Lithosphere Dynamics

This book will constitute the proceedings of the ILP Workshop held in Abu Dhabi in December 2009. It will include a reprint of the 11 papers published in the December 2010 issue of the AJGS, together with 11 other original papers.

This book focuses on the links between deep earth (mantle) and shallow processes in areas of active tectonics in the Arabian Plate and Surrounding Areas. It also provides key information for energy resources in these areas. The book is a compilation of selected papers from the Task Force of the International Lithosphere Program (ILP). It comprises a set of research studies from the Middle East, North Africa and the Mediterranean domain focusing on (1) the architecture, geodynamic evolution and modelling of the Red Sea rift system and its surroundings, and tectonics and sedimentation in the Gulf of Corinth, (2) the crustal architecture and georesources of the North Algerian Offshore, (3) Reservoirs, aquifers and fluid transfers in Saudi Basins, Petroleum systems and salt tectonics in Yemen and (4) Cretaceous-Eocene foreland inversions in Saudi Arabia.

The vulnerability of our civilization to earthquakes is rapidly growing, rais ing earthquakes to the ranks of major threats faced by humankind. Earth quake prediction is necessary to reduce that threat by undertaking disaster preparedness measures. This is one of the critically urgent problems whose solution requires fundamental research. At the same time, prediction is a ma jor tool of basic science, a source of heuristic constraints and the final test of theories. This volume summarizes the state-of-the-art in earthquake prediction. Its following aspects are considered: - Existing prediction algorithms and the quality of predictions they pro vide. - Application of such predictions for damage reduction, given their current accuracy, so far limited. - Fundamental understanding of the lithosphere gained in earthquake prediction research. - Emerging possibilities for major improvements of earthquake prediction methods. - Potential implications for predicting other disasters, besides earthquakes. Methodologies. At the heart of the research described here is the inte gration of three methodologies: phenomenological analysis of observations; "universal" models of complex systems such as those considered in statistical physics and nonlinear dynamics; and Earth-specific models of tectonic fault networks. In addition, the theory of optimal control is used to link earthquake prediction with earthquake preparedness.

Europe provides an outstanding field laboratory for studying lithospheric processes through time, for tracing the tectonic evolution of crust and mantle from the present far back into the early Precambrian. Two things are particularly striking: the importance of plate tectonics during the Phanerozoic and through the Proterozic into the Archeaen, and the significance of tectonic inheritance, older structures and rheologies guiding the younger evolution. 'European Lithosphere Dynamics' grew out of a major European Science Foundation programme, EUROPROBE, with participation of many hundreds of Earth scientists from all over Europe. The main research activities focused on specific target areas and involved integration of geological, geophysical and geochemical methods. Defining surface-depth relationships was a prerequisite for interpretation of the processes, present and past, responsible for the formation of the lithosphere.

The vulnerability of our civilization to earthquakes is rapidly growing, rais ing earthquakes to the ranks of major threats faced by humankind. Earth quake prediction is necessary to reduce that threat by undertaking disaster preparedness measures. This is one of the critically urgent problems whose solution requires fundamental research. At the same time, prediction is a ma jor tool of basic science, a source of heuristic constraints and the final test of theories. This volume summarizes the state-of-the-art in earthquake prediction. Its following aspects are considered: - Existing prediction algorithms and the quality of predictions they pro vide. - Application of such predictions for damage reduction, given their current accuracy, so far limited. - Fundamental understanding of the lithosphere gained in earthquake prediction research. - Emerging possibilities for major improvements of earthquake prediction methods. - Potential implications for predicting other disasters, besides earthquakes. Methodologies. At the heart of the research described here is the inte gration of three methodologies: phenomenological analysis of observations; "universal" models of complex systems such as those considered in statistical physics and nonlinear dynamics; and Earth-specific models of tectonic fault networks. In addition, the theory of optimal control is used to link earthquake prediction with earthquake preparedness.

Treatise on Geophysics: Crust and Lithosphere Dynamics, Volume 6, provides a comprehensive review of the state of knowledge on crust and lithosphere dynamics, which is defined as the study of how the outermost layers of the Earth respond to loads that are emplaced on, within, and below it and its implications for plate mechanics and mantle flow. The book begins with a chapter on plate kinematics, which shows how new observations and methodologies have improved the resolution of relative and absolute plate motions. This is followed by studies of plate mechanics, focusing on the long-term rheology of the plates and response of the plates to both relatively short-term and long-term loads. The book also includes chapters that examine the evidence from surface heat flow, borehole breakouts, and magma models for the thermal and mechanical structure of the lithosphere; the deformation of the lithosphere in extensional and compressional settings. The final two chapters deal with the structural styles of faulting in the shallow brittle part of the lithosphere, the brittle-ductile transition, and the shear zone in the ductile part of the lithosphere; and how developments in plate mechanics have impacted our understanding of geological processes. Self-contained volume starts with an overview of the subject then explores each topic with in depth detail Extensive reference lists and cross references with other volumes to facilitate further research Full-color figures and tables support the text and aid in understanding Content suited for both the expert and non-expert

This work comprises the proceedings of a conference held last year in Rhodes, Greece, to assess developments during the last 20 years in the field of nonlinear dynamics in geosciences. The volume has its own authority as part of the Aegean Conferences cycle, but it also brings together the most up-to-date research from the atmospheric sciences, hydrology, geology, and other areas of geosciences, and discusses the advances made and the future directions of nonlinear dynamics.