Paleomagnetism: Continents and Oceans (Volume 73) (International Geophysics, Volume 73) - Hardcover

McElhinny, Michael W.; McFadden, Phillip L.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0124833551 ISBN 13: 9780124833555

Publisher: Academic Press, 1999

Synopsis

Paleomagnetism is the study of the fossil magnetism in rocks. It has been paramount in determining that the continents have drifted over the surface of the Earth throughout geological time. The fossil magnetism preserved in the ocean floor has demonstrated how continental drift takes place through the process of sea-floor spreading. The methods and techniques used in paleomagnetic studies of continental rocks and of the ocean floor are described and then applied to determining horizontal movements of the Earth's crust over geological time. An up-to-date review of global paleomagnetic data enables 1000 million years of Earth history to be summarized in terms of the drift of the major crustal blocks over the surface of the Earth.

The first edition of McElhinny's book was heralded as a "classic and definitive text." It thoroughly discussed the theory of geomagnetism, the geologic reversals of the Earth's magnetic field, and the shifting of magnetic poles. In the 25 years since the highly successful first edition of Palaeomagnetism and Plate Tectonics (Cambridge, 1973) the many advances in the concepts, methodology, and insights into paleomagnetism warrant this new treatment. This completely updated and revised edition of Paleomagnetism: Continents and Oceans will be a welcome resource for a broad audience of earth scientists as well as laypeople curious about magnetism, paleogeography, geology, and plate tectonics.

Because the book is intended for a wide audience of geologists, geophysicists, and oceanographers, it balances the mathematical and descriptive aspects of each topic.

• Details the theory and methodology of rock magnetism, with particular emphasis on intrepreting crustal movements from continental and oceanic measurements
• Outlines Earth history for the past 1000 million years, from the Rodinia super-continent through its breakup and the formation of Gondwana to the formation and breakup of Pangea and the amalgamation of Eurasia
• Provides a comprehensive treatment of oceanic paleomagnetism
• Provides a set of color pateogeographic maps covering the past 250 million years
• Written by two internationally recognized experts in the field

About this title

From the Back Cover:

Paleomagnetism: Continents and Oceans is an up-to-date synthesis and analysis of global paleomagnetic data for the major crustal blocks over the past 1000 million years. The volume will be of interest to geologists, geophysicists, and oceanographers and can be used as the basis for a lecture course on paleomagnetism. To make the text accessible as possible to students, the mathematics has been kept to a minimum. It can be considered as a companion volume to The Magnetic Field of the Earth, published in this series in 1996.

KEY FEATURES

* Details the theory and methodology of rock magnetism, with particular emphasis on intrepreting crustal movements from continental and oceanic measurements.
* Outlines Earth history for the past 1000 million years, from the Rodinia supercontinent through its breakup and the formation of Gondwana to the formation and breakup of Pangea and the amalgamation of Eurasia.
*Provides a comprehensive treatment of oceanic paleomagnetism.
* Provides a set of color paleogeographic maps covering the past 250 million years.
* Written by two internationally recognized experts in the field.
Michael W. McElhinny is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science and recipient of its Mawson Medal, a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union and recipient of its Fleming Medal, and an Honorary Fellow of the Geological Society of America.

Phillip L. McFadden is Chief Scientist at the Australian Geological Survey Organisation, a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, Fellow of the American Geophysical Union, and recipient of the Jubilee Medal of the Geological Society of South Africa.

About the Author:

Michael W. McElhinny is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science and recipient of its Mawson Medal, a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union and recipient of its Fleming Medal, and an Honorary Fellow of the Geological Society of America.

Phillip L. McFadden is Chief Research Scientist in the Australian Geological Survey Organization, a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union, and a recipient of the Jubilee Medal of the Geological Society of South Africa.

James R. Holton was Professor of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Washington until his death in 2004. A member of the National Academies of Science, during his career he was awarded every major honor available in the atmospheric sciences including AGU’s Revelle Medal.

About this edition

• Publisher: Academic Press
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0124833551
• ISBN 13: 9780124833555
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 386