the part that vulcanism plays in its ongoing development. Recommended highly, especially for student of and devotees of planetary astronomy and volcanic processes.

An overview on volcanic forces in our solar system
This book offers an introduction into the dynamic forces forming the surface of the planets. It is easy to read and offers a lot of information. I would recommend it to everyone who is interested in planetary geology.

A study of the geology and geologic forces of volcanoes
This text discusses the geology of volcanoes throughout most of our solar system (it lacks a chapter on Mercury). In it the author begins with an examination of earth's volcanic landforms and then progresses to examine those on other planetary worlds. The level of writing is non-technical, and clearly for the beginner. However, on occasion I noted that the author did not define various terms which make parts of this text a bit more difficult for the novice to follow. Still, the text is quite readable and offers a good overview. This is especially true in the design of the book's chapters: there is an initial one on each of the major planets which is 'more introductory', which is then followed by a second chapter which is 'more advanced'. I will note that the photography is quite nice, and that the book covers some of the more exotic volcanoes (such as those on Io and Triton). This is a good text for those interested in an overview of one of the most facsinating landforms in our solar system ... Read more

Book Description

The awesome power of nature's fury gets dramatic treatment inthis clever and comprehensive look at why and how Earth erupts. The inside front cover shows a detailed cross section of an active volcano, giving young readers an inside view of how these fire-spewing giants work.

Bill Haduch is a noted science writer with a gift for the quirkiness that middle-graders love. From the story of a Mexican boy who actually witnesses the birth of a volcano to the "Volcano Hall of Flame," this book is packed with stories and stats, solid science, full-color photos, and even a few jokes. What a blast! ... Read more

Book Description

Kostrov and Das present a general theoretical model summarizing our current knowledge of fracture mechanics as applied to earthquakes and earthquake source processes. Part I explains continuum and fracture mechanics, providing the reader with some background and context. Part II continues with a discussion of the inverse problem of earthquake source theory and a description of the seismic moment tensor. Part III presents specific earthquake source models. Although data processing and acquisition techniques are discussed only in simplified form for illustrative purposes, the material in this book will aid in better orienting and developing these techniques. The aim of this book is to explore the phenomena underlying earthquake fracture and present a general theoretical model for earthquake source processes. The data processing and acquisition techniques described will aid in better orienting and developing these systems. ... Read more

Book Description

After every major earthquake, the Earth rings like a bell for several days. These free oscillations of the Earth and the related propagating body and surface waves are routinely detected at broad-band seismographic stations around the world. In this book, F. A. Dahlen and Jeroen Tromp present an advanced theoretical treatment of global seismology, describing the normal-mode, body-wave, and surface-wave methods employed in the determination of the Earth's three-dimensional internal structure and the source mechanisms of earthquakes. The authors provide a survey of both the history of global seismological research and the major theoretical and observational advances made in the past decade.

The book is divided into three parts. In the first, "Foundations," Dahlen and Tromp give an extensive introduction to continuum mechanics and discuss the representation of seismic sources and the free oscillations of a completely general Earth model. The resulting theory should provide the basis for future scientific discussions of the elastic-gravitational deformation of the Earth. The second part, "The Spherical Earth," is devoted to the free oscillations of a spherically symmetric Earth. In the third part, "The Aspherical Earth," the authors discuss methods of dealing with the Earth's three-dimensional heterogeneity. The book is concerned primarily with the forward problem of global seismology--detailing how synthetic seismograms and spectra may be calculated and interpreted.

As a long-needed unification of theories in global seismology, the book will be important to graduate students and to professional seismologists, geodynamicists, and geomagnetists, as well as to astronomers who study the free oscillations of the Sun and other stars. ... Read more

Book Description

Digital signal processing has become an integral part of observational seismology. Seismic waveforms and the parameters commonly extracted from them are strongly influenced by the effects of numerous filters, both within the earth and within the recording system. With the advent of numerous software tools for the processing of digital seismograms, seismologists have unprecedented power in extracting information from seismic records. These tools are often based on sophisticated theoretical aspects of digital signal processing which, to be used properly, need to be understood. This book is aimed at observational seismologists and students in geophysics trying to obtain a basic understanding of those aspects of digital signal processing that are relevant to the interpretation of seismograms. It covers the basic theory of linear systems, the design and analysis of simple digital filters, the effect of sampling and A/D conversion, the calculation of `true ground motion', and the effects of seismic recording systems on parameters extracted from digital seismograms. It contains numerous examples and exercises together with their solutions. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Of Poles and Zeros
This is an excellent introduction to modern seismic measurement systems. Basically all what you need to know is covered here. Starting from functioning of seismometer, analog-to-digital techniques and digital filtering. All from the point of view of seismological interests, i.e. everything is all the time nicely linked with seismological practices which other "signal and systems" books obviously lack. Also the CD included is very educative when learning what poles and zeros actually mean.

Pictures could be a bit better from time to time. It seems that straight window-captures have been used when some further image processing would have been required.

Nevertheless, this is a must for any seismologist dealing with measuring systems. ... Read more

Book Description

Earthquake Hazard and Risk is a book summarizing selected papers presented at the 27th General Assembly of the International Association of Seismology and Physics of the Earth's Interior (Wellington, January 1994).The papers, rigorously scrutinized by an international board of referees, cover some recent aspects of current research in earthquake hazard and seismic risk. They address the algorithms and methodology used in seismological applications, the reliability of these techniques with the decreasing level of probability and uncertainty associated with various seismotectonic settings, the physical and statistical nature of earthquake occurrences, strong ground motions and effects of surface seismogeological conditions. A special effort has been made to include papers that illustrate the assessment of earthquake hazard and seismic risk through applications at sites in either inter-plate or intra-plate tectonic settings. Of particular interest is hazard assessment in regions of rare large earthquakes.The book is suitable for those interested in earthquake hazard and seismic risk research as well as a more general audience of seismologists, geophysicists and Earth scientists. It is also useful for authorities responsible for public safety and natural hazard mitigation plans and for insurance companies. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Minor errors introduced by editors
Although the book is said to have been printed from camera-ready copy that I supplied, the copy editor took it upon himself to alter the text without having the courtesy of consulting me. In so doing, the paragraphing of the opening chapter was altered from that of Fouque's original text, and several errors were introduced into my annotations. It is regrettable to see these defects in a book to which I devoted eight years of conscientious effort. Apart from this, I hope that the book does credit to Fouque and his long-neglected contributions to geology and archeology.

A classic work available at last
In 1866-1870, Georgios volcano on Santorini had a series of eruptions that attracted many visitors and scientists. Several eye-witness accounts of the spectacular events were written, but two of them were outstanding, one by Jules Verne and another by Ferdinand Fouque. While Verne described in his science fiction novel how Captain Nemo and his crew witnessed the spectacular eruptions in the middle of Santorini caldera, Fouque wrote a scientific book entitled "Santorini et ses eruptions". Both books became famous. While Verne's book turned out to be a best seller and was translated into many languages, Fouque's book was never such a success because only 800 copies were printed and the many illustrations made it expensive. As a result, many geologists and archeologists have cited the book, but only a few have read the text. Now after more than 120 years this classic has been translated into English. The translator, a leading scientist in volcanology himself, Alexander McBirney of the University of Oregon, has given us a readable text that preserves the style and spirit of the original. His annotations inform the reader about later work and things that have changed since 1879. He has also added a short biographical sketch of Fouque, a doctor of medicine who became interested in volcanoes and was a pioneer in many fields, including the analysis of volcanic minerals and gases. McBirney brings the reader an update on the geological development of Snatorini since the appearance of the original French text. The book comes with the modern geological map of Santorini by Pichler and Kussmaul. Altogether, the combination of Fouque's science, the translator's scholarship, and the publisher's craftsmanship make this one of the best books about volcanoes and the archeology of Santorini ever written. ... Read more