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Books > Earth & environment > Earth sciences > Structure & properties of the Earth

Basaltsaulen - ihre Entstehung am Beispiel des Golan (German, Paperback): Andrea Walentowicz Basaltsaulen - ihre Entstehung am Beispiel des Golan (German, Paperback)
Andrea Walentowicz
R176 Discovery Miles 1 760 Ships in 10 - 15 working days
Water and Earthquakes (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2021): Chi-yuen Wang, Michael Manga Water and Earthquakes (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2021)
Chi-yuen Wang, Michael Manga
R1,751 Discovery Miles 17 510 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

This open access book explores the interactions between water and earthquakes, including recent concerns about induced seismicity. It further highlights that a better understanding of the response of the water system to disturbances such as earthquakes is needed to safeguard water resources, to shield underground waste repositories, and to mitigate groundwater contamination. Although the effects of earthquakes on streams and groundwater have been reported for thousands of years, this field has only blossomed into an active area of research in the last twenty years after quantitative and continuous documentation of field data became available. This volume gathers the important advances that have been made in the field over the past decade, which to date have been scattered in the form of research articles in various scientific journals.

Vesuvio File - In appendice: Vesuvio - Campi Flegrei: perche ancora senza un Piano di Protezione civile? (Italian, Paperback):... Vesuvio File - In appendice: Vesuvio - Campi Flegrei: perche ancora senza un Piano di Protezione civile? (Italian, Paperback)
Francesco Santoianni
R292 Discovery Miles 2 920 Ships in 10 - 15 working days
Earthquakes of the Indian Subcontinent - Seismotectonic Perspectives (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2022): C P Rajendran, Kusala Rajendran Earthquakes of the Indian Subcontinent - Seismotectonic Perspectives (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2022)
C P Rajendran, Kusala Rajendran
R4,255 Discovery Miles 42 550 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

This book highlights some of the interesting recent and historical earthquakes (1803 Uttarkashi, 1819 Kutch, 1897 Shillong, 1905 Kangra, 1934 Nepal-Bihar, 1950 Upper Assam, 1967 Koyna, 1993 Killari, 1997 Jabalpur, 2001 Bhuj, 2004 Sumatra-Andaman, 2005 Kashmir, and 2015 Nepal) that occurred in India and in the vicinity. The tectonic and geodynamic significance of the modern (after the advent of global network) earthquakes in relation to some of the historical earthquakes like the 1819 Kachchh and 1897 Shillong and 1934 Nepal-Bihar earthquakes in the light of newer understanding is discussed. It also contains detailed expositions of seismotectonics and mechanisms of each earthquake. It concludes with touching upon future earthquake hazard scenario in India in view of the present and past earthquakes.

AutoBATS and 3D MUSIC: New Approaches to Imaging Earthquake Rupture Behaviors (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2021): Pei-Ru Jian AutoBATS and 3D MUSIC: New Approaches to Imaging Earthquake Rupture Behaviors (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2021)
Pei-Ru Jian
R5,225 Discovery Miles 52 250 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

This book presents the kinematic earthquake rupture studies from moment tenor to spatial-temporal rupture imaging. For real-time seismic hazard monitoring, the new stable automatic moment tensor (AutoBATS) algorithm is developed and implemented for the real-time MT reports by the Taiwan Earthquake Science Information System (TESIS). In order to understand the rupture behavior of the 2013 Mw 8.3 Okhotsk deep earthquake sequence, the 3D MUltiple SIgnal Classification Back Projection (MUSIC BP) with P and pP phases is applied. The combined P- and pP-wave BP imaging of the mainshock shows two stages of anti-parallel ruptures along two depths separating for about 10~15 km. Unusual super-shear ruptures are observed through the 3D BP images of two Mw 6.7 aftershocks. In last two chapters, the 3D BP imaging reveals similar rupture properties of two shallow catastrophic earthquakes (Mw=6.4) in southwestern Taiwan. Both the 2010 Jiashian and 2016 Meinong earthquakes ruptured westward with similar velocity of ~2.5 km/s along a NE-ward shallow dipping blind fault. The rupture similarities of the doublet suggest two parallel elongate asperities along the causative fault. After several decades of seismic quiescence, the 2010 Jiashian event initiated the rupture at the deeper asperity and triggered the shallower asperity which caused catastrophes six years later.

Campi Flegrei - A Restless Caldera in a Densely Populated Area (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2022): Giovanni Orsi, Massimo... Campi Flegrei - A Restless Caldera in a Densely Populated Area (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2022)
Giovanni Orsi, Massimo D'Antonio, Lucia Civetta
R4,599 Discovery Miles 45 990 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

The densely populated Campi Flegrei resurgent caldera is one of the widest known, best studied and highly dangerous volcanoes of the world. This monograph synthesises the current knowledge of this volcano, through different review chapters. Each chapter of this book is dedicated to a specific volcanological aspect, authored by well-recognised experts. The volume attempts to cross the barriers between the volcanological, geological, geochemical and geophysical perspectives, and offers a comprehensive and up-to-date reference to earth-science scholars, as well as land planners and civil defence officers.

Seismic Behaviour and Design of Irregular and Complex Civil Structures IV (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2022): Rita Bento, Mario De... Seismic Behaviour and Design of Irregular and Complex Civil Structures IV (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2022)
Rita Bento, Mario De Stefano, Dietlinde Koeber, Zbigniew Zembaty
R5,293 Discovery Miles 52 930 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

This volume contains papers of the 9th European Workshop on the Seismic Behaviour of Irregular and Complex Structures (9EWICS) held in Lisbon, Portugal, in 2020. This workshop, organized at Instituto Superior Tecnico, University of Lisbon, continued the successful three-annual series of workshops started back in 1996. Its organization had the sponsorship of Working Group 8 (Seismic Behaviour of Irregular and Complex Structures) of the European Association of Earthquake Engineering.This international event provided a platform for discussion and exchange of ideas and unveiled new insights on the possibilities and challenges of irregular and complex structures under seismic actions. The topics addressed include criteria for regularity, seismic design of irregular structures, seismic assessment of irregular and complex structures, retrofit of irregular and complex structures, and soil-structure interaction for irregular and complex structures. Beyond an excellent number of interesting papers on these topics, this volume includes the papers of the two invited lectures - one devoted to irregularities in RC buildings, including perspectives in current seismic design codes, difficulties in their application and further research needs, and another one dedicated to the challenging and very up to date topic in the area of seismic response of masonry building aggregates in historical centers. This volume includes 26 contributions from authors of 11 countries, giving a complete and international view of the problem.The holds particular interest for all the community involved in the challenging task of seismic design, assessment and/or retrofit of irregular and complex structures.

Volcanoes - Crucibles of Change (Paperback, Revised): Richard V. Fisher, Grant Heiken, Jeffrey Hulen Volcanoes - Crucibles of Change (Paperback, Revised)
Richard V. Fisher, Grant Heiken, Jeffrey Hulen
R977 R733 Discovery Miles 7 330 Save R244 (25%) Ships in 12 - 17 working days

Whenever a volcano threatens to erupt, scientists and adventurers from around the world flock to the site in response to the irresistible allure of one of nature's most dangerous and unpredictable phenomena. In a unique book probing the science and mystery of these fiery features, the authors chronicle not only their geologic behavior but also their profound effect on human life. From Mount Vesuvius to Mount St. Helens, the book covers the surprisingly large variety of volcanoes, the subtle to conspicuous signs preceding their eruptions, and their far-reaching atmospheric consequences. Here scientific facts take on a very human dimension, as the authors draw upon actual encounters with volcanoes, often through firsthand accounts of those who have witnessed eruptions and miraculously survived the aftermath.

The book begins with a description of the lethal May 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens--complete with an explanation of how safety officials and scientists tried to predict events, and how unsuspecting campers and loggers miles away struggled against terrifying blasts of ash, stone, and heat. The story moves quickly to the ways volcanoes have enhanced our lives, creating mineral-rich land, clean thermal energy, and haunting landscapes that in turn benefit agriculture, recreation, mining, and commerce. Religion and psychology embroider the account, as the authors explore the impact of volcanoes on the human psyche through tales of the capricious volcano gods and attempts to appease them, ranging from simple homage to horrific ritual sacrifice.

"Volcanoes" concludes by assisting readers in experiencing these geological phenomena for themselves. An unprecedented "tourist guide to volcanoes" outlines over forty sites throughout the world. Not only will travelers find information on where to go and how to get there, they will also learn what precautions to take at each volcano. Tourists, amateur naturalists, and armchair travelers alike will find their scientific curiosity whetted by this informative and entertaining book.

Il Metodo Antisismico - Come Auto-Valutare La Resistenza Strutturale Di Un Immobile Anche Se Non Sei Del Settore e Non Vivi In... Il Metodo Antisismico - Come Auto-Valutare La Resistenza Strutturale Di Un Immobile Anche Se Non Sei Del Settore e Non Vivi In Zona Sismica (Italian, Paperback)
Giuseppe Albano
R521 Discovery Miles 5 210 Ships in 10 - 15 working days
Three Dimensional Space-Time Analysis Theory of Geotechnical Seismic Engineering (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2019): Changwei Yang,... Three Dimensional Space-Time Analysis Theory of Geotechnical Seismic Engineering (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2019)
Changwei Yang, Guotao Yang, Jianjing Zhang, Hongsheng Ma
R3,016 Discovery Miles 30 160 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Written by respected experts, this book presents essential findings on the Wenchuan earthquake. It establishes a series of time-frequency analysis methods, and subsequently applies them to the layered site, slope, and earth-retaining wall. Further, it examines various cases and their solutions, and shares the results of numerous shaking-table tests and numerical simulations. As such, it is a valuable resource for researchers and engineers in the fields of geotechnical engineering and anti-seismic engineering.

Desastres naturales. La Tierra en movimiento (Spanish, Paperback): David West, Steve Parker Desastres naturales. La Tierra en movimiento (Spanish, Paperback)
David West, Steve Parker
R286 Discovery Miles 2 860 Ships in 10 - 15 working days
Megaquake - How Japan and the World Should Respond (Hardcover): Tetsuo Takashima Megaquake - How Japan and the World Should Respond (Hardcover)
Tetsuo Takashima; Translated by Robert D. Eldridge
R698 Discovery Miles 6 980 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

In March 2011 a magnitude 9 earthquake struck off the eastern coast of northern Japan, triggering a massive tsunami and damaging a nearby nuclear reactor. Nearly twenty thousand people were killed or went missing, and many areas have yet to rebuild. Megaquake: How Japan and the World Should Respond, written by the prolific and award-winning writer Tetsuo Takashima five years before this disaster, appears here for the first time in English. This edition of Megaquake has been updated with additional information, including a new chapter coauthored by Robert D. Eldridge, translator and one of the key American officials involved in the response to the 2011 earthquake. Both Takashima and Eldridge experienced the 1995 Kobe earthquake and combined their skills and insights to produce this English edition to offer the lessons Japan has learned over the centuries, having endured a disproportionate share of disasters. Takashima and Eldridge hope to educate the international community about how to prepare for and respond to the next big Japanese earthquake, which is expected to far exceed the 2011 quake in terms of lost lives, destruction of infrastructure, and worldwide economic impact.

Seismic Structural Health Monitoring - From Theory to Successful Applications (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2019): Maria Pina Limongelli,... Seismic Structural Health Monitoring - From Theory to Successful Applications (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2019)
Maria Pina Limongelli, Mehmet Celebi
R4,824 Discovery Miles 48 240 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

This book includes a collection of state-of-the-art contributions addressing both theoretical developments in, and successful applications of, seismic structural health monitoring (S2HM). Over the past few decades, Seismic SHM has expanded considerably, due to the growing demand among various stakeholders (owners, managers and engineering professionals) and researchers. The discipline has matured in the process, as can be seen by the number of S2HM systems currently installed worldwide. Furthermore, the responses recorded by S2HM systems hold great potential, both with regard to the management of emergency situations and to ordinary maintenance needs. The book's 17 chapters, prepared by leading international experts, are divided into four major sections. The first comprises six chapters describing the specific requirements of S2HM systems for different types of civil structures and infrastructures (buildings, bridges, cultural heritage, dams, structures with base isolation devices) and for monitoring different phenomena (e.g. soil-structure interaction and excessive drift). The second section describes available methods and computational tools for data processing, while the third is dedicated to hardware and software tools for S2HM. In the book's closing section, five chapters report on state-of-the-art applications of S2HM around the world.

Applied Geophysics with Case Studies on Environmental, Exploration and Engineering Geophysics (Hardcover): Ali Ismet Kanli Applied Geophysics with Case Studies on Environmental, Exploration and Engineering Geophysics (Hardcover)
Ali Ismet Kanli
R3,727 R3,422 Discovery Miles 34 220 Save R305 (8%) Ships in 10 - 15 working days
Le Plateau Central Et Ses Volcans - Un Etna Fran ais (French, Paperback): Stanislas Meunier Le Plateau Central Et Ses Volcans - Un Etna Fran ais (French, Paperback)
Stanislas Meunier
R225 Discovery Miles 2 250 Ships in 10 - 15 working days
Les Tremblements de Terre (French, Paperback): Gabriel Auguste Daubree Les Tremblements de Terre (French, Paperback)
Gabriel Auguste Daubree
R229 Discovery Miles 2 290 Ships in 10 - 15 working days
Waves And Rays In Seismology: Answers To Unasked Questions (Hardcover, Second Edition): Michael A. Slawinski Waves And Rays In Seismology: Answers To Unasked Questions (Hardcover, Second Edition)
Michael A. Slawinski
R5,539 Discovery Miles 55 390 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

'In summary, Professor Slawinski has written an engaging volume covering an unfamiliar topic in a highly accessible fashion. Non-specialists will gain a significant appreciation of the unique complexities associated with seismology.'Contemporary PhysicsThe author dedicates this book to readers who are concerned with finding out the status of concepts, statements and hypotheses, and with clarifying and rearranging them in a logical order. It is thus not intended to teach tools and techniques of the trade, but to discuss the foundations on which seismology - and in a larger sense, the theory of wave propagation in solids - is built. A key question is: why and to what degree can a theory developed for an elastic continuum be used to investigate the propagation of waves in the Earth, which is neither a continuum nor fully elastic. But the scrutiny of the foundations goes much deeper: material symmetry, effective tensors, equivalent media; the influence (or, rather, the lack thereof) of gravitational and thermal effects and the rotation of the Earth, are discussed ab initio. The variational principles of Fermat and Hamilton and their consequences for the propagation of elastic waves, causality, Noether's theorem and its consequences on conservation of energy and conservation of linear momentum are but a few topics that are investigated in the process to establish seismology as a science and to investigate its relation to subjects like realism and empiricism in natural sciences, to the nature of explanations and predictions, and to experimental verification and refutation.In the second edition, new sections, figures, examples, exercises and remarks are added. Most importantly, however, four new appendices of about one-hundred pages are included, which can serve as a self-contained continuum-mechanics course on finite elasticity. Also, they broaden the scope of elasticity theory commonly considered in seismology.

Les Tremblements de terre (French, Paperback): Stanislas Meunier Les Tremblements de terre (French, Paperback)
Stanislas Meunier
R229 Discovery Miles 2 290 Ships in 10 - 15 working days
When the Earth Roars - Lessons from the History of Earthquakes in Japan (Paperback): Gregory Smits When the Earth Roars - Lessons from the History of Earthquakes in Japan (Paperback)
Gregory Smits
R1,065 Discovery Miles 10 650 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Japan, which is among the most earthquake-prone regions in the world, has a long history of responding to seismic disasters. However, despite advances in earthquake-related safety technologies, the destructiveness of the magnitude 9 class earthquake and tsunami that struck the country on 3/11 raised profound questions about how societies can deal effectively with seismic hazards. This important book places the devastating earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear meltdown disaster in historical perspective, examining conceptions of earthquakes since the seventeenth century, the diverse ways actual earthquakes and their aftermath played out, and their enduring social and scientific significance. By looking backward, Gregory Smits identifies future pitfalls to avoid and assesses the allocation of resources for dealing with future earthquake and tsunami disasters. He criticizes Japan's postwar quest for earthquake prediction and the concept of "characteristic" earthquakes. Smits argues that earthquakes are so chaotic as to be unpredictable, not only geologically but also in their social and cultural effects. Therefore, he contends, the best hope for future disaster mitigation is antiseismic engineering and flexible disaster-relief capabilities. As the first sustained historical analysis of destructive earthquakes and tsunamis, this book is an essential resource for anyone interested in Japan, natural disasters, seismology, and environmental history.

Volcanoes of the Azores - Revealing the Geological Secrets of the Central Northern Atlantic Islands (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2018):... Volcanoes of the Azores - Revealing the Geological Secrets of the Central Northern Atlantic Islands (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2018)
Ulrich Kueppers, Christoph Beier
R3,565 Discovery Miles 35 650 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

The Azores archipelago consists of nine islands that emerge from the Azores Plateau in the Central Northern Atlantic, situated within the triple junction of the American, Eurasian and African lithosphere plates. Subaerial volcanic activity has been well known since the Pliocene and continues today, with several well-documented eruptions since the settlement of the islands in the fifteenth century. The origin of the Azores Plateau has been a matter of scientific debate and thus this book provides the first comprehensive overview of geological features in the Azores from volcanological, geochemical, petrological, paleontological, structural and hydrological perspectives

On Foundations Of Seismology: Bringing Idealizations Down To Earth (Hardcover): James Robert Brown, Michael A. Slawinski On Foundations Of Seismology: Bringing Idealizations Down To Earth (Hardcover)
James Robert Brown, Michael A. Slawinski
R2,366 Discovery Miles 23 660 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

'I can wholeheartedly recommend this book students, researchers, college and university science professors, and readers of The Leading Edge. I also recommend it to all those who want to enrich their own experience of practicing and teaching science with some carefully considered soul searching on how it all fits together in the human story of aEURO~figuring things outaEURO (TM) ... It is written throughout with precise and careful language: prudently paced, carefully crafted, eloquently enunciated, and playfully illuminated.'The Leading EdgeThis remarkable collaboration between a mathematical physicist and a science philosopher concerns foundational and conceptual issues in seismology. Their aim is to present mathematical, physical and philosophical topics in a clear and concise manner. They provide an extensive philosophical discussion of the methods of science and show how seismology fits in. They explain with care and precision the basic structure of seismology, which is built on classical continuum mechanics. Not only do they explain how various models work in seismology, they also include an extensive discussion of the nature of models and idealizations.

Les Volcans de Java (French, Paperback): Auguste Laugel Les Volcans de Java (French, Paperback)
Auguste Laugel
R229 Discovery Miles 2 290 Ships in 10 - 15 working days
Handbook of Poststack Seismic Attributes (Hardcover): Arthur E. Barnes Handbook of Poststack Seismic Attributes (Hardcover)
Arthur E. Barnes
R6,424 R6,064 Discovery Miles 60 640 Save R360 (6%) Ships in 12 - 17 working days

The Handbook of Poststack Seismic Attributes is a general reference for poststack seismic attributes. It discusses their theory, meaning, computation, and application, with the goal of improving understanding so that seismic attributes can be applied more effectively. The chapters of the book build upon each other and progress from basic attributes to more involved methods. The book introduces the ideas that underlie seismic attributes and reviews their history from their origins to current developments. It examines attribute maps and interval statistics; complex trace attributes; 3D attributes that quantify aspects of geologic structure and stratigraphy, primarily dip, azimuth, curvature, reflection spacing, and parallelism; seismic discontinuity attributes derived through variances or differences; spectral decomposition, thin-bed analysis, and waveform classification; the two poststack methods that purportedly record rock properties - relative acoustic impedance through recursive inversion and Q estimation through spectral ratioing; and multiattribute analysis through volume blending, cross-plotting, principal component analysis, and unsupervised classification. The book ends with an overview of how seismic attributes aid data interpretation and discusses bright spots, frequency shadows, faults, channels, diapirs, and data reconnaissance. A glossary provides definitions of seismic attributes and methods, and appendices provide background mathematics. The book is intended for reflection seismologists engaged in petroleum exploration, including seismic data interpreters, data processors, researchers, and students.

Earthquake Geology (Hardcover): Nelson Boli?Var Earthquake Geology (Hardcover)
Nelson Boli?Var
R4,603 R4,365 Discovery Miles 43 650 Save R238 (5%) Ships in 12 - 17 working days

An earthquake is always an unexpected phenomenon. Modern science is not able to predict the time or the place or the earthquake strength. The problem of locating the focus of a starting earthquake has not even been set due to the poor level of understanding the processes preceding its start. At present the main earthquake hypothesis is the "explosive" relaxation of the high elastic stresses accumulated in the lithosphere. Understanding a fault's slip behavior, as well as its length and connectivity, is important for constraining the magnitude range and frequency of earthquakes that a particular fault is likely to produce. This book, Earthquake Geology, presents contributions from researchers of different countries in the world that point out the study of seismoinduced phenomena associated with recent and historical earthquakes. First chapter aims to estimate the response of freestanding full-scale equipment to 2% in 50 years hazard level motions, and the results are used to generate ready-to-use fragility curves and second chapter emphasizes on earthquake forecast with the seismic sequence hierarchization method. Third chapter encompasses the micro-earthquake monitoring with sparsely sampled data. In fourth chapter, we analyze in detail the features of the experimental weakening curves and provide a general fit which is purely empirical, with the synthesis of a large number of experiments and their result in terms of frictional breakdown energy Gf. Fifth chapter presents how to locate the focus of a starting earthquake and sixth chapter presents research on earthquake radon anomalies. Seventh chapter highlights on seismic sequence structure and earthquakes triggering patterns and eighth chapter emphasizes on predicting earthquakes with microsequences and reversed phase repetitive patterns. Application of commensurability in earthquake prediction is discussed in ninth chapter and tenth chapter gives out the co-planarity and symmetry theory of earthquake occurrence. Eleventh chapter presents a numerical investigation of earthquake shielding with seismic crystals and twelfth chapter presents an evaluation of strain accumulation in global subduction zones from seismicity data. Thirteenth chapter reveals on modification in atmospheric refractivity and GPS based TEC as earthquake precursors, and fourteenth chapter proposes a seismic-acoustic system for monitoring the earthquake origin process. The aim of fifteenth chapter is to calculate hydrodynamical phenomena: Earth's tidal and precursory variations in level of liquid in wells (boreholes) using identical systems of equations and to clarify data on distribution of hydrodynamical precursors on the Earth's surface. The objective of sixteenth chapter is to provide a wavelet transform method to detect P and S-phases in three component seismic data. In seventeenth chapter, basic models and standard mechanisms of earthquakes are briefly considered, results of processing of information on the earthquakes in the context of global spatial anisotropy caused by the existence of the vector Ag, are presented, and an analysis of them is given. Eighteenth chapter concentrates more on the actual relationship between earthquakes and solar activity and treats the effects causing the correlation only in the aspect of geomagnetic field strength variations. Nineteenth chapter presents a study on correlation of tidal forces with global great earthquakes, and an analysis and verification of forecasting the locations of future large earthquakes is given in last chapter. Forecasts of the locations of future major earthquakes play an important role in earthquake preparedness and determining earthquake insurance costs. Many such forecasts have been carried out with examples in this chapter.

Theory of Plate Tectonics (Hardcover): Judith Rosales Theory of Plate Tectonics (Hardcover)
Judith Rosales
R4,315 R4,092 Discovery Miles 40 920 Save R223 (5%) Ships in 12 - 17 working days

During the past 40 years, a new model has emerged and revolutionized earth sciences like perhaps no other before. The theory of Plate Tectonics is now well-established and forms the basis of our current understanding of the structure and dynamics of our earth. In particular, plate tectonics explains geologic features on the crust over a wide scale, such as the distribution of land and sea, the formation of mountains, earthquakes, and volcanism. Tectonic plates are composed of the rigid outer portion of the earth, called lithosphere. With a thickness of about 100 km, the lithosphere is composed of an upper layer of crust (~7 km thick under the oceans, and ~50 km thick under the continents) and a lower, denser layer of the earth's upper mantle. The rest of the mantle underlying the plates is sufficiently hot to be mobile, although by far the largest part of it is solid. Despite the high temperature, the effect of pressure inside the mantle usually prevents melting. The rigid lithosphere plates are driven by convection within the mobile asthenosphere. Hot mantle rises beneath mid-oceanic ridges, and cold, denser mantle descends at oceanic trenches. Lateral motion of the lithosphere plates above these circular convection cells is analogous to rigid blocks riding above a rotating conveyor belt. Subduction zones, or convergent margins, are one of the three types of plate boundaries. The others are divergent and transform margins. At a divergent margin, two plates are spreading apart, as at seafloor-spreading ridges or continental rift zones such as the East Africa Rift. Transform margins mark slip-sliding plates, such as California's San Andreas Fault, where the North America and Pacific plates grind past each other with a mostly horizontal motion. The driving force behind plate tectonics is convection in the mantle. Hot material near the earth's core rises, and colder mantle rock sinks. The convection drive plates tectonics through a combination of pushing and spreading apart at mid-ocean ridges and pulling and sinking downward at subduction zones. Scientists continue to study and debate the mechanisms that move the plates. From the deepest ocean trench to the tallest mountain, plate tectonics explains the features and movement of Earth's surface in the present and the past.

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