American Geophysical Union

A continental plate boundary; tectonics at South Island, New Zealand. (CD-ROM included)

This book/CD-ROM package covers the tectonics and plate dynamics of the Pacific-Australian continental plate boundary in South Island, and details the application of modern geological and geophysical methods. The chapters cover a range of geological and geophysical investigations and provide further insight into the deformation and evolution of continental collision. Chapters are in sections on the regional framework of the Pacific/Indo-Australian plate boundary within South Island, the plate boundary (Alpine) fault and the Southern Alps orogen, and plate boundary dynamics. A final section compares the Alpine fault-Southern Alps system to other transpressional and obliquely convergent plate boundaries. The book includes color maps and b&w figures. The accompanying CD-ROM contains color versions of the book's b&w figures, plus additional illustrations. The readership for the book includes seismologists, tectonophysicists, geodesists, geophysicists, geologists, geodynamicists, and students of the deformation of tectonic plates. Information on the editor is not given. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Exploring Venus as a terrestrial planet.

Editors Esposito (U. of Colorado), Stofan (Proxemy Research, Virginia), and Cravens (U. of Kansas) present 12 contributions based on talks presented at the February 2006 AGU-sponsored Chapman conference (Key Largo, Florida) concerning what is known and what needs knowing regarding Venus (whose "runaway greenhouse effect" could be seen as a cautionary tale for Earthlings). Coverage includes the major scientific issues and directions for exploration of Venus and discussion of surface evolution, atmospheric composition and dynamics, radiation, astrobiology, and technology for future exploration. The papers are attractively presented on coated stock, with illustrations. There is no index. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

The opening of a new landscape; Columbia Glacier at mid-retreat.

The fascinating science of glaciers and the sobering realities of their diminishment due to global warming are the topics of this accessible volume by glaciologist Pfeffer (U. of Colorado, Boulder), a leading scholar of the Columbia Glacier in Alaska. The volume, which is printed in a horizontal format (11x9 inches) and features many impressive photos by the author as well as historic photos, details the science of glacier, the history of the study of the Columbia Glacier, the physics of glaciers, and the upper glacier there. There is a bibliography, but no index. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Post-perovskite; the last mantle phase transition. (CD-ROM included)

Drawing on material from a series of conferences on the Earth's mantle and deep interior held in 2004 and 2005, this book summarizes findings on the newly discovered "post-perovskite phase transition" in the lower mantle and its implications for many fields in solid Earth geophysics, such as mineral physics, seismology, geodynamics, and geochemistry. The book presents the full span of post-perovskite attributes, including characterization by experimental and theoretical mineral physics, seismological interpretations, and dynamical considerations. B&w and color illustrations are included. There is no subject index. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Volcanism and subduction; the Kamchatka region.

The magnificent Kliuchevskoi and Shiveluch volcanoes rule over this sometimes hellish region, where the torn North Pacific slab dives into the hot mantle of the earth. The result is 29 active volcanoes, four of which are in semi-continuous eruption, and 14 Magnitude Seven or greater earthquakes since 1962. The Kamchatka region is therefore subject to frequent study by Russian, American and Japanese researchers of coupled magnetism and tectonics. In this lavishly illustrated collection of nearly two dozen overviews and topical studies, researchers describe the region's tectonic evolution in the Kamchatka-Aleutian connection, the evolution of the Kurile-Kamchatkan volcanic arcs and dynamics of the Kamchatka-Aleutian junction, the origin of the modern subduction zone, seismic characteristics of the region, and volcanism in the late Pleistocene-Holocene era, with topic studies including imagery, magnetic and seismic constraints, reflective layers, spatial relationships, geochemistry, deformation patterns, and preliminary studies of a volcano on the region's Kuril Islands. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)