Current studies of recent crustal movement are presented using space and terrestrial geodetic methods. Results of the studies, as well as methodological questions related to monitoring, are discussed. Papers are grouped within the following section headings: - Global Plate Motions Instrumentation and Modeling; - Regional Dynamics Modeling of Deformation; - Deformation Studies by GPS Horizontal Crustal Movements; - Vertical Crustal Movements; - Gravimetry and Crustal Deformation This volume is a comprehensive reference for research scientists and students.
This volume treats the key aspects that must be known when dealing with continuous space geodetic or terrestrial geodetic observations. The signals of Earth core resonance are discussed, as well as tidal effects on Earth polar motion and on earthquake triggering. Hydrologic loading, be it ocean tides or subsurface water flows, is discussed. These signals compete with crustal deformation observations of earthquakes (e.g., Gorkha 2015) during interseismic periods, and on volcanoes (Elbrus, Caucasus). The instrumentation that is covered includes superconducting gravimeters, continuous seafloor gravimeters, interferometric tilt and strain meters, and GNSS networks. The articles give an up-to-date account of research in which the Earth tides are a benchmark signal for the sophisticated instrumentation mounted on satellites or the surface, observing time-variable signals of an evolving Earth. Scientists studying the earthquake cycle and geodetic monitoring will find useful material. For students in the geosciences, the collection offers a good overview of the broad spectrum of topics related to the Earth geodetic monitoring.
Subduction is a major process that plays a first-order role in the dynamics of the Earth. The sinking of cold lithosphere into the mantle is thought by many authors to be the most important source of energy for plates driving forces. It also deeply modifies the thermal and chemical structure of the mantle, producing arc volcanism and is responsible for the release of most of the seismic energy on Earth. There has been considerable achievements done during the past decades regarding the complex interactions between the various processes acting in subduction zones. This volume contains a collection of contributions that were presented in June 2007 in Montpellier (France) during a conference that gave a state of the art panorama and discussed the perspectives about "Subduction Zone Geodynamics". The papers included in this special volume offer a unique multidisciplinary picture of the recent research on subduction zones geodynamics. They are organized into five main topics: Subduction zone geodynamics, Seismic tomography and anisotropy, Great subduction zone earthquakes, Seismogenic zone characterization, Continental and ridge subduction processes. Each of the 13 papers collected in the present volume is primarily concerned with one of these topics. However, it is important to highlight that papers always treat more than one topic so that all are related lighting on different aspects of the complex and fascinating subduction zones geodynamics.
This volume contains papers giving an interdisciplinary review of 12 major rift systems from North and South America, Africa, Europe and Asia. These papers are written by an international group of academic and industrial specialists each of whom is most knowledgeable about the respective rift. The analyzed rifts were selected on the basis of availability of an as-complete-as-possible geological and geophysical data base. Thirteen papers deal with geodynamic processes governing the evolution of rifts.A comprehensive digest of the available stratigraphic, structural, geophysical and petrological data, together with an extensive list of references, is provided for each of the analyzed rift systems. The megatectonic setting and dynamics of evolution of each basin is discussed. Geodynamic models are tested against the record of the analyzed rifts.The question of "active" as against "passive" rifting is addressed. The rifts analyzed range in age from Precambrian to Recent and cover a wide spectrum of megatectonic settings. There is discussion of the evolution of rifts in a plate-tectonic frame. The case histories are followed by discussions addressing the global setting of rifts and geodynamic processes active during the development of rifted basins.
Climate Change and Geodynamics in Polar Regions covers most of the scientific aspects of geoscientific investigation undertaken by Indian researchers in the polar regions: the Antarctic, Arctic, and Himalayan regions. A firm understanding of the cryosphere region's geological perspectives helps students and geoscientists evaluate important scientific queries in the field. This book will help readers understand how the cryosphere’s geoscientific evolution took place in the geological past, climate change throughout history, and how polar regions were affected by global warming. It also discusses how we might expect polar climate to change in the future. A firm understanding of the cryosphere region's geological perspectives helps students and geoscientists answer some of the most puzzling scientific queries and generate new ideas for future research in this field.
TECTONlCS AND PHYSICS Geology, although rooted in the laws of physics, rarely has been taught in a manner designed to stress the relations between the laws and theorems of physics and the postulates of geology. The same is true of geophysics, whose specialties (seismology, gravimetIy, magnetics, magnetotellurics) deal only with the laws that govern them, and not with those that govern geology's postulates. The branch of geology and geophysics called tectonophysics is not a formalized discipline or subdiscipline, and, therefore, has no formal laws or theorems of its own. Although many recent books claim to be textbooks in tectonophysics, they are not; they are books designed to explain one hypothesis, just as the present book is designed to explain one hypothesis. The textbook that comes closest to being a textbook of tectonophysics is Peter 1. Wyllie's (1971) book, The Dynamic Earth. Teachers, students, and practitioners of geology since the very beginning of earth science teaching have avoided the development of a rigorous (but not rigid) scientific approach to tectonics, largely because we earth scientists have not fully understood the origin of the features with which we are dealing. This fact is not at all surprising when one considers that the database for hypotheses and theories of tectonics, particularly before 1960, has been limited to a small part of the exposed land area on the Earth's surface.
TECTONlCS AND PHYSICS Geology, although rooted in the laws of physics, rarely has been taught in a manner designed to stress the relations between the laws and theorems of physics and the postulates of geology. The same is true of geophysics, whose specialties (seismology, gravimetIy, magnetics, magnetotellurics) deal only with the laws that govern them, and not with those that govern geology's postulates. The branch of geology and geophysics called tectonophysics is not a formalized discipline or subdiscipline, and, therefore, has no formal laws or theorems of its own. Although many recent books claim to be textbooks in tectonophysics, they are not; they are books designed to explain one hypothesis, just as the present book is designed to explain one hypothesis. The textbook that comes closest to being a textbook of tectonophysics is Peter 1. Wyllie's (1971) book, The Dynamic Earth. Teachers, students, and practitioners of geology since the very beginning of earth science teaching have avoided the development of a rigorous (but not rigid) scientific approach to tectonics, largely because we earth scientists have not fully understood the origin of the features with which we are dealing. This fact is not at all surprising when one considers that the database for hypotheses and theories of tectonics, particularly before 1960, has been limited to a small part of the exposed land area on the Earth's surface.
