Geodynamics, 3rd edn

Abstract

Turcotte, D.L. and Schubert, G., eds, Cambridge University Press, 2014, ISBN: 9780521186230, Paperback, 636 pp. Turcotte and Schubert's ‘Geodynamics’ book has been essential reading for generations of Earth scientists. Ever since the appearance of the first edition in 1982, lecturers in geodynamics worldwide use the book as reading material, and the large number of citations in the scientific literature illustrates that the book is also heavily used by researchers. I still remember well the excitement when I bought the 2nd edition when it became available a little more than a decade ago: after years of taking out well-worn copies from the University library, I suddenly was the proud owner of my own copy (which by now is equally well worn). Over the years, the book has helped me to understand and teach many different aspects of geodynamics, and it continues to do so. Now the 3rd edition lies in front of me. A first leafing-through shows that most of the familiar contents is much the same. Apart from being a bit bulkier than the previous edition, the structure and basic contents of first 10 chapters remained mostly unchanged, with the same wide range of geodynamic topics presented in the same convenient, familiar way: Chapter 1 sets the scene, describes the plate-tectonic framework, …