E-Book Overview
Radiogenic and stable isotopes are used widely in the earth sciences to determine the ages of rocks, meteorites and archeological objects, and as tracers to understand geological and environmental processes. Isotope methods determine the age of the Earth, help reconstruct the climate of the past, and explain the formation of the chemical elements in the Universe. This textbook provides a comprehensive introduction to both radiogenic and stable isotope techniques. An understanding of the basic principles of isotope geology is important in a wide range of the sciences: geology, astronomy, paleontology, geophysics, climatology, archeology, and others. Written by one of the world's most respected and best-known geochemists, this full color textbook will be invaluable for all undergraduate and graduate courses on the topic, and is an excellent reference text for scientists. There are problems at the end of each chapter, with password-protected solutions available to instructors at www.cambridge.org/9780521862288.
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ISOTOPE GEOLOGY
Radiogenic and stable isotopes are used widely in the Earth sciences to determine the ages of rocks, meteorites, and archeological objects, and as tracers to understand geological and environmental processes. Isotope methods determine the age of the Earth, help reconstruct the climate of the past, and explain the formation of the chemical elements in the Universe. This textbook provides a comprehensive introduction to both radiogenic and stable isotope techniques. An understanding of the basic principles of isotope geology is important in a wide range of the sciences: geology, astronomy, paleontology, geophysics, climatology, archeology, and others. Claude Alle`gre is one of the world’s most respected and best-known geochemists, and this textbook has been developed from his many years of teaching and research experience. Isotope Geology is tailored for all undergraduate and graduate courses on the topic, and is also an excellent reference text for all Earth scientists. c l a u d e a l l e` g r e is extremely well known globally in the Earth science research and teaching community. He is currently an Emeritus Professor at the Institut Universitaire de France, Universite´ Denis Diderot, and the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, and has had a long and illustrious career in science. He is a former Director of the Department of Earth Sciences, Universite´ Paris VII, former Director of the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, past President of the French Bureau of Geological and Mining Research (BRGM), and former National Education Minister for Research and Technology for the French government. In his career he has won most of the available honours and awards in the geosciences, including the Crafoord Prize from the Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences, the Goldschmidt Medal from the Geochemical Society of America, the Wollaston Medal from the Geological Society of London, the Arthur Day Gold Medal from the Geological Society of America, the Me´daille d’Or du CNRS, the Holmes Medal from the European Union Geosciences, and the Bowie Medal from the American Geophysical Union. He is member of several academics: Foreign Associate of the National Academy of Sciences (USA), Foreign Member of the Academy of Art and Science, Foreign Member of the Philosophical Society, Foreign Member of the Royal Society, Foreign Member of the National Academy of India, and Membre de l’Acade´mie des Sciences de Paris. He is also a Commandeur de la Le´gion d’Honneur, a past President of the European Union of Geosciences, past President of the NATO Earth Sciences Committee, and former editor of the journals Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors and Chemical Geology. He has written hundreds of research articles, and 25 books in French.
Isotope Geology CLAU