Subduction is a major process that plays a first-order role in the dynamics of the Earth. The sinking of cold lithosphere into the mantle is thought by many authors to be the most important source of energy for plates driving forces. It also deeply modifies the thermal and chemical structure of the mantle, producing arc volcanism and is responsible for the release of most of the seismic energy on Earth. There has been considerable achievements done during the past decades regarding the complex interactions between the various processes acting in subduction zones. This volume contains a collection of contributions that were presented in June 2007 in Montpellier (France) during a conference that gave a state of the art panorama and discussed the perspectives about "Subduction Zone Geodynamics". The papers included in this special volume offer a unique multidisciplinary picture of the recent research on subduction zones geodynamics. They are organized into five main topics: Subduction zone geodynamics, Seismic tomography and anisotropy, Great subduction zone earthquakes, Seismogenic zone characterization, Continental and ridge subduction processes. Each of the 13 papers collected in the present volume is primarily concerned with one of these topics. However, it is important to highlight that papers always treat more than one topic so that all are related lighting on different aspects of the complex and fascinating subduction zones geodynamics.

First published in 1982, Don Turcotte and Jerry Schubert's Geodynamics became a classic textbook for several generations of students of geophysics and geology. In this second edition, the authors bring this text completely up-to-date. Important additions include a chapter on chemical geodynamics, an updated coverage of comparative planetology based on recent planetary missions, and a variety of other new topics. Geodynamics provides the fundamentals necessary for an understanding of the workings of the solid earth, describing the mechanics of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and mountain building in the context of the role of mantle convection and plate tectonics. Observations such as the earth's gravity field, surface heat flow, distribution of earthquakes, surface stresses and strains, and distribution of elements are discussed. This new edition will once again prove to be a classic textbook for intermediate to advanced undergraduates and graduate students in geology, geophysics, and earth science.

Geodynamics of the Alps consists of three volumes. This second volume presents the pre-collisional history of the Alps. It discusses the Variscan orogeny in the Alpine realm, the inferred paleo-geography, the structure and processes affecting continental margins and the mantle structure in the pre-orogenic Alpine realm. It concludes by describing oceanic and continental subduction processes. The aim of this book is to create a space for experts on Alpine research to present the state of the art of specific subjects and provide their own interpretations.

Magnatism is the only true endogenic process for generating new material on the Earth's surface. Obviously, magmatism and tectonic movements are reflections of geodynamics, that is, physical processes which occur in deep-seated environments. What are the interrelationships between magmatism and tectronics? How did the character of terrestrial magmatism change through time and are there any irregularities in this process?

This book contains current results and ideas regarding the geodynamics of the Aegean and Anatolia.

"This memoir brings together results from a multidisciplinary study of the processes that have formed the highest, widest part of the Andean Cordilleran orogenic belt in northern Argentina and Chile. The region features a tectonically erosive forearc, protracted arc magmatism, a high-elevation hinterland plateau and strongly shortened retroarc thrust belt, and a Paleocene-Recent foreland basin system"--

This thesis presents geological, petrological, geochemical, and zircon U–Pb–Lu–Hf isotopic field data for representative Precambrian lithologies in the Western Liaoning-Northeastern Hebei Provinces along the northern margin of the North China Craton (NCC). It describes late Neoarchean (2.64–2.48 Ga) supracrustal metavolcanic rocks and granitoid gneisses; late Paleoproterozoic (1.72–1.68 Ga) Jianping alkaline plutons and Pinggu alkaline volcanic rocks; and newly discovered ~1.23 Ga mafic dykes. The nature of magma sources and genesis of each magmatic episode are investigated, and the Precambrian (~2.6–1.2 Ga) lithospheric mantle evolution and crust-mantle interaction processes are established for the first time –aspects that provide important constraints in our understanding of the Precambrian crustal evolution and geodynamic processes in the region studied.

This book describes the methods and numerical approaches for data assimilation in geodynamical models and presents several applications of the described methodology in relevant case studies. The book starts with a brief overview of the basic principles in data-driven geodynamic modelling, inverse problems, and data assimilation methods, which is then followed by methodological chapters on backward advection, variational (or adjoint), and quasi-reversibility methods. The chapters are accompanied by case studies presenting the applicability of the methods for solving geodynamic problems; namely, mantle plume evolution; lithosphere dynamics in and beneath two distinct geological domains – the south-eastern Carpathian Mountains and the Japanese Islands; salt diapirism in sedimentary basins; and volcanic lava flow. Applications of data-driven modelling are of interest to the industry and to experts dealing with geohazards and risk mitigation. Explanation of the sedimentary basin evolution complicated by deformations due to salt tectonics can help in oil and gas exploration; better understanding of the stress-strain evolution in the past and stress localization in the present can provide an insight into large earthquake preparation processes; volcanic lava flow assessments can advise on risk mitigation in the populated areas. The book is an essential tool for advanced courses on data assimilation and numerical modelling in geodynamics.