In the 21st century the importance of earth sciences in the pursuit of knowledge and understanding of the planet on which we live, has increased tremendously. Above all, they address the challenge of enriching human lives with the bounties of nature, while preserving the planet for future generations. The chief goals of Solid Earth Geophysics are to define and quantify the internal structure and processes of the Earth in terms of physical principles, and to provide an essential framework that allied disciplines can employ for more focused investigations.
The earliest version of The Encyclopedia of Solid Earth Geophysics was released by Van Nostrand Reinhold publishing company in 1989. More than two decades later, a completely revised and updated version, edited by Prof. Harsh K. Gupta, was published in 2011. Including over 200 articles authored by specialists from all over the world, it was very well received.
Reflecting the rapid advances in Solid Earth Geophysics over the past decade and the global need for an authentic update, this new edition of the Encyclopedia presents over 250 articles covering established and new concepts in Geophysics across various sub-disciplines such as Gravity, Geodesy, Geomagnetism, Seismology, Seismics, Deep Earth Processes, Plate Tectonics, Thermal Domains, Computational Methods, etc. in a systematic and consistent format.
Offering an authoritative and current up-to-date reference source with extraordinary scope and gathering expert contributions by more than 300 authors around the globe, the new edition will serve as a valuable and cherished source of information for current and future generations of professionals.
Review from the first edition:
"The Encyclopedia of Solid Earth Geophysics ... nicely brings together numerous geophysical topics and presents this sometimes dry, mathematical and abstract field in a language comprehensible to researchers, teachers, students, and professional geophysicists. ... the new encyclopedia should be of great interest to petroleum explorers, researchers and educators as well. ... A list of references at the end of each article directs the interested reader for further research." (Rasoul Sorkhabi, GEO ExPro, September, 2013)
About the Author: Harsh K. Gupta is currently a Member of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (India) and President of the Geological Society of India. He has previously been a Member of National Disaster Management Authority (India), Secretary to the Government of India, Department of Ocean Development, Director of the National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad, Vice Chancellor of Cochin University of Science and Technology and a Professor at the University of Texas at Dallas, USA. He is internationally respected for his work on artificial water reservoir-triggered earthquakes and developing criteria to distinguish them from normal earthquakes. As the Leader of the 3rd Indian Scientific Expedition to Antarctica during 1983-84, he succeeded in setting up India's first permanent Antarctic research station 'Dakshin Gangotri' in just one Antarctic summer, which is still a record.
He chaired the Steering Committee of the Global Seismic Hazard Program. After the disastrous 2004 Sumatra earthquake, he spearheaded the establishment of the Indian Tsunami Early Warning system. He has published over 200 articles in reviewed journals, authored 5 books that have been published by Elsevier and Springer. He is a recipient of e.g. the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize; Waldo E. Smith Medal of American Geophysical Union; USSR Academy of Sciences '100 years of International Geophysics Memorial Medal'; the Axford Gold Medal of the Asia Oceania Geosciences Society (AOGS) and the National Mineral Award of Excellence among many honors. He is a Fellow of the Indian National Science Academy, The World Academy of Sciences and American Geophysical Union. He has been President of the IUGG, the AOGS and is the Founder President of the Asian Seismological Commission.
