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Developments in solid earth geophysics volume 15
293
spectrometry, they “probably pumped the most interesting gases away”. This cryptic quotation was a remark made to me nearly twenty years ago by Sir Edward Bullard, and “Noble Gas Geochemistry” must bear further witness to the prophetic genius of that great man. At a time when technical advances in vacuum hardware and mass spectrometer design are rendering high precision measurements of rare gas abundance and isotopic composition more widely available, this book is a timely contribution to what must inevitably be a rapidly growing field of geo- and cosmochemistry. The authors must be particularly complimented for transcending the level of a research monograph based on individually contributed (but generally uncoordinated) papers. They have provided instead a well-founded synthesis of the relevant background science which will enable the specialist and non-specialist alike to appreciate the significance of the wide range of applications which are discussed in detail in the latter half of the text. I derived particular satisfaction from the unique introductory précis of the physical chemistry of the noble gases. Initiates to the field must now surely be spared sorties into alien areas of the library shelving in search of data on absorption, solubility and the like, sufficient of the physical and chemical principles being furnished in a single chapter. The authors make clear the fact that their coverage of cosmological aspects of the subject is, by intention, superficial, the ground having been covered over the years by numerous other review texts which are amply identified in this book’s bibliography. The originality of Ozima and Podosek’s book is that the emphasis is unashamedly “terrestrial” and in four chapters which follow, the reader is familiarised with the more novel (though generally factual) studies of noble gases in waters, igneous and sedimentary rocks, and in emanations. Topical debates over mantle structure, atmospheric evolution and Earth degassing are comprehensively aired in the final three chapters in a pleasingly rigorous fashion, Few specialist books are written in such a readable style. The authors have a happy knack of interspersing factual data and detailed debate with less formal, though highly pertinent, personal ob-
servations, giving the book a narrative rather than encyclopaedic character. The quality of the figures is good and the bibliography outstanding. At whatever level of interest, readers will be left in no doubt that, in the future, Sir Edward’s anticipation of the importance of noble gas studies for geosciences will certainly be fulfilled. J.G. MITCHELL (Newcastle upon Tyne, Gt. Britain)
Developments in So/id Earth Geophysics Volume 15.
Proceedings of the Seventeenth Assembly of the European Seismological Commission Budapest, 24—29 August 1980 E. Bisztricsany and Gy. Szeidovitz (Editors). Elsevier Scientific Publishing Company, Amsterdam—Oxford—New York, 1983, XVIII + 689 pages, ISBN 0-444-99662-1. *•
The European Seismological Commission (ESC) is one of the commissions belonging to the International Association of Seismology and Physics of the Earth Interior (IASPEI). ESC is the oldest and at the same time the largest of the commissions of IASPEI. It came into existence in 1951, during the General Assembly of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG). In the time since, ESC has initiated and fostered a wealth of activities in the field of seismology and related branches of earth sciences, in Europe and in adjacent regions. General Assemblies of ESC are held every two years, alternately in Eastern and Western Europe. Thereby the ESC-Assemblies are being scheduled in the years between two successive IASPEI-Assemblies. The most recent, 17-th General Assembly of ESC was held during the 21—29 August 1980 in Budapest At the same place the European Geophysical Society (EGS) held its 7-tb Annual Meeting during the 24—29 August 1980 Thus some of the ventures were organized jointly by both organisations. **~
**•
*
**
According to the Preface (page XIII) the 17th General Assembly was held between the 21 and 23 August 1980. The dates given here are those given by the Local Organizing Committee.
294
The proceedings of the 17-th Assembly of the European Seismological Commission under review contain contributions made at both the ESC-Assembly and the joint meeting of ESC and EGS. In all, 118 papers are included in the Proceedings. The papers are distributed in 14 chapters, containing from one to 21 papers each. The biggest chapters are those on “Seismicity” and on “Crustal Structure of Europe”, followed by chapters entitled “Plate Tectonics of Eastern Europe”, “Physical and Chemical Properties of the Mantle”, and “Theory and Interpretation”, The scope of all 14 chapters embraces the main areas of modern seismological research. The level of the contributions, though, is variable. While some of the contributions are fuliscale research papers, others are mere activity reports. This resuits from the fact that the type-written manuscripts are reproduced in the Proceedings without reviewing, and with a minimum of editonal corrections. The Proceedings offer thus a very direct insight into the “work-shops” of the respective authors, The European seismologists present themselves as working on a multitude of problems peculiar to their region. In the following the highlights of the chapters are pinpointed, as apparent to the reviewer. The respective numbers of papers are given in parentheses. Chapter 1: European Digital Seismic Network (6) Great efforts are underway to upgrade national seismographic networks. Here, results are presented on the implementation of broad-band and digital recording systems in Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, the USSR and England, and on the interpretation of the records. Chapter 2: Earthquake Hazard and Prediction (9) Further studies were undertaken on phenomena accompanying earthquakes, in particular on the prediction of the ground motion during an earthquake. However, no break-through is even remotely visible in the deterministic predictability of earthquakes. Some new ideas are summarized on “earthquake lights as precursory phenomena of impending earthquakes”, though this difficult theme continues to be largely speculative. Chapter 3: Seismicity (21) and Chapter 10: Recent crustal Movements and Associated Seismicity
(9) Local studies and case histories of earthquake sequences are presented as well as on topics such as uplift, tilt and volcanism, along with some more general considerations on earthquake magnitudes, seismic intensities, the recurrence relation of earthquakes, and tectonics. The topics of the chapters have a long tradition in seismological research in Europe. Chapter 4: Data Acquisition (3) Next to the presentation of data acquisition systems in Hungary and the German Democratic Republic, a report is given on the session of the ESC-Working Group “Geodynamic Techniques”. Here, attention is drawn to the very long baseline interferometry and laser ranging, as promising techniques in geodynamics. Chapter 5: Focal Mechanism and Earthquake Prediction (6) In this chapter, as also in some of the others, papers are included which only marginaliy fit into the theme outlined by the title. For example, I point to a paper in the present chapter, on the distribution of inhomogeneities from coda waves—a typical inversion problem, which is virtually not related to either focal mechanism or to prediction. Among the remaining papers in this chapter, the one proving differences in the scaling law of seismic spectra in two different mining regions deserves special attention. Chapter 6: Microseisms and Seismic Noise (5) Results are given on new studies pertaining to this old, traditional topic in seismological research. Chapter 7: Theory and Interpretation (10), Chapter 13: Geophysical Fluid Dynamics (1) and Chapter 14: Mathematical Geophysics (1) A wealth of ideas is presented on the computation of synthetic seismograms, seismic wave fields, and inversion of travel-time anomalies, the goal being the elucidation of the seismic structure of the lithosphere. Laterally heterogeneous, non-perfectly elastic and non-linear media attract the special attention of the authors. Chapter 8: Deep Seismic Soundings (2) and Chapter 11: Crustal Structure in Europe (21) Reports are given on a number of seismological and gravimetric projects, in particular: the international profile VII (Prague—Riga), North Atlantic (equator—75°N),Pyrenean Mountains, Canary Islands, Fennolora, Eastern Alps, British Caledo-
295
nides, Hercynian belt, Italy, Western Portugal, Eastern Europe, Fennoscandia, Aquitaine basin, South Tien Shan and Turanian platform. The structure of the Earth’s crust in Europe is certainly the best investigated one. A hypothesis unifying the findings made in recent decades on the crustal structure seems overdue. Chapter 9: Physical and Chemical Properties of the Mantle (11) Laboratory investigations on material behaviour under extreme pressure and temperature conditions assist in the understanding of the physical state and processes inside the Earth. On this basis field data are interpreted, notably the influence of mineral reactions on propagation of seismic waves; elastic, dielectric and electric anomalies as a consequence of ferroelectricity; core anelasticity in view of the phenomenon of order parameter relaxation; driving forces of tectonic plates in relation to the rheology of subducted slabs. Chapter 12: Plate Tectonics in Eastern Europe (13) The chapter contains paper ranging from largely abstract aspects of the plate tectonics hypothesis, to papers on its application to particular regions, such as the Central Carpathians, and the Carpathian Basin, South Transdanubia, the Pannonian Basin, and the Great Hungarian depres-
sion. Thereby the former group of papers deals with theoretical aspects, notably the state of stress at passive continental margins, the problem of initiation of subduction, the tectonomagnetic evidence for geological developments, and the significance of tensional tectonics in orogeny. At last, the Volume contains a list of contributors with their addresses, as well as a subject index. In all, the Proceedings give a picture of the state-of-art of European seismology and related subjects. The picture impresses by the large diversity of topics dealt with by various research groups. Progress is being documented in both theoretical and empirical studies. Apart from valuable contributions to the traditional fields of seismological research, novel approaches are apparent in the chapters on “Theory and Interpretation” and on “Physical and Chemical Properties of the Mantle”. Comparing the general picture with the corresponding one in other parts of the world, the conclusion seems warranted that European seismology with its century-long tradition continues to belong to the forefront of worldwide seismological research. S.J. Duda (Hamburg, W. Germany)
spectrometry, they “probably pumped the most interesting gases away”. This cryptic quotation was a remark made to me nearly twenty years ago by Sir Edward Bullard, and “Noble Gas Geochemistry” must bear further witness to the prophetic genius of that great man. At a time when technical advances in vacuum hardware and mass spectrometer design are rendering high precision measurements of rare gas abundance and isotopic composition more widely available, this book is a timely contribution to what must inevitably be a rapidly growing field of geo- and cosmochemistry. The authors must be particularly complimented for transcending the level of a research monograph based on individually contributed (but generally uncoordinated) papers. They have provided instead a well-founded synthesis of the relevant background science which will enable the specialist and non-specialist alike to appreciate the significance of the wide range of applications which are discussed in detail in the latter half of the text. I derived particular satisfaction from the unique introductory précis of the physical chemistry of the noble gases. Initiates to the field must now surely be spared sorties into alien areas of the library shelving in search of data on absorption, solubility and the like, sufficient of the physical and chemical principles being furnished in a single chapter. The authors make clear the fact that their coverage of cosmological aspects of the subject is, by intention, superficial, the ground having been covered over the years by numerous other review texts which are amply identified in this book’s bibliography. The originality of Ozima and Podosek’s book is that the emphasis is unashamedly “terrestrial” and in four chapters which follow, the reader is familiarised with the more novel (though generally factual) studies of noble gases in waters, igneous and sedimentary rocks, and in emanations. Topical debates over mantle structure, atmospheric evolution and Earth degassing are comprehensively aired in the final three chapters in a pleasingly rigorous fashion, Few specialist books are written in such a readable style. The authors have a happy knack of interspersing factual data and detailed debate with less formal, though highly pertinent, personal ob-
servations, giving the book a narrative rather than encyclopaedic character. The quality of the figures is good and the bibliography outstanding. At whatever level of interest, readers will be left in no doubt that, in the future, Sir Edward’s anticipation of the importance of noble gas studies for geosciences will certainly be fulfilled. J.G. MITCHELL (Newcastle upon Tyne, Gt. Britain)
Developments in So/id Earth Geophysics Volume 15.
Proceedings of the Seventeenth Assembly of the European Seismological Commission Budapest, 24—29 August 1980 E. Bisztricsany and Gy. Szeidovitz (Editors). Elsevier Scientific Publishing Company, Amsterdam—Oxford—New York, 1983, XVIII + 689 pages, ISBN 0-444-99662-1. *•
The European Seismological Commission (ESC) is one of the commissions belonging to the International Association of Seismology and Physics of the Earth Interior (IASPEI). ESC is the oldest and at the same time the largest of the commissions of IASPEI. It came into existence in 1951, during the General Assembly of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG). In the time since, ESC has initiated and fostered a wealth of activities in the field of seismology and related branches of earth sciences, in Europe and in adjacent regions. General Assemblies of ESC are held every two years, alternately in Eastern and Western Europe. Thereby the ESC-Assemblies are being scheduled in the years between two successive IASPEI-Assemblies. The most recent, 17-th General Assembly of ESC was held during the 21—29 August 1980 in Budapest At the same place the European Geophysical Society (EGS) held its 7-tb Annual Meeting during the 24—29 August 1980 Thus some of the ventures were organized jointly by both organisations. **~
**•
*
**
According to the Preface (page XIII) the 17th General Assembly was held between the 21 and 23 August 1980. The dates given here are those given by the Local Organizing Committee.
294
The proceedings of the 17-th Assembly of the European Seismological Commission under review contain contributions made at both the ESC-Assembly and the joint meeting of ESC and EGS. In all, 118 papers are included in the Proceedings. The papers are distributed in 14 chapters, containing from one to 21 papers each. The biggest chapters are those on “Seismicity” and on “Crustal Structure of Europe”, followed by chapters entitled “Plate Tectonics of Eastern Europe”, “Physical and Chemical Properties of the Mantle”, and “Theory and Interpretation”, The scope of all 14 chapters embraces the main areas of modern seismological research. The level of the contributions, though, is variable. While some of the contributions are fuliscale research papers, others are mere activity reports. This resuits from the fact that the type-written manuscripts are reproduced in the Proceedings without reviewing, and with a minimum of editonal corrections. The Proceedings offer thus a very direct insight into the “work-shops” of the respective authors, The European seismologists present themselves as working on a multitude of problems peculiar to their region. In the following the highlights of the chapters are pinpointed, as apparent to the reviewer. The respective numbers of papers are given in parentheses. Chapter 1: European Digital Seismic Network (6) Great efforts are underway to upgrade national seismographic networks. Here, results are presented on the implementation of broad-band and digital recording systems in Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, the USSR and England, and on the interpretation of the records. Chapter 2: Earthquake Hazard and Prediction (9) Further studies were undertaken on phenomena accompanying earthquakes, in particular on the prediction of the ground motion during an earthquake. However, no break-through is even remotely visible in the deterministic predictability of earthquakes. Some new ideas are summarized on “earthquake lights as precursory phenomena of impending earthquakes”, though this difficult theme continues to be largely speculative. Chapter 3: Seismicity (21) and Chapter 10: Recent crustal Movements and Associated Seismicity
(9) Local studies and case histories of earthquake sequences are presented as well as on topics such as uplift, tilt and volcanism, along with some more general considerations on earthquake magnitudes, seismic intensities, the recurrence relation of earthquakes, and tectonics. The topics of the chapters have a long tradition in seismological research in Europe. Chapter 4: Data Acquisition (3) Next to the presentation of data acquisition systems in Hungary and the German Democratic Republic, a report is given on the session of the ESC-Working Group “Geodynamic Techniques”. Here, attention is drawn to the very long baseline interferometry and laser ranging, as promising techniques in geodynamics. Chapter 5: Focal Mechanism and Earthquake Prediction (6) In this chapter, as also in some of the others, papers are included which only marginaliy fit into the theme outlined by the title. For example, I point to a paper in the present chapter, on the distribution of inhomogeneities from coda waves—a typical inversion problem, which is virtually not related to either focal mechanism or to prediction. Among the remaining papers in this chapter, the one proving differences in the scaling law of seismic spectra in two different mining regions deserves special attention. Chapter 6: Microseisms and Seismic Noise (5) Results are given on new studies pertaining to this old, traditional topic in seismological research. Chapter 7: Theory and Interpretation (10), Chapter 13: Geophysical Fluid Dynamics (1) and Chapter 14: Mathematical Geophysics (1) A wealth of ideas is presented on the computation of synthetic seismograms, seismic wave fields, and inversion of travel-time anomalies, the goal being the elucidation of the seismic structure of the lithosphere. Laterally heterogeneous, non-perfectly elastic and non-linear media attract the special attention of the authors. Chapter 8: Deep Seismic Soundings (2) and Chapter 11: Crustal Structure in Europe (21) Reports are given on a number of seismological and gravimetric projects, in particular: the international profile VII (Prague—Riga), North Atlantic (equator—75°N),Pyrenean Mountains, Canary Islands, Fennolora, Eastern Alps, British Caledo-
295
nides, Hercynian belt, Italy, Western Portugal, Eastern Europe, Fennoscandia, Aquitaine basin, South Tien Shan and Turanian platform. The structure of the Earth’s crust in Europe is certainly the best investigated one. A hypothesis unifying the findings made in recent decades on the crustal structure seems overdue. Chapter 9: Physical and Chemical Properties of the Mantle (11) Laboratory investigations on material behaviour under extreme pressure and temperature conditions assist in the understanding of the physical state and processes inside the Earth. On this basis field data are interpreted, notably the influence of mineral reactions on propagation of seismic waves; elastic, dielectric and electric anomalies as a consequence of ferroelectricity; core anelasticity in view of the phenomenon of order parameter relaxation; driving forces of tectonic plates in relation to the rheology of subducted slabs. Chapter 12: Plate Tectonics in Eastern Europe (13) The chapter contains paper ranging from largely abstract aspects of the plate tectonics hypothesis, to papers on its application to particular regions, such as the Central Carpathians, and the Carpathian Basin, South Transdanubia, the Pannonian Basin, and the Great Hungarian depres-
sion. Thereby the former group of papers deals with theoretical aspects, notably the state of stress at passive continental margins, the problem of initiation of subduction, the tectonomagnetic evidence for geological developments, and the significance of tensional tectonics in orogeny. At last, the Volume contains a list of contributors with their addresses, as well as a subject index. In all, the Proceedings give a picture of the state-of-art of European seismology and related subjects. The picture impresses by the large diversity of topics dealt with by various research groups. Progress is being documented in both theoretical and empirical studies. Apart from valuable contributions to the traditional fields of seismological research, novel approaches are apparent in the chapters on “Theory and Interpretation” and on “Physical and Chemical Properties of the Mantle”. Comparing the general picture with the corresponding one in other parts of the world, the conclusion seems warranted that European seismology with its century-long tradition continues to belong to the forefront of worldwide seismological research. S.J. Duda (Hamburg, W. Germany)