We need a new philosophy of the earth. Geological time used to refer to slow and gradual processes, but today we are watching land sink into the sea and forests transform into deserts. We can even see the creation of new geological strata made of plastic, chicken bones, and other waste that could remain in the fossil record for millennia or longer. Crafting a philosophy of geology that rewrites natural and human history from the broader perspective of movement, Thomas Nail provides a new materialist, kinetic ethics of the earth that speaks to this moment. Climate change and other ecological disruptions challenge us to reconsider the deep history of minerals, atmosphere, plants, and animals and to take a more process-oriented perspective that sees humanity as part of the larger cosmic and terrestrial drama of mobility and flow. Building on his earlier work on the philosophy of movement, Nail argues that we should shift our biocentric emphasis from conservation to expenditure, flux, and planetary diversity. Theory of the Earth urges us to rethink our ethical relationship to one another, the planet, and the cosmos at large.

Theory of the Earth is an interdisciplinary advanced textbook on the origin, composition, and evolution of the Earth's interior: geophysics, geochemistry, dynamics, convection, mineralogy, volcanism, energetics and thermal history. This is the only book on the whole landscape of deep Earth processes which ties together all the strands of the subdisciplines. It is a complete update of Anderson's Theory of the Earth (1989). It includes many new sections and dozens of new figures and tables. As with the original book, this new edition will prove to be a stimulating textbook on advanced courses in geophysics, geochemistry, and planetary science, and supplementary textbook on a wide range of other advanced Earth science courses. It will also be an essential reference and resource for all researchers in the solid Earth sciences.

Everybody knows—or thinks they know—Charles Darwin, the father of evolution and the man who altered the way we view our place in the world. But what most people do not know is that Darwin was on board the HMS Beagle as a geologist—on a mission to examine the land, not flora and fauna.Tracing Darwin’s footsteps in South America and beyond, geologist Rob Wesson sets out on a trek across the Andes, repeating the nautical surveys made by the Beagle’s crew, hunting for fossils in Uruguay and Argentina, and explores traces of long vanished glaciers in Scotland and Wales. By following Darwin’s path literally and intellectually, Rob experiences the landscape that absorbed Darwin, followed his reasoning about what he saw, and immerses himself in the same questions about the earth. Upon Darwin’s return from the five-year journey, he conceived his theory of tectonics—his first theory. These concepts and attitudes—the vastness of time; the enormous cumulative impact of almost imperceptibly slow change; change as a constant feature of the environment—underlie his subsequent discoveries in evolution. And this peculiar way of thinking remains vitally important today as we enter the Anthropocene.

This book provides an overview of the history of plate tectonics, including in-context definitions of the key terms. It explains how the forerunners of the theory and how scientists working at the key academic institutions competed and collaborated until the theory coalesced.

This book was originally published in 1949 and consists of four lectures which were delivered at the Academy of Sciences Geophysical Institute in 1948 on the author's hypothesis of the genesis of the Earth and other planets.

Theory of the Earth's Shape considers the physical-mathematical problems raised by the determination of the form of the planet, thereby making a significant contribution to the technological scientific literature in this field. This book is organized into six parts encompassing 29 chapters. The first part, entitled Physical Geodesy, presents the theory of the determination of the gravitational field, in the definition of which preference was given to the method of expansion in spherical harmonics recommended by the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics in establishing the international "Geodetic Reference System 1967". Part II deals with the principal aspects of Ellipsoidal Geodesy, such as the methods of solving the geodetic problems on the reference ellipsoid. Part III considers the main problems associated with Astro-geodetic Triangulation, particularly with the conception of materialization and the necessary measurements as the required adjustment procedures. This part also provides approaches regarding the controlled analysis of angular measurements and the description of some original calculation and measurement methods. Part IV concerns one of the methods of determining the spatial coordinates of the geodetic points in a unitary system, such as the three-dimensional geodesy, which has had more concrete applications since the launching of the Earth's first artificial satellites. Part V describes the methods for determining the terrestrial ellipsoid and the geoid, as well as the conventional methods and the methods of Dynamical Geodesy. Part VI discusses the geodetic methods for the determination of the movements of the Earth's crust, along with an overall examination of the theoretical and practical aspects which in principle constitute the object of such activities.

This Is A New Release Of The Original 1737 Edition.

Theory of the Earth is a combination reference and textbook that every exploration geologist and research scientist should have on his/her bookshelf. It is also suitable for advanced undergraduate, as well as graduate level geophysics courses. The emphasis is on the origin, evolution, structure and composition of the earth′s interior. It treats the pertinent aspects of solid state physics, thermodynamics, geochemistry, petrology, and seismology in sufficient detail for all who seek current information on geochemistry, solid state physics, and physics of the earth or planets

Reliable and detailed information about the Earth’s subsurface is of crucial importance throughout the geosciences. Quantitative integration of all available geophysical and geological data helps to make Earth models more robust and reliable. The aim of this book is to summarize and synthesize the growing literature on combining various types of geophysical and other geoscientific data. The approaches that have been developed to date encompass joint inversion, cooperative inversion, and statistical post-inversion analysis methods, each with different benefits and assumptions. Starting with the foundations of inverse theory, this book systematically describes the mathematical and theoretical aspects of how to best integrate different geophysical datasets with geological prior understanding and other complimentary data. This foundational basis is followed by chapters that demonstrate the diverse range of applications for which integrated methods have been used to date. These range from imaging the hydrogeological properties of the near-surface to natural resource exploration and probing the composition of the lithosphere and the deep Earth. Each chapter is written by leading experts in the field, which makes this book the definitive reference on integrated imaging of the Earth. Highlights of this volume include: Complete coverage of the theoretical foundations of integrated imaging approaches from inverse theory to different coupling methods and quantitative evaluation of the resulting models Comprehensive overview of current applications of integrated imaging including hydrological investigations, natural resource exploration, and imaging the deep Earth Detailed case studies of integrated approaches providing valuable guidance for both experienced users and researchers new to joint inversion. This volume will be a valuable resource for graduate students, academics, industry practitioners, and researchers who are interested in using or developing integrated imaging approaches.