Seismology and Plate Tectonics [Paperback]

This introduction to seismological theory and the principles of plate tectonics also develops a practical approach to the interpretation of seismograms for physicists and mathematicians as well as geologists.This introduction to seismological theory and the principles of plate tectonics also develops a practical approach to the interpretation of seismograms for physicists and mathematicians as well as geologists.This textbook is unique in giving an introduction to seismological theory and the principles of plate tectonics, as well as developing a practical approach to the reading and interpretation of seismograms. The book forms the basis for an introductory course to physicists, mathematicians and geologists. The early chapters give a general background in geophysics and elasticity theory, and present the standard results for the propagation of seismic waves radiated from large earthquakes. The main part of the text describes how seismograms are read and interpreted, explaining how the readings are used to locate the source of the waves, determine the sense of motion across the fault and to work out details of plate movements. Examples are included in which the reader has the opportunity to interpret seismic records and use them to find locations of earthquakes and determine their source mechanisms. The final chapter discusses plate tectonic theory, and gives the mathematical foundation behind the description of plate movement in terms of vectors.1. Introduction; 2. Mechanisms of elastic media; 3. Elastic waves in simple media; 4. Earth structure and earthquake location; 5. Free oscillations; 6. The seismic source; 7. Plate tectonic theory; Appendix; Bibliography; References; Index. This excellent book grew from a course taught by David Gubbins to physics undergraduates at Cambridge. The objectives of this course were to provide physics undergraduates with a broad introduction to geophysics and to bring them to the forefront of the subject. Seismology and Plate Tel“%