Under the low-temperature and pressure conditions of Earth’s upper lithosphere, silicate rock responds to large strains by brittle fracture. The mechanism of brittle behavior is by the propagation of cracks, which may occur on all scales. We begin by studying this form of deformation, which is fundamental to the topics that follow. <...>

The goal of this book is to address a range of topics that affect the recovery of hydrocarbons from extremely low-permeability unconventional oil and gas reservoirs. While there are various definitions of unconventional reservoirs, in this book we consider oil- and gas-bearing formations with permeabilities so low that economically meaningful production can only be realized through horizontal drilling and multi-stage hydraulic fracturing. These reservoirs have permeabilities measured in nanodarcies, not millidarcies – in other words, a million times lower than conventional reservoirs. Despite their ultra-low permeability, there is no question about the scale and impact of production from unconventional oil and reservoirs in the US and Canada over the past decade. <...>

Recent environmental problems and natural disasters have given cause for increasing concern over the future habitability of our planet. It is becoming increasingly apparent that a clear understanding of the Earth's past evolution can provide the key to its possible future development. The Earth: Its Birth and Growth explores the evolution of the Earth over 4.6 billion years using basic reasoning and simple illustrations to help explain the underlying physical and chemical principles and major processes involved.

There is an ever-increasing need for a better understanding of regional seismic hazards, particularly in developing parts of the world where major building projects are planned and there is a huge migration of people to large cities that are at risk from earthquakes. Disasters in recent times, such as the earthquakes in Japan and Haiti, are chilling proof of the dangers of building in active fault zones.

This study presents the science community with a new geologic time scale for circa 3850 million years of Earth history. The scale encompasses many recent advances in stratigraphy, the science of the layering of strata on Earth. The new scale closely links radiometric and astronomical age dating, and provides comprehensive error analysis on the age of boundaries for a majority of the geologic divisions of time. Much advantage in time scale construction is gained by the concept of stage boundary definition, developed and actively pursued under the auspices of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS), that co-sponsors this study. <...>

Geology as a science has a fascinating and controversial history. Kieran D. O’Hara’s book provides a brief and accessible account of
the major events in the history of geology over the last 200 years – from early theories of Earth’s structure during the Reformation, through major controversies over the age of the Earth during the Industrial Revolution, to the more recent twentieth-century development of plate tectonic theory, and on to current ideas concerning the Anthropocene.

Oui choice of title for this book deliberately echoes Dseison’s A Hillary ofBritiih Earthquake!, which was published by the Cambridge University Press early in the 1920s. This was one of the first in recent tiroes to make a systematic study of seismic activity in a particular country, which we have tried to emulate for Iran. By calling our study a history we wish also to emphasise the importance оf time in the unfolding of geologic processes, and of investigating the past when attempting to under-&tand the present.

Noble Gas Geochemistry discusses the fundamental concepts of using noble gases to solve problems in the earth and planetary sciences. The discipline of noble gas geochemistry has become a major branch in the earth and planetary sciences. It offers a powerful and unique tool in resolving problems such as the origin of the solar system, evolution of the planets, Earth formation, mantle evolution and dynamics, atmospheric degassing and evolution, ocean circulation, dynamics of aquifer systems, and numerous applications to other geological problems.

The chemical evolution of geological reservoirs, such as the upper mantle, an oceanic basin, or a magma chamber, results from the competition of two opposing kinds of processes. From a parent system with uniform (or at least smoothly changing) geochemical properties, differentiation processes generate subsystems in which these properties are usually different.

Thermodynamics is the branch of science that deals with relative energy levels and transfers of energy between systems and between different states of matter. Because these subjects arise in virtually every other branch of science, thermodynamics is one of the cornerstones of scientific training. Various scientific specialties place varying degrees of emphasis on the subject areas covered by thermodynamics – a text on thermodynamics for physicists can look quite different from one for chemists, or one for mechanical engineers. For chemists, biologists, geologists, and environmental scientists of various types, the thermodynamics of chemical reactions is of course a central concern, and that is the emphasis to be found in this book. Let us start by considering a few simple reactions and the questions that arise in doing this. <...>