Fractals and Chaos in Geology and Geophysics

by Donald L. Turcotte

Now in a greatly expanded second edition, this book relates fractals and chaos to a variety of geological and geophysical applications and introduces the fundamental concepts of fractal geometry and chaotic dynamics. In this new edition, Turcotte expands coverage of self-organized criticality and includes statistics and time series to provide a broad background for the reader. Topics include drainage networks and erosion, floods, earthquakes, mineral and petroleum resources, fragmentation, mantle convection, and magnetic field generation. The author introduces all concepts at the lowest possible level of mathematics consistent with their understanding, so that the reader requires only a background in basic physics and mathematics. He includes problems for the reader to solve. This book will appeal to a broad range of readers interested in complex natural phenomena.

Genres: Geology

416 pages, Paperback

First published March 27, 1992

About the author

Donald Lawson Turcotte was an American geophysicist most noted for his work on the boundary layer theory of mantle convection as part of the theory of plate tectonics. He worked at Cornell University then the University of California, Davis.