Geodynamics is an old science. Most of the basic theories have been conceived in principle during the 19th century and not many fundamen tal ideas have been added since. Some progress has been made in the following-up of these concepts and, in some instances, in the deter mination of some important facts about the Earth. Nevertheless, geo dynamics has been a highly speculative subject for about a hundred years and it is not likely that this situation will change during the next hundred. It is also unlikely that many basic new ideas will be added in that time interval. The reason for this lies in the extreme difficulty of obtaining really relevant data about the mechanics of the Earth, partly due to the impossibility of probing into the depths of the Earth by direct means to any considerable extent and partly due to the fact that the time intervals in which . . something happens" are of the order of millions of years, which is much too long for any human being to wait and ex periment with. The situation in geodynamics is, therefore much akin to that which existed when the ancient Greek philosophers were speculating about the possibly atomic structure of matter: there was, at that time, absolutely no hope to either confirm or to reject the hypothesis.

Geodynamics is commonly thought to be one of the subjects which provide the basis for understanding the origin of the visible surface features of the Earth: the latter are usually assumed as having been built up by geodynamic forces originating inside the Earth ("endogenetic" processes) and then as having been degrad ed by geomorphological agents originating in the atmosphere and ocean ("exogenetic" agents). The modem view holds that the sequence of events is not as neat as it was once thought to be, and that, in effect, both geodynamic and geomorphological processes act simultaneously ("Principle of Antagonism"); however, the division of theoretical geology into the principles of geodynamics and those of theoretical geomorphology seems to be useful for didactic purposes. It has therefore been maintained in the present writer's works. This present treatise on geodynamics is the first part of the author's treatment of theoretical geology, the treatise on Theoretical Geomorphology (also published by the Springer Verlag) representing the second. The present edition is third one of the book. Although the headings of the chapters and sections are much the same as in the previous editions, it will be found that most of the material is, in fact, new.

Geodynamics is an old science. Most of the basic theories have been conceived in principle during the 19th century and not many fundamen tal ideas have been added since. Some progress has been made in the following-up of these concepts and, in some instances, in the deter mination of some important facts about the Earth. Nevertheless, geo dynamics has been a highly speculative subject for about a hundred years and it is not likely that this situation will change during the next hundred. It is also unlikely that many basic new ideas will be added in that time interval. The reason for this lies in the extreme difficulty of obtaining really relevant data about the mechanics of the Earth, partly due to the impossibility of probing into the depths of the Earth by direct means to any considerable extent and partly due to the fact that the time in tervals in which" something happens" are ofthe order of millions of years, which is much too long for any human being to wait and experiment with. The situation in geodynamics is therefore much akin to that which existed when the ancient Greek philosophers were speculating about the possibly atomic structure of matter: there was, at that time, absolutely no hope to either confirm or to reject the hypothesis.

A fully updated third edition of this classic textbook, containing two new chapters on numerical modelling supported by online MATLAB® codes.

Written as both a textbook and a handy reference, this text deliberately avoids complex mathematics assuming only basic familiarity with geodynamic theory and calculus. Here, the authors have brought together the key numerical techniques for geodynamic modeling, demonstrations of how to solve problems including lithospheric deformation, mantle convection and the geodynamo. Building from a discussion of the fundamental principles of mathematical and numerical modeling, the text moves into critical examinations of each of the different techniques before concluding with a detailed analysis of specific geodynamic applications. Key differences between methods and their respective limitations are also discussed - showing readers when and how to apply a particular method in order to produce the most accurate results. This is an essential text for advanced courses on numerical and computational modeling in geodynamics and geophysics, and an invaluable resource for researchers looking to master cutting-edge techniques. Links to supplementary computer codes are available online.

This second edition of Fundamentals of Geophysics has been completely revised and updated, and is the ideal geophysics textbook for undergraduate students of geoscience with an introductory level of knowledge in physics and mathematics. It gives a comprehensive treatment of the fundamental principles of each major branch of geophysics, and presents geophysics within the wider context of plate tectonics, geodynamics and planetary science. Basic principles are explained with the aid of numerous figures and step-by-step mathematical treatments, and important geophysical results are illustrated with examples from the scientific literature. Text-boxes are used for auxiliary explanations and to handle topics of interest for more advanced students. This new edition also includes review questions at the end of each chapter to help assess the reader's understanding of the topics covered and quantitative exercises for more thorough evaluation. Solutions to the exercises and electronic copies of the figures are available at www.cambridge.org/9780521859028.