Introduction to seismology /

Shearer offers a concise introduction to the theory of seismology, designed for a one-semester course. The topics covered include stress-strain theory, the seismic wave equation, ray theory, tomography, reflection seismology, surface wave theory, source theory, anisotropy, and earthquake prediction. Some knowledge of physics and vector calculus is assumed, and tensor analysis makes a brief appearance in the stress-strain relationships, but in general the level of mathematics is straightforward calculus and differential equations. There is a decided tilt toward body-wave propagation and ray theory (four chapters) as compared to surface waves and normal modes (one chapter). Student exercises and problems follow each chapter, and in some cases computer subroutines are provided to enable more thorough exploration of the concepts. Illustrations are particularly clean and well designed. This text is generally less comprehensive in its development of seismological concepts than another recent book (Thorne Lay and Terry C. Wallace, Modern Global Seismology, 1995), but it successfully achieves the author's goal of a book designed specifically for upper-division undergraduates and first-year graduate students. H. N. Pollack; University of Michigan