The oceans are vitally important to an understanding of how the Earth works as an integrated system because its chemical composition records transfer of elements through the Earth's geochemical reservoirs as well as defining how physical, biological and chemical processes combine to influence issues as diverse as climate change and the capacity of the oceans to remove toxic metals. Much modern marine geochemistry aims to link and integrate studies of the modern oceans with work using proxies to define how ocean chemistry and the ocean/atmospheric system has changed through time on a number of different timescales. Special focus in such work is the carbon cycle and its link to changes in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Volume 6 covers all the important topics needed for such an integrated approach, ranging from the contemporary ocean composition, transport processes in the ocean, paleoclimatology and paleo-oceanography from marine deposits, to the evolution of seawater composition.

The Late Devonian and Permian-Triassic intervals are among the most dynamic episodes of Earth history, marked by large secular changes in continental ecosystems, dramatic fluctuations in ocean oxygenation, major phases of biotic turnover, volcanism, bolide impact events, and rapid fluctuations in stable isotope systems and sea level. This volume highlights contributions from a broad range of geological sub-disciplines currently striving to understand these critical intervals of geologically rapid, global-scale changes.
* Provides updated, current models for the mid-Late Devonian and Permian-Triassic mass extinction episodes
* Highlights several new analytical approaches for developing quantitative
datasets
* Takes an integrated approach presenting datasets from a broad range of sub-disciplines

The Neoproterozoic-Cambrian transition was a time of fundamental change in the biosphere. Between about 570 and 510 million years ago, marine organisms underwent considerable evolutionary innovation during a time of shifting ecological setting. This dramatic activity culminated in the first stratigraphic appearances of many recognizable groups of animals, an "event" often referred to as the "Cambrian explosion." In addition, there was a major change from a microbial mat-dominated sediment-water interface to a more extensively burrowed interface in shallow-marine settings. The early fossil record is a function not only of the rise or ecological diversification of marine organisms, but also the development of taphonomic and sedimentary conditions suitable for the preservation of mineralizing and nonmineralizing organisms.

This book is devoted to an exploration of some of the emerging concepts and techniques used to develop greater insight into the early record of biologic diversification and the preservational record of that diversification during the Neoproterozoic-Cambrian transition.
* Addresses key issues related to the Cambrian diversification of multicellular animals
* Provocative new ideas about the factors involved in the exceptional preservation of fossils, with a balance between the development of ideas and hypothesis testing
* Broad coverage of topics related to the Cambrian diversification of animals and the fossil record of that diversification; broad geographic coverage

The evolution of geological cartography in Cuba in its more than 135 years of history has been possible through the consultation of numerous archival reports, publications, maps and personal interviews with different authors and geologists of vast experience. A brief critical analysis is made of the increase in the degree of geological knowledge of the country since the elaboration of the Geological Sketch of the Cuban Island at a scale of 1: 2 000 000 (Fernandez de Castro, 1883), first of Cuba and of Ibero-America, until the most recent Digital Geological Map of Cuba at scale 1: 100 000 (Perez Aragon, 2016). Cuba and its surroundings are a geological mosaic in the southeast corner of the North American plate with rocks from many different origins, from Proterozoic to Quaternary, extended along the southern border of the plate. From the Eocene, this belt has been dissected by several great faults, related to the development of some great oceanic depressions (Cayman trough and Yucatan basin). The fossil record of Cuba, which covers approximately the last 200 million years of life on Earth, is rich in very varied fossils, witnessing a wide diversity of organisms, both animals and plants, that inhabited the Antillean and Caribbean region; and that constitute the inheritance of the biological diversity that the current Cuban archipelago exhibits. As a result of the preparation of the Cuban Metallogenic Map at scale 1: 250 000, forty-one models and eight sub-models of metallic mineral deposits were identified. These models, of descriptive-genetic type, together with the analysis of their spatial distribution and their relationship with geology, allowed the identification and mapping of ten mineral systems, linked to the geodynamic environments present in the Cuban territory. Cuba has large deposits of limestone, loam, dolomite, kaolin, gypsum and anhydrite, rock salt, marbles, sands and clays of different types, zeolites, peat, therapeutic peloids and many more. There are manifestations of decorative and precious rocks such as jasper, jadeite, different varieties of quartz and even xylopals. A compilation of geochemical data of oceanic basalt samples from previous works, together with data of analyzed samples during this study in order to discuss geochemical criteria based on immobile element (proxies for fractionation indices, alkalinity, mantle flow and subduction addition), provide a comprehensive ophiolite classification according to their tectonic setting. This book addresses different facets of the geological knowledge of Cuba: history of its cartography, marine geology, fossil record, stratigraphy, tectonics, classification of its ophiolites, quaternary deposits, metallogeny and minerageny.

This book aims to map the Precambrian basement, to recognize the paleo-suture zones, and to determine the nature of ancient tectonic regime. It proposes the new concepts of the basement tectonic framework and major tectonic features.

Geochemical methods of prospecting for and evaluation of minerals are applied widely today at all stages of geological exploration. However, geochemical methods of prospecting for many classes of non-metallic minerals have not been elaborated. This book is a completely revised, updated and expanded edition of the publication by the same authors, which was published in 1987. The contains a collection the latest data on geochemical prospecting for non-metals, which is valuable in view of the anticipated increase of consumption and utilization of non-metallic minerals in the future. The information on various types of raw material is presented in the following sequence: 1) general data (genetic types, conditions of formation, geological prospecting indications); 2) indicator minerals and elements; 3) geochemical methods of prospecting along dispersion trains and haloes, plus hydrogeochemical and geobotanical methods; 4) primary endogenic haloes; 5) vertical geochemical zonality; 6) methods, stages and sequence of work.

In recognition of the fundamental control exerted by weathering on landscape evolution and topographic development, the 35th Binghamton Geomorphology Symposium was convened under the theme of Weathering and Landscape Evolution. The papers and posters presented at the conference imparted the state-of-the-art in weathering geomorphology, tackled the issue of scale linkage in geomorphic studies and offered a vehicle for interdisciplinary communication on research into weathering and landscape evolution. The papers included in this book are encapsulated here under the general themes of weathering mantles, weathering and relative dating, weathering and denudation, weathering processes and controls and the 'big picture'.
* Contains 15 papers on the techniques and methodologies of research
* Provides an up-to-date overview of various aspects of weathering and landscape evolution complemented by a number of excellent case studies
* Contains a wealth of basic field data and relevant information

Geobiology is an exciting and rapidly developing research discipline that opens new perspectives in understanding Earth as a system. To determine and to exploit its possibilities, this promising scientific field will benefit from a discussion of its definition as a research discipline, its objectives, and its methodological approaches. Such a spirited discussion is the goal of the book "Geobiology: Objectives, Concepts, Perspectives." Geobiology touches various subdisciplines of geology and biology in many ways. The book will serve biogeochemists, paleontologists, biomineralogists, microbiologists and many others as a forum to determine future directions of geobiological research.

The book includes a section on the concept of geobiological studies, which combines the parent disciplines biology and geology. Several case studies describe geobiological investigations that serve to understand Earth in the present and past. The case studies give an overview of the general understanding of geobiology and lead the reader towards the current hot topics in this rising scientific discipline.
* New definition of the rising scientific discipline "geobiology"
* Overview into the broad spectrum of geobiological topics
* Insight into hot topics of current geobiological research

Atmospheric Research in Antarctica: Present Status and Thrust Areas in Climate Change represents a panoramic view of the developments in the field of Antarctic atmospheric sciences and meteorology broadly covering geomagnetism and aeronomy, middle atmospheric studies and global and climate change studies. It includes greenhouse gases, ozone monitoring as well as very low frequency (VLF) phenomena, and space weather, Antarctic meteorology, and mathematical modeling of atmosphere and ocean processes around Antarctica. Atmospheric electricity and aerosols investigations over Antarctica along with the total solar eclipse-related studies, calibration of AWIFS Sensor, and measurements of positive ions, are also discussed. This book is aimed at researchers and graduate students in atmospheric studies, meteorology, Antarctic studies, climate change. FEATURES: Covers scientific aspects of Antarctic meteorology and atmospheric sciences under climate change scenario Contains diverse set of information with strong bearing on recent and past polar processes Presents integrated research on polar science coupled with meteorological, climatological and atmosphericsciences Thoroughly reviews geomagnetism and aeronomy, middle atmospheric studies including global and climate change studies Helps readers understand how Antarctica's climate has changed in the past and is being affected by 'global warming' and how might we expect its climate to change in the future?

This special volume stems from a symposium 'Granitic Systems - State of the Art and Future Avenues' that was held at the Department of Geology, University of Helsinki to mark the retirement of Professor Ilmari Haapala. The twenty articles in the volume cover a wide range of granite-related topics and focus on three general themes: tectonics and source regions, petrologic processes, and fractionated granites and pegmatites. Both original papers and reviews are included, and the volume will be acknowledged by anyone with a background in Earth Sciences ad a flavor for granitoid rocks.
* Comprehensive account of the current status of granite-oriented research
* Topics ranging from mineralogy, petrology, and geochemistry to tectonics and crustal evolution

This book is a collection of papers presented in the symposia, held in Beijing, on hydrogeology. The papers deal with different topics providing information on some problems on riverside groundwater, assessment of groundwater contamination, and groundwater protection strategy.

A geologist explains the complex relationship between earth's geologic cycles and climate change. This book, written by a geologist, describes the important contributions that geology has made to our understanding of climate change. What emerges is a much more complex and nuanced picture than is usually presented. While the average person often gets the impression that the Earth's climate would be essentially stable if it weren't for the deleterious effects of greenhouse gases, in fact the history of the earth over many millennia reveals a constantly changing climate. As the author explains, several long cold eras have been punctuated by shorter warm periods. The most recent of these warm spells, the one in which we are now living, started ten thousand years ago; based on previous patterns, we should be about due for the return of another frigid epoch. But how could we be on the cusp of another ice age when all indications point to a warming climate? Though much is uncertain, this book clearly shows that major climate shifts can be appallingly rapid--occurring over as little as twenty or thirty years. Dumping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere may increase the chance that this "climate switch" will be thrown, with catastrophic effects on worldwide agriculture. All the more reason to take the threat of climate change seriously. Now available in paperback with a new epilogue by the author, this accessible and engagingly written book is essential reading for anyone looking to understand one of our most important contemporary debates.

The subject of wavelet analysis and fractal analysis is fast developing and has drawn a great deal of attention in varied disciplines of science and engineering. Over the past couple of decades, wavelets, multiresolution, and multifractal analyses have been formalized into a thorough mathematical framework and have found a variety of applications with significant impact in several branches of earth system sciences. Wavelets and Fractals in Earth System Sciences highlights the role of advanced data processing techniques in present-day research in various fields of earth system sciences. The book consists of ten chapters, providing a well-balanced blend of information about the role of wavelets, fractals, and multifractal analyses with the latest examples of their application in various research fields. By combining basics with advanced material, this book introduces concepts as needed and serves as an excellent introductory material and also as an advanced reference text for students and researchers.

A beautiful memoir, travelogue and meditation on stone by artist and stone mason Beatrice Searle.

At the age of twenty-six, artist and Cathedral stonemason Beatrice Searle crossed the North Sea and walked 500 miles along a medieval pilgrim path through Southern Norway, taking with her a 40-kilogram Orcadian stone.

Fascinated with the mysterious footprint stones of Northern Europe and the ancient Greco-Roman world, stones closely associated with travellers, saints and the inauguration of Kings, she follows in their footsteps as her stone becomes a talisman, a bedrock and an offering to those she meets along the way.

Stone Will Answer is an unusual adventure story of journeys practical, spiritual and geological, of weight and motion, and an insight into a beguiling craft.

A comprehensive overview of Saudi Arabia's environment, this volume is a unique and authoritative text on the geological and environmental aspects of Saudi Arabia, a country about which little is known by the outside world. Saudi Arabia is a fascinating country with a long tradition of environmental awareness and sensitivity, pitted against some of the harshest environments on earth. The book brings together a wide range of published and unpublished material which will be of interest to environmental scientists, geologists, geographers and biologists. A comprehensive bibliography is included. This book will be indispensable for university courses dealing with the Middle East and arid zone environments as well as various regional/environmental courses.

Volume 1 of this work presents theory and methods to study the structure of condensed matter on different time scales. The authors cover the structure analysis by X-ray diffraction methods from crystalline to amorphous materials, from static-relaxed averaged structures to short-lived electronically excited structures, including detailed descriptions of the time-resolved experimental methods. Complementary, an overview of the theoretical description of condensed matter by static and time-dependent density functional theory is given, starting from the fundamental quantities that can be obtained by these methods through to the recent challenges in the description of time dependent phenomena such as optical excitations. Contents Static structural analysis of condensed matter: from single-crystal to amorphous DFT calculations of solids in the ground state TDDFT, excitations, and spectroscopy Time-resolved structural analysis: probing condensed matter in motion Ultrafast science

Geology, one of the basic natural sciences, is proving to be of outstanding importance in solving problems relating to:

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• agriculture
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• exploitation of the Earth's mineral resources
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• environmental issues
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• soil preservation
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• water
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• energy and other resources
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• protection against natural disasters (landslides, floods, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes) as well as human health.
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This monograph consists of the following five segments:

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• Introduction
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• Geological and other factors and their influence on the human health
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• Subject, tasks and methods of geomedical discipline
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• Regional medical geology
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• Applied medical geology
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In this book the editors strive to cover all primary (i.e. non-applied) topics in Precambrian geology in a non-partisan way, by using a large team of international authors to present their datasets and highly divergent viewpoints.

The chapters address: celestial origins of Earth and succeeding extraterrestrial impact events; generation of continental crust and the greenstone-granite debate; the interaction of mantle plumes and plate tectonics over Precambrian time; Precambrian volcanism, emphasising komatiite research; evolution and models for Earth's hydrosphere and atmosphere; evolution of life and its influence on Precambrian ocean chemistry and chemical sedimentation; sedimentation through Precambrian time; the application of sequence stratigraphy to the Precambrian rock record. Each topic is introduced and a non-partisan closing commentary provided at the end of each chapter. The final chapter blends the major geological events and rates at which important processes occurred into a synthesis, which postulates a number of "event clusters" in the Precambrian when significant changes occurred in many natural systems and geological environments.

Also available in paperback, ISBN: 0-444-51509-7

This book offers new interpretations of Tennyson's major poems along-side contemporary geology, and specifically Charles Lyell's Principles of Geology (1830-3). Employing various approaches - from close readings of both the poetic and geological texts, historical contextualisation and the application of Bakhtin's concept of dialogism - the book demonstrates not only the significance of geology for Tennyson's poetry, but the vital import of Tennyson's poetics in explicating the implications of geology for the nineteenth century and beyond. Gender ideologies in The Princess (1847) are read via High Miller's geology, while the writings of Lyell and other contemporary geologist, comparative anatomists and language theorists are examined along-side In Memoriam (1851) and Maud (1855). The book argues that Tennyson's experimentation with Lyell's geology produced a remarkable 'uniformitarian' poetics that is best understood via Bakhtinian theory; a poetics that reveals the seminal role methodologies in geology played in the development of divisions between science and culture, and that also, quite profoundly, anticipates the crisis in language later associated with the linguistic turn of the twentieth century.

The integration of classic field-gathered data with new computer models has allowed many new advances in geomorphology, which the 31st Binghamton Millennium Symposium 2000 presents in this latest of the well-known Binghamton book series, the "Integration of Computer Modeling and Field Observations in Geomorphology."

Conceptual models have been most commonly inferred from analyses of topography and investigator perspectives derived from fieldwork. The main stumbling blocks to understanding surface
processes, their interactions, temporal changes, and resulting landforms are the difficulty of observation, geological timescales involved, spatial-scale dependencies, and the inability to attribute differences to either process or age. Physically based computer models have thus become essential tools, primarily because of their ability to explore spatial and temporal trends and to determine the sensitivity of physical inputs to change without the difficulties of identification and generalization associated with the complexity of field studies. Thus, the combination of both methods, or the integration of field methods with computer modeling become a very powerful mechanism for robust understanding.

This new book presents topics on fluvial processes of overland and channelized flow in arid, humid, and periglacial areas of high and low relief, as well as work on interlinked biogeographic and geomorphic fluctuations in alpine terrain, and ground penetrating radar of coastal geomorphology. Issues of long-term
evolution of drainage networks are addressed in natural systems, as well as stream-table environments, and terrain analyses characterize surficial and subsurface geomorphic features by using GIS and remote sensing. Botanical and biogeomorphologic controls of landforms are assessed, along with issues
of scientific visualization, cartographic representation, DEMs, spatial analyses, and scale dependencies.

"Covers the chemistry, process chemistry, technology, engineering, and economics of methane conversion, including its environmental impact and commercial exploitation. Begins with methane's availability and increasing importance as an environmentally acceptable natural resource alternative and feedstock."

In a scholarly career spanning five decades, Rhoda Rappaport published perceptive analyses of science in the culture of early Modern Europe, France in particular, with strong emphasis on geology's early development. Of the sixteen papers in this volume, most focus on aspects of geology's cultivation during the 'long' 18th century, from the times of Hooke, Leibniz, and Fontenelle to those of Lavoisier, Werner, and Cuvier. Among the topics most closely treated here are the French mineralogical mapping project initiated by Guettard; contemporary efforts to interpret the earth historically (such as through Noah's Flood); and difficulties presented by the vocabulary often used in traditional histories of geology. Much of Rappaport's research addressed two problems prevalent within 18th-century earth science: the proper understanding of petrifactions, or fossil objects; and struggles to establish reliable knowledge of the earth's past. She also examined the chemistry of G.-F. Rouelle, which she saw as effectively an attempt at systematic comprehension of the entire mineral realm; trans-national features of scientific pursuits as illustrated in the careers of the naturalist Vallisneri and the mineralogist (and philosophe) d'Holbach; and aspects of science's promotion in France through government patronage and academic privilege.

All rock masses contain bedding planes, fissures, fractures, joints and other mechanical defects which are here referred to as "discontinuities". The requirement to provide numerical data on discontinuities for engineering design calculations has created the need to apply the mathematical methods of probability theory, statistics, vector analysis and mechanics to a topic that has previously been handled in a largely qualitative way. This book aims to bridge the gap between the descriptive methods of the geologist and the analytical methods of the rock mechanics engineer as applied to discontinuity characteristics. It does not pretend to be the final word on the topic, but rather seeks to explain in simple terms, basic ideas that can be built upon. Advanced undergraduates studying civil, mining and geological engineering and postgraduates pursuing coursework in rock mechanics, soil mechanics and engineering geology should find this a valuable text. It should also serve as a reference tool for practising engineers and geologists faced with the task of collecting, analyzing and applying discontinuity data for the analysis and design of surface and underground excavations in rock associated with a wide range of mining and civil engineering projects. This book should be of interest to undergraduate students studying civil, mining and geological engineering; Msc and PhD students in rock mechanics, soil mechanics, engineering geology, hydro(geo)logy and related subjects; and practising engineers and geologists.

This book provides a comprehensive discussion of the newest and best in the field of rock scour assessment due to falling high-velocity jets. It comprises the papers of a workshop organized to bring together engineers and scientists from all over the world to promote the exchange of knowledge on the complexities of the hydrodynamic-geotechnical scour problem. The workshop covered topics ranging from physical modelling to jet aeration and air entrainment in plunge pools as well as numerical modelling and protection measures. Some interesting case studies from around the world are also presented. This book is the first to bring together practical experience and theoretical understanding related to the latest scour evacuation methods. It will enhance future research and design activities as well as helping to improve safety of hydraulic structures and dams.

This volume provides the first systematic description of the most important geological structures of Mongolia and discusses the main features of these structures and their interactions. The main characteristics of magmatism are described for each stage of tectonic development and the evolution of magmatism is considered with reference to lithosphere development. Mongolia is a key region of the world and this volume provides a primary source of reference for postgraduates and researchers.