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Plate tectonics is a revolutionary theory on a par with modern genetics. Yet, apart from the frequent use of clichés such as'tectonic shift'by economists, journalists, and politicians, the science itself is rarely mentioned and poorly understood. This book explains modern plate tectonics in a non-technical manner, showing not only how it accounts for phenomena such as great earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions, but also how it controls conditions at the Earth's surface, including global geography and climate. The book presents the advances that have been made since the establishment of plate tectonics in the 1960s, highlighting, on the 50th anniversary of the theory, the contributions of a small number of scientists who have never been widely recognized for their discoveries. Beginning with the publication of a short article in Nature by Vine and Matthews, the book traces the development of plate tectonics through two generations of the theory. First generation plate tectonics covers the exciting scientific revolution of the 1960s and 1970s, its heroes and its villains. The second generation includes the rapid expansions in sonar, satellite, and seismic technologies during the 1980s and 1990s that provided a truly global view of the plates and their motions, and an appreciation of the role of the plates within the Earth'system'. The final chapter bring us to the cutting edge of the science, and the latest results from studies using technologies such as seismic tomography and high-pressure mineral physics to probe the deep interior. Ultimately, the book leads to the startling conclusion that, without plate tectonics, the Earth would be as lifeless as Venus.

This combination of textbook and reference manual provides a comprehensive account of gravity and magnetic methods for exploring the subsurface using surface, marine, airborne and satellite measurements. It describes key current topics and techniques, physical properties of rocks and other Earth materials, and digital data analysis methods used to process and interpret anomalies for subsurface information. Each chapter starts with an overview and concludes by listing key concepts to consolidate new learning. An accompanying website presents problem sets and interactive computer-based exercises, providing hands-on experience of processing, modeling and interpreting data. A comprehensive online suite of full-color case histories illustrates the practical utility of modern gravity and magnetic surveys. This is an ideal text for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses and reference text for research academics and professional geophysicists. It is a valuable resource for all those interested in petroleum, engineering, mineral, environmental, geological and archeological exploration of the lithosphere.

Earth's magnetic field is currently changing dramatically. Is the observed decrease of the dipole moment indicating a future polarity transition? What would be the effects of such a drastic change on system Earth? Can any positive or negative effects on our biosphere or even humans be expected? This book gives a first overview about the geomagnetic field in general and serves as an introduction into geomagnetism. As the topic of the book covers a wide range of scientific disciplines, the first chapter summarises basic principles of geomagnetism and related fields including a historic overview, instruments and measurements, paleomagnetic fields, basics of dynamo theory, etc. The contributed chapters review major results of international activities aiming at understanding the causes and effects of geomagnetic field variations in view of the questions above.