Global Dynamics Of The Earth: Applications Of Normal Mode Relaxation Theory To Solid-earth Geophysics (modern Approaches In Geophysics)

this Volume Opens Up New Perspectives On The Physics Of The Earth's Interior For Graduate Students And Researchers Working In The Fields Of Geophysics And Geodesy. It Looks At Our Planet In An Integrated Fashion, Linking The Physics Of Its Interior To The Geophysical And Geodetic Techniques That Record, Over A Broad Spectrum Of Spatial Wavelengths, The Ongoing Modifications In The Shape And Gravity Field Of The Planet. Basic Issues Related To The Rheological Properties Of The Earth's Mantle And To Its Slow Deformation Will Be Understood, In Both Mathematical And Physical Terms, Within The Framework Of An Analytical Normal Mode Relaxation Theory. Fundamentals Of This Theory Are Developed In The First, Tutorial Part. The Second Part Deals With A Wide Range Of Applications, Ranging From Changes In The Earth's Rotation To Post-seismic Deformation And Sea-level Variations Induced By Post-glacial Rebound. In The Study Of The Physics Of The Earth's Interior, The Book Bridges The Gap Between Seismology And Geodynamics. Front Matter....Pages i-xiv Normal Mode Theory in Viscoelasticity....Pages 1-44 Multi-Layer Models....Pages 45-97 Rotational Dynamics of Viscoelastic Planets....Pages 99-126 Polar Wander and J̇ 2 Induced by Ice-Sheet Loading....Pages 127-172 Detection of the Time-Dependent Gravity Field and Global Change....Pages 173-188 Sea-Level Changes....Pages 189-226 Tectonics and the Rotation of the Earth and Terrestrial Planets....Pages 227-267 Post-Seismic Deformation....Pages 269-291 Back Matter....Pages 293-329 In modeling a particular geophysical phenomenon, the choice of the rheology used depends on 1) mathematical difficulty, 2) the quality of the geophysical data which the calculations of the model are required to match and 3) our knowledge of the rheological behavior of the medium at hand.