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Earth's Core

Geophysics of a Planet's Deepest Interior

  • 1st Edition - December 4, 2021
  • Latest edition
  • Authors: Vernon F. Cormier, Michael I. Bergman, Peter L. Olson
  • Language: English

Earth’s Core: Geophysics of a Planet’s Deepest Interior　provides a　multidisciplinary approach to　Earth’s core, including　seismology, mineral physics, geomagnetism, and geodynamics.… Read more

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Description

Earth’s Core: Geophysics of a Planet’s Deepest Interior　provides a　multidisciplinary approach to　Earth’s core, including　seismology, mineral physics, geomagnetism, and geodynamics.　The book　examines　current　observations, experiments,　and　theories;　identifies outstanding research questions;　and　suggests future directions for study.　

With topics ranging from the structure of the core-mantle boundary region, to the chemical and physical properties of the core, the workings of the　geodynamo, inner core seismology and dynamics, and core formation,　this　book　offers a multidisciplinary perspective　on what we know and what we know　we have yet to discover.　The book begins with　the　fundamental material and concepts in seismology, mineral physics,　geomagnetism,　and geodynamics, accessible　from　a wide range of backgrounds. The book then builds on this foundation　to introduce current research, including observations, experiments, and theories. By identifying unsolved problems and promising routes to their solutions, the book is intended to motivate further research, making it a valuable resource　both　for students entering Earth and planetary sciences and for researchers in a particular subdiscipline who need to broaden their understanding.

Key features

  • Includes multidisciplinary observations constraining the composition and dynamics of the Earth’s core
  • Concisely presents competing theories and arguments on the composition, state, and dynamics of the Earth’s interior
  • Provides observational tests of various theories to enhance understanding
  • Serves as a valuable resource for researchers in deep earth geophysics, as well as many sub-disciplines, including seismology, geodynamics, geomagnetism, and mineral physics

Readership

Geophysicists, seismologists, and geochemists; graduate students and early career post-doctoral fellows in deep earth geophysics in the subfields of seismology, geodynamics, geomagnetism, and mineral physics

Table of contents

1. Radial structure of Earth’s core

2. Chemical and physical state of the core

3. Geodynamo and geomagnetic basics

4. Outer core dynamics

5. Boundary regions

6. Inner core explored with seismology

7. Inner core dynamics

8. Formation and evolution of the core

9. Future research goals

Review quotes

"If I were naming this volume, I would call it “From core to crust” because that is what it covers. I was very impressed by the breadth and depth of the different earth-science topics. I have rarely seen a volume that covers so many different elements of the earth sciences including gravity and magnetics, crystology, and seismology. I would recommend this volume to the broader earth-science community. The author’s approach is to cast a data net as wide as possible over the earth sciences and draw it into a planetary model for the earth’s core. There are nine high-quality chapters spanning 324 pages in this 11 × 8 inch volume,...color figures are well rendered....Four chapters have an appendix, and some others have a further readings section." — Patrick Taylor, The Leading Edge, April 2024

Product details

  • Edition: 1
  • Latest edition
  • Published: December 6, 2021
  • Language: English

About the authors

VC

Vernon F. Cormier

Vernon F. Cormier is a Professor of Physics and Geophysics at the University of Connecticut. He received a BS from the California Institute of Technology and a PhD from Columbia University. His research has specialized in seismic wave propagation and deep Earth structure. He has served as an editor for the Geophysical Journal International and Physics of the Earth’s Interior. Among services to professional societies he has served the Seismological Society of America as Vice President and the American Geophysical Union as Secretary of the Seismology Section and Chair of the Study of Earth’s Deep Interior (SEDI) focus group.
Affiliations and expertise
Department of Physics, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, United States

MB

Michael I. Bergman

Michael I. Bergman is the Emily H. Fisher Professor of Physics at Bard College at Simon’s Rock, where he teaches courses ranging from Introduction to Geology to Solid-state Physics to a field course in Volcanology on the island of Montserrrat. He earned a BA from Columbia University and a PhD from MIT. His research has focused on the solidification and deformation of metals, alloys, and aqueous solutions, with applications to Earth’s core and sea ice. He is the recipient of the Doornbos Prize for research on the deep Earth by a beginning investigator, has been the long-standing secretary of SEDI, and has served as guest editor for several journals.
Affiliations and expertise
Faculty in Physics, Bard College at Simon’s Rock, Great Barrington, Massachusetts, United States

PO

Peter L. Olson

Peter L. Olson is an adjunct professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at the University of New Mexico. He earned a BA from the University of Colorado and a PhD from the University of California Berkeley. His research focuses on the dynamics of Earth and other planets. He co-authored a book on convection in planetary mantles and served on editorial boards of numerous scientific journals. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the US National Academy of Sciences, and received the Petrus Peregrinus Medal from the European Geosciences Union and the Inge Lehmann Medal from the American Geophysical Union.
Affiliations and expertise
Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States

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