A Global Approach To Geology

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This book presents a systematic discussion about methods and techniques used to extract the maximum informative value from complex data sets. A multitude of approaches and techniques can be applied for that purpose, including data fusion and model integration, multimodal data analysis in different physical domains, audio-video display of data through techniques of “sonification”, multimedia machine learning, and hybrid methods of data analysis. The book begins with the domain of geosciences, before moving on to other scientific areas, like diagnostic medicine and various engineering sectors. As such, it will appeal to a large audience, including geologists and geophysicists, data scientists, physicians and cognitive scientists, and experts in social sciences and knowledge management.

Taking a new global approach, this unique book provides an updated review of the geology of Iberia and its continental margins from a geodynamic perspective. Owing to its location close to successive plate margins, Iberia has played a pivotal role in the geodynamic evolution of the Gondwanan, Rheic, Pangea, Tethys s.l. and Eurasian plates over the last 600 Ma of Earth's history. The geological record starts with the amalgamation of Gondwana in the Neoproterozoic succeeded by the rifting and spreading of the Rheic ocean; its demise, which led to the amalgamation of Pangea in the late Paleozoic; the rifting and spreading of several arms of the Neotethys ocean in the Mesozoic Era and their ongoing closure, which was responsible for the Alpine orogeny. The significant advances in the last 20 years have attracted international research interest in the geology of the Iberian Peninsula. This volume presents the most comprehensive, careful and updated description of the variscan cycle in Iberia. This volume focuses in the different geological events since the Cambrian-Early Ordovician rift until the late variscan orocline formations including magmatic and metamorphic evolution.

Monroe and Wicander's new edition of Physical Geology: Exploring the Earth provides a comprehensive overview of the physical aspects of the Earth's processes above, on, and below the surface. In this acclaimed book, the authors link diverse material with the common thread of plate tectonics, an approach that provides a global perspective of Earth and allows geologists to treat many seemingly unrelated geologic phenomena as part of a total planetary system. Monroe and Wicander make the subject fascinating and intriguing as they integrate many environmental and economic geology themes throughout the text. The book helps readers understand the relationship between the multiple physical processes of the earth--a "systems" approach--to instill enthusiasm and to help readers comprehend the concepts of the subject. Monroe and Wicander, both respected scholars and authors, convey the excitement and sense of discovery inherent in the study of geology. This version of the text is packaged with Earth Systems Today CD-ROM, inside every copy of the text.

Explains why an awareness of Earth's temporal rhythms is critical to planetary survival and offers suggestions for how to create a more time-literate society.