399
marginal
basins,
the papers
how the papers The editors valuable
and a summary
and discussions
were accepted should
by the editors of the new information
at the meeting.
be congratulated
The publication
by
by the audience. on a job
book in which highly specialized
ing scientists.
provided
It would also have been useful to know
subject
of this volume
well done, matter
having
compiled
a
is dealt with by outstand-
must be considered
as a very welcome
event. J.J. BIGARELLA
(Curitiba, ParanB, Brazil)
Seismic Wave Propagation in the Earth. A. Hanyga (Editor). Physics and Evolution of the Earth’s Interior, Vol. 2. Elsevier, Amsterdam, a coedition with PWN-Polish Scientific Publishers, (hardcover)
Warszawa,
1985, XV + 478 pp.,
US $94.25/Dfl.
245.00
In any rapidly developing science, like seismology, comprehensive summaries are particularly important and serve as milestones. In the present decade, several such books have appeared, notably by Aki and Richards (Quantitative Seismology, 1980) and Ben-Menahem and Singh (Seismic Waves and Sources, 1981). The present book, edited by the Polish theoretical geophysicist Andrzej Hanyga, is a welcome continuation in this line. Although some overlapping is unavoidable, the publication of each of these is justified by their different backgrounds and purposes. The study of elastic waves occupies a central position in seismology. Influenced by source, path and receiver properties, seismic waves provide the most reliable information on earthquake mechanisms and the earth’s internal constitution. Research methods include theories, observations and model experiments in close interaction.
The present
book deals mostly
with path properties,
gation, and the methods are essentially theoretical. Hanyga’s book is volume 2 in a series of five volumes,
i.e., wave propa-
entitled
Physics
Evolution of the Earth’s Interior and edited by Professor Roman Teisseyre. consists of five chapters, the first four of which are written by Hanyga himself.
and It
Chapter 1 (Elementary Elasticity and Plane Waves, pp. l-34) briefly reviews classical wave theory as an introduction to the following chapters. Chapter 2 (Asymptotic Theory of Seismic Wave Propagation, pp. 35-168) presents the WKBJ approximation, geometrical optics, anisotropic media, point sources, head waves and inverse problems. Chapter 3 (Propagation of Pulses in Stratified Media, pp. 169-332) deals with transformed equations, spherical layering, inversions, diffraction, theoretical seismograms and mode excitation. Chapter 4 (Nonlinear Waves, pp. 333-377) describes nonlinear elasticity, prestressed media, shock waves and acceleration waves. Chapters l-4 are strictly mathematical and mostly rather complicated. A thorough knowledge of advanced applied mathematics is a minimum requirement for
400
any reader. Clear explanations of all notations and symbols as well as more details of the mathematical developments would have improved these chapters, made them easier to read and thus appealed The final Chapter tional
methods
and
5 (Waves results
surface wave propagation
to a wider readership. in the Real Earth,
concerning
body
(E. Lenartowicz),
pp. 378440)
wave propagation
i.e., developments
reviews
observa-
(J. Pajchel)
generally
and
familiar
to
observational seismologists. A number of minor points and poor language here and there in this chapter can be quite offputting (as can the cover picture I might add). The book ends with a useful 29-page list of references Chapters independent
and an g-page subject
index.
l-4 (theoretical) and Chapter 5 (observational) stand out as relatively of each other. More cross-reference would have better elucidated the
various ways of exploring the earth’s interior. One important feature of this book is its authoritative summary of the recent literature, much of which is in Russian. Another important feature is its endeavour to approximate the earth’s actual conditions as closely as possible, e.g. by including prestress, anisotropy and nonlinear effects in wave propagation. The book can be recommended to university lecturers in theoretical seismology and applied mathematics, who could clarify the content with further explanation in their lectures. Research workers in theoretical seismology will appreciate the book as a convenient guide to the original literature. Moreover, anybody else interested in advanced wave propagation theory could find a gold mine here- though maybe somewhat hard to dig. MARKUS
Erdbeben und Erdbebengefiihrdung.. E. Hurtig and H. Stiller Verlag, Berlin, 1984, 328 pp. DM 50,OO (paperback)
BhTH
(Uppsala,
(Editors).
Sweden)
Akademie-
Earthquakes and earthquake hazards are problems of global interest. The book under review addressed itself to a wealth of related questions. It must be said at the outset that the present edition is intended in the first place for East German readers. To write a review for an international journal on a book aimed at readers in a particular country is a special challenge. In this connection, two questions will be borne in mind in this review: (1) how is the subject of the book perceived in the given country, and (2) would it be worthwhile for the book to be made available in English? The book has 10 chapters. It contains contributions from a total of nine authors. E. Hurtig is the author or coauthor of eight chapters, a fact which makes the book fairly homogeneous in content and style. The book is written for a broad range of specialists concerned with earthquakes and seismic hazard analysis. As stated in the first, introductory chapter (by H. Stiller and E. Hurtig) it aims at reaching not only geoscientists, but also engineers working in mining, construction, hydrology and