Ebook: Fractals in the Earth Sciences
- Tags: Appl.Mathematics/Computational Methods of Engineering, Applications of Mathematics, Geology, Theoretical Mathematical and Computational Physics, Characterization and Evaluation of Materials
- Year: 1995
- Publisher: Springer US
- Edition: 1
- Language: English
- pdf
Fractals have changed the way we understand and study nature. This change has been brought about mainly by the work of B. B. Mandelbrot and his book The Fractal Geometry of Nature. Now here is a book that collects articles treating fractals in the earth sciences. The themes chosen span, as is appropriate for a discourse on fractals, many orders of magnitude; including earthquakes, ocean floor topography, fractures, faults, mineral crystallinity, gold and silver deposition. There are also chapters on dynamical processes that are fractal, such as rivers, earthquakes, and a paper on self-organized criticality. Many of the chapters discuss how to estimate fractal dimensions, Hurst exponents, and other scaling exponents. This book, in a way, represents a snapshot of a field in which fractals has brought inspiration and a fresh look at familiar subjects. New ideas and attempts to quantify the world we see around us are found throughout. Many of these ideas will grow and inspire further work, others will be superseded by new observations and insights, most probably with future contributions by the authors of these chapters.
Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-xviii
Fractal Distributions in Geology, Scale Invariance, and Deterministic Chaos....Pages 1-40
Some-Long-Run Properties of Geophysical Records....Pages 41-64
Some Remarks on the Numerical Estimation of Fractal Dimension....Pages 65-75
Measuring the Dimension of Self-Affine Fractals: Example of Rough Surfaces....Pages 77-87
Review of the Fractal Character of Natural Fault Surfaces with Implications for Friction and the Evolution of Fault Zones....Pages 89-105
Fractals and Ocean Floor Topography: A Review and a Model....Pages 107-130
Fractal Transitions on Geological Surfaces....Pages 131-140
Fractal Analysis of Scaling and Spatial Clustering of Fractures....Pages 141-178
Fractal Fragmentation in Crustal Shear Zones....Pages 179-204
Fractal Distribution of Fault Length and Offsets: Implications of Brittle Deformation Evaluation—The Lorraine Coal Basin....Pages 205-226
Fractal Dynamics of Earthquakes....Pages 227-236
Mineral Crystallinity in Igneous Rocks....Pages 237-249
Fractal Structure of Electrum Dendrites in Bonanza Epithermal Au-Ag Deposits....Pages 251-261
Back Matter....Pages 263-265
Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-xviii
Fractal Distributions in Geology, Scale Invariance, and Deterministic Chaos....Pages 1-40
Some-Long-Run Properties of Geophysical Records....Pages 41-64
Some Remarks on the Numerical Estimation of Fractal Dimension....Pages 65-75
Measuring the Dimension of Self-Affine Fractals: Example of Rough Surfaces....Pages 77-87
Review of the Fractal Character of Natural Fault Surfaces with Implications for Friction and the Evolution of Fault Zones....Pages 89-105
Fractals and Ocean Floor Topography: A Review and a Model....Pages 107-130
Fractal Transitions on Geological Surfaces....Pages 131-140
Fractal Analysis of Scaling and Spatial Clustering of Fractures....Pages 141-178
Fractal Fragmentation in Crustal Shear Zones....Pages 179-204
Fractal Distribution of Fault Length and Offsets: Implications of Brittle Deformation Evaluation—The Lorraine Coal Basin....Pages 205-226
Fractal Dynamics of Earthquakes....Pages 227-236
Mineral Crystallinity in Igneous Rocks....Pages 237-249
Fractal Structure of Electrum Dendrites in Bonanza Epithermal Au-Ag Deposits....Pages 251-261
Back Matter....Pages 263-265
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