An Introduction to Seismology, Earthquakes and Earth Structure [Paperback]

Seth Stein (Author), Michael Wysession (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0865420785 | ISBN-13: 978-0865420786 | Publication Date: September 2002 | Edition: 1

An Introduction to Seismology, Earthquakes and Earth Structures is an introduction to seismology and its role in the earth sciences, and is written for advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate students.

The fundamentals of seismic wave propagation are developed using a physical approach and then applied to show how refraction, reflection, and teleseismic techniques are used to study the structure and thus the composition and evolution of the earth. The book shows how seismic waves are used to study earthquakes and are integrated with other data to investigate the plate tectonic processes that cause earthquakes. Figures, examples, problems, and computer exercises teach students about seismology in a creative and intuitive manner. Necessary mathematical tools including vector and tensor analysis, matrix algebra, Fourier analysis, statistics of errors, signal processing, and data inversion are introduced with many relevant examples. The text also addresses the fundamentals of seismometry and applications of seismology to societal issues. Special attention is paid to help students visualize connections between different topics and view seismology as an integrated science.

An Introduction to Seismology, Earthquakes, and Earth Structure gives an excellent overview for students of geophysics and tectonics, and provides a strong foundation for further studies in seismology.

• Multidisciplinary examples throughout the text - catering to students in varied disciplines (geology, mineralogy, petrology, physics, etc.).
  
• Most up to date book on the market - includes recent seismic events such as the 1999 Earthquakes in Turkey, Greece, and Taiwan).
  
• Chapter outlines - each chapter begins with an outline and a list of learning objectives to help students focus and study.
  
• Essential math review - an entire section reviews the essential math needed to understand seismology. This can be covered in class or left to students to review as needed.
  
• End of chapter problem sets - homework problems that cover the material presented in the chapter. Solutions to all odd numbered problem sets are listed in the back so that students can track their progress.
  
• Extensive References - classic references and more current references are listed at the end of each chapter.

A set of instructor's resources containing downloadable versions of all the figures in the book, errata and answers to homework problems is available at: http://levee.wustl.edu/seismology/book/. Also available on this website are PowerPoint lecture slides corresponding to the first 5 chapters of the book.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This outstanding book is without equal, and it will endure for many years as an indispensable reference for earth scientists and engineers as well as a great resource for students." (Choice, April 2003)

"An Introduction to Seismology, Earthquakes, and Earth Structure belongs on the shelf of every seismologist...a fantastic resource for interesting examples, challenging problems, added coverage for selected topics, and as a general reference resource. This book is destined to become a classic."
--Clifford Thurber, University of Wisconsin, Madison, EOS Transactions, June 2003

"All in all, it is an indispensable reference for serious students of solid-Earth geophysics."
--Heidi Houston, UCLA, Physics Today, October 2003

"...the authors' methodical approach and transition through the subject make it a suitable text with which to build on undergraduate studies...If you have found seismology and earth structure an interesting aspect of your earth science studies this book is a valuable next step, supporting the authors' contention that seismology should be part of the education of every solid earth scientist." (The Open University Geological Society Journal, May 2004)

"There is no doubt that the publication is a valuable learning tool for advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate students and a useful reference book not only for seismologists but also for solid earth scientists in general." (The Eggs.org (Newsletter of the EGU), September 2004)

"This is an extremely well-written, innovative and well-received overview-cum-textbook for use by first-year graduate students. The approach is more modern and useful than other available seismology textbooks." (Natural Hazards, April 2005)

"In spite of the fact that the book has been written as a textbook, it also makes a good addition to any geophysicist's bookshelf as a 'quick reference' as the clear writing makes it easy to absorb information quickly when reading out of sequence." (Surveys in Geophysics)

Book Description

An Introduction to Seismology, Earthquakes and Earth Structure is an introduction to seismology and its role in the earth sciences, and is written for advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate students. The fundamentals of seismic wave propagation are developed using a physical approach and then applied to show how refraction, reflection, and teleseismic techniques are used to study the structure and thus the composition and evolution of the earth. The book shows how seismic waves are used to study earthquakes and are integrated with other data to investigate the plate tectonic processes that cause earthquakes. Figures, examples, problems, and computer exercises teach students about seismology in a creative and intuitive manner. Necessary mathematical tools including vector and tensor analysis, matrix algebra, Fourier analysis, statistics of errors, signal processing, and data inversion are introduced with many relevant examples. The text also addresses the fundamentals of seismometry and applications of seismology to societal issues. Special attention is paid to help students visualize connections between different topics and view seismology as an integrated science. AN INTRODUCTION TO SEISMOLOGY, EARTHQUAKES AND EARTH STRUCTURE gives an excellent overview for students of geophysics and tectonics, and provides a strong foundation for further studies in seismology.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 498 pages
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell; 1 edition (September 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0865420785
• ISBN-13: 978-0865420786
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 1.2 x 10.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #400,598 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #49 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Earth Sciences > Seismology
  • #77 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Earth Sciences > Earthquakes & Volcanoes
  • #82 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Earth Sciences > Geophysics

More About the Author

Seth Stein is Deering Professor of Geology at Northwestern University. He was awarded the Macelwane Medal of the American Geophysical Union, the Woollard Award of the Geological Society of America, and Mueller Medal of the European Geosciences Union. He has been elected a member of the Academy of Europe and a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union and Geological Society of America. His research interests are in plate tectonics, earthquake seismology, earthquake hazards, and space geodesy. He was an organizer of EarthScope, a national initiative to advance knowledge of the structure and evolution of North America, Director of the consortium of universities using GPS for earth science, and Visiting Senior Scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent text for undergrad/grad course., July 18, 2005

By 

J. Fox (Golden, CO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: An Introduction to Seismology, Earthquakes and Earth Structure (Paperback)

I used this book in a course on earthquake kinematics. Previously I had used the Aki/Richards book 'Quantitative Seismology' and found myself rethinking my major! Fortunately I slugged through it and my fascination with seismology was rekindled by this book. It explains a lot of the concepts well enough for those with only a few semesters of calc/physics under their belts to easily understand. I was even able to use this book as a more clear reference for an Inverse Theory course I took. The examples are great, the diagrams clear and concise and the tone is relaxed. This book actually explains concepts that are not explained in the Aki/Richards book. I particularly like the section on Green's functions, waveform inversion, and moment tensors. There is even a chapter on Fourier analysis! This is a book I can go back to for clear & concise explanations of otherwise abstract subjects. My copy is heavily tabbed since I use it often. My only gripe is the size of the font and the layout. There are two columns per page so it makes for some tiny print and everything seems squeezed together and slightly busy. The authors do provide a nice web-site where you can look at all the diagrams in the book as huge images....free! The link can be found on Dr. Wysession's homepage at Washington University St. Louis.
All in all a great book on a great subject!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good intro textbook to seismology, January 24, 2007

By 

Online Shopper (MA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: An Introduction to Seismology, Earthquakes and Earth Structure (Paperback)

I have used this textbook for an intro to seismology class in college and have found it to be very detailed and covered a wider range of topics compared to other seismology textbooks. This book focus a great deal on deriving equations, so if you are a math person, it'll be a great way for you to learn. Problem sets at the end of each chapter are challenging but not totally impossible; and like most textbooks, only some of the answers are on the back. There are a few mistakes I found in the diagrams, but not it's not a big deal. Overall, I do recommend this book as an intro text book geared towards the upper level undergraduates or graduate students.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Introduction, October 26, 2007

By 

Nicholas Hoell "Mayo Breath" (New York City) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: An Introduction to Seismology, Earthquakes and Earth Structure (Paperback)

This book covers the essentials and then some. It goes beyond what can reasonably be covered in an introductory course. There is a good deal of derivations and presentations from several viewpoints. Covers seismology, interpreting seismograms, inverse theory, basic equations, earthquakes, earth structure. Loads of pictures, mathematics, and real-life discussions. Puts everything in a cohesive package. Expect a challenging read!