General Information about the Structure and Dynamics of the Earth

This introductory chapter provides fundamental information about the structure and dynamics of the Earth compared to the other terrestrial planets, basic characteristics of the structure and composition of its crust and deeper envelopes, preliminary information on the nature of geodynamic processes and their intensity, as well as a brief description of plate tectonics and its relation to convective movements in the upper mantle. The fundamental physical parameters used by the authors for designing the models presented later in the book are also described here.