Earth's Core (eBook)

Front Cover 1
The Earth's Core 4
Copyright Page 5
Contents 10
Preface to the First Edition 6
Preface to the Second Edition 8
Chapter One. General Physical Properties of the Earth 12
1.1 Introduction 12
1.2 Travel-Time and Velocity–Depth Curves 14
1.3 The Core–Mantle Boundary (MCB) 29
1.4 Free Oscillations of the Earth 41
1.5 Attenuation in the Earth 50
1.6 Variation of Density and Other Physical Properties within the Earth 59
1.7 Models of the Earth's Interior 67
Chapter Two. The Origin of the Core 92
2.1 Introduction 92
2.2 The Accretion Mechanism 93
2.3 Heat Sources for an Earth Accreting Cold 104
2.4 Time of Core Formation 118
2.5 Inhomogeneous Models of the Earth 127
2.6 Variation of the Gravitational Constant G with Time 137
Chapter Three. The Thermal Regime of the Earth's Core 148
3.1 Introduction 148
3.2 Grüneisen's Parameter 148
3.3 The Earth's Inner Core 156
3.4 Melting-Point–Depth Curves 158
3.5 Adiabatic Temperatures 170
3.6 The Earth's Inner Core Reconsidered 175
3.7 Thermal Consequences of an Iron–Alloy Core 180
3.8 The Core and the Thermal History of the Earth 186
Chapter Four. The Earth's Magnetic Field 202
4.1 Introduction 202
4.2 The Origin of the Earth's Magnetic Field 212
4.3 The Homogeneous Dynamo Equations 218
4.4 Mean-Field Electrodynamics 224
4.5 Reversals of the Earth's Magnetic Field 228
4.6 Energetics of the Earth's Core 247
4.7 The Secular Variation 258
4.8 Variations in the Length of the Day 278
Chapter Five. The Constitution of the Core 308
5.1 Equations of State 308
5.2 The Birch–Murnaghan Equation of State 310
5.3 Experimental Methods 313
5.4 Ramsey's Hypothesis 319
5.5 Bullen's (k,p) Hypothesis 321
5.6 Bullen's Fe2O Hypothesis 325
5.7 The Constitution of the Core 326
5.8 The Possibility of Potassium in the Core 347
Chapter Six. The Cores of Other Planets 358
6.1 Introduction 358
6.2 Mercury 360
6.3 Mars 370
6.4 Venus 382
6.5 The Moon 388
6.6 Summary 402
6.7 The Great Planets 405
Appendix A 418
Index 420
International Geophysics Series 426