- Email: [email protected]
Annual review of earth and planetary sciences, volume 11
2298
Rook Reviews
Annaal Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences, volume I I. Editors: George W. Wetherill, Arden L. Albee, Francis G. Stehli, Annual Reviews, Inc., 1983. 509 p.. $44.00. IN THIS pot-pourri of reviews of recent developments in earth and planetary science, the range of subjects is enormous from the earth’s deep internal dynamo to the atmospheres of the outer planets, from details of analytical techniques for trace elements to broad theorizing about continental structures, from geochemical processes in recent sediments to intraptate seismicity and earthquake prediction, from structural details of silicate melts to creep deformation of ice. Many of the papers focus on details of research in the past few years. referring the reader to earlier reviews for a broader perspective. Such summaries of very recent experimental results and evolving hypotheses will be rewarding for those currently working in the various fields, but tend to lose the more general reader in a maze of intricate detail. Among the articles that attempt broader reviews. a few stand out as particularly successful. For a sampling: John Lupton’s paper on the terrestrial inert gases is a clear and stimulating account of the inferences that can be drawn about the earth’s structure and history from isotope ratios in these minor constituents of air and other natural gases. Eugene Shoemaker summarizes the conclusions that can be drawn
about past and possible future bombardment of the earth by asteroids and comets from theoretical studies of large-scale impacts and observations of lunar and terrestrial impact structures. J. C. Savage relates strain accumulation in the western United States to plate motions and earthquake rccurrence times. J. H. Mercer analyzes different kinds of recent evidence about the extent and timing of Cenozoic glaciation in the southern hemisphere. A delightful feature of the volume is the brief prefatory chapter by John Verhoogen. A &urn& of the author’s personal odyssey from Belgium to California to Africa and then back to California leads into some wise and witty reflections about the permeation of quantitative ideas into earth science during the past three decades, a drama in which Verhoogen himself has played a principal role. This volume of Annual Reviews should please many read. ers, from specialists who want quick and authoritative summaries of important recent work in their own lines of research and those who simply feel the need for up-dating in several currently exciting directions of earth-science inquiry. Department of Geology Stanford University Stanford, CA 94305, U.S.A.
Konrad 8. Krauskopf
Rook Reviews
Annaal Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences, volume I I. Editors: George W. Wetherill, Arden L. Albee, Francis G. Stehli, Annual Reviews, Inc., 1983. 509 p.. $44.00. IN THIS pot-pourri of reviews of recent developments in earth and planetary science, the range of subjects is enormous from the earth’s deep internal dynamo to the atmospheres of the outer planets, from details of analytical techniques for trace elements to broad theorizing about continental structures, from geochemical processes in recent sediments to intraptate seismicity and earthquake prediction, from structural details of silicate melts to creep deformation of ice. Many of the papers focus on details of research in the past few years. referring the reader to earlier reviews for a broader perspective. Such summaries of very recent experimental results and evolving hypotheses will be rewarding for those currently working in the various fields, but tend to lose the more general reader in a maze of intricate detail. Among the articles that attempt broader reviews. a few stand out as particularly successful. For a sampling: John Lupton’s paper on the terrestrial inert gases is a clear and stimulating account of the inferences that can be drawn about the earth’s structure and history from isotope ratios in these minor constituents of air and other natural gases. Eugene Shoemaker summarizes the conclusions that can be drawn
about past and possible future bombardment of the earth by asteroids and comets from theoretical studies of large-scale impacts and observations of lunar and terrestrial impact structures. J. C. Savage relates strain accumulation in the western United States to plate motions and earthquake rccurrence times. J. H. Mercer analyzes different kinds of recent evidence about the extent and timing of Cenozoic glaciation in the southern hemisphere. A delightful feature of the volume is the brief prefatory chapter by John Verhoogen. A &urn& of the author’s personal odyssey from Belgium to California to Africa and then back to California leads into some wise and witty reflections about the permeation of quantitative ideas into earth science during the past three decades, a drama in which Verhoogen himself has played a principal role. This volume of Annual Reviews should please many read. ers, from specialists who want quick and authoritative summaries of important recent work in their own lines of research and those who simply feel the need for up-dating in several currently exciting directions of earth-science inquiry. Department of Geology Stanford University Stanford, CA 94305, U.S.A.
Konrad 8. Krauskopf