Earth as an Evolving Planetary System, Fourth Edition discusses key topics dealing with the evolution and interaction through time of Earth’s crust, mantle, core, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere. It addresses the questions of why Earth is unique among planets of the solar system, and how the various subsystems in the planet have interacted over 4.6 billion years in the habitable planet that we live on. This new edition includes over 100 new pages of material, data, and images and is a key reference for students and researchers in Earth and planetary sciences. Earth as an Evolving Planetary System, Fourth Edition includes new material that has become available since the third edition, including new sections on the Mid-lithosphere discontinuity, geoneutrinos, mantle oxidation, continental emergence, Earth cycles (new chapter) and recycling processes, the evolution of Earth from a stagnant lid to a plate tectonic regime, the controversy over how the continents have grown, when plate tectonics began, and exoplanets.
1. Introduction - p. 81 2. Seismic structure of the mantle - p. 81 3. Mantle tomography - p. 81 4. Geoid and density anomalies - p. 83 5. Temperature distribution in the mantle - p. 84 6. The lithosphere - p. 87 7. The asthenosphere - p. 97 8. The Transition Zone - p. 97 9. The lower mantle - p. 100 10. Water in the mantle - p. 105 11. Plate driving forces - p. 106 12. Mantle plumes - p. 107 13. Large low S-wave velocity provinces - p. 112 14. Mantle composition - p. 114 15. Convection in the mantle - p. 121 16. References - p. 124 17. Further reading - p. 124 18. Chapter 5 The core - p. 127 19. Chapter 6 Crustal and mantle evolution - p. 139 20. Keywords - p. 139 21. Introduction - p. 139 22. The Hadean - p. 139 23. Crustal origin - p. 145 24. Earth's oldest rocks - p. 146 25. Origin and growth of continents - p. 150 26. Continental growth rates - p. 154 27. Freeboard - p. 155 28. Global changes at the end of the Archean - p. 167 29. Evolution of the subcontinental lithosphere - p. 176 30. The onset of plate tectonics - p. 178 31. Earth's thermal history - p. 191 32. References - p. 195 33. Further reading - p. 195 34. Chapter 7 Earth cycles - p. 197 35. Chapter 8 The atmosphere and hydrosphere - p. 229 36. Chapter 9 The biosphere - p. 269 37. Chapter 10 Comparative planetary evolution - p. 305 38. Index - p. 389
Earth as an Evolving Planetary System, Fourth Edition discusses key topics dealing with the evolution and interaction through time of Earth’s crust, mantle, core, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere. It addresses the questions of why Earth is unique among planets of the solar system, and how the various subsystems in the planet have interacted over 4.6 billion years in the habitable planet that we live on. This new edition includes over 100 new pages of material, data, and images and is a key reference for students and researchers in Earth and planetary sciences. Earth as an Evolving Planetary System, Fourth Edition includes new material that has become available since the third edition, including new sections on the Mid-lithosphere discontinuity, geoneutrinos, mantle oxidation, continental emergence, Earth cycles (new chapter) and recycling processes, the evolution of Earth from a stagnant lid to a plate tectonic regime, the controversy over how the continents have grown, when plate tectonics began, and exoplanets.
1. Introduction - p. 81 2. Seismic structure of the mantle - p. 81 3. Mantle tomography - p. 81 4. Geoid and density anomalies - p. 83 5. Temperature distribution in the mantle - p. 84 6. The lithosphere - p. 87 7. The asthenosphere - p. 97 8. The Transition Zone - p. 97 9. The lower mantle - p. 100 10. Water in the mantle - p. 105 11. Plate driving forces - p. 106 12. Mantle plumes - p. 107 13. Large low S-wave velocity provinces - p. 112 14. Mantle composition - p. 114 15. Convection in the mantle - p. 121 16. References - p. 124 17. Further reading - p. 124 18. Chapter 5 The core - p. 127 19. Chapter 6 Crustal and mantle evolution - p. 139 20. Keywords - p. 139 21. Introduction - p. 139 22. The Hadean - p. 139 23. Crustal origin - p. 145 24. Earth's oldest rocks - p. 146 25. Origin and growth of continents - p. 150 26. Continental growth rates - p. 154 27. Freeboard - p. 155 28. Global changes at the end of the Archean - p. 167 29. Evolution of the subcontinental lithosphere - p. 176 30. The onset of plate tectonics - p. 178 31. Earth's thermal history - p. 191 32. References - p. 195 33. Further reading - p. 195 34. Chapter 7 Earth cycles - p. 197 35. Chapter 8 The atmosphere and hydrosphere - p. 229 36. Chapter 9 The biosphere - p. 269 37. Chapter 10 Comparative planetary evolution - p. 305 38. Index - p. 389
