Building Planet Earth
Five Billion Years of Earth History
Published on 24. February 2000
Book
Hardback
292 pages
978-0-521-58278-0 (ISBN)
Description
Building Plant Earth presents a description of Earth as a planet, commencing with its physical and chemical evolution out of the primordial solar nebula. The condensation of elements and their redistribution are described, leading into a section dealing with mapping, geophysical and geochemical studies. This establishes the gross structure of the Earth, following which basic principles and processes of plate tectonics are then described, leading to the elucidation of the working of geological cycles. The main thrust of the remainder of the book is a description of the geological evolution of the Earth. Volcanism and seismicity, ice ages and climate, isotopic techniques and age dating, are all treated. The impact of mass extinctions, global-warming and ozone holes are included. The book is illustrated profusely and closes with a number of useful appendices.
Reviews / Votes
'In straightforward language we are taken from the Earth's beginnings, given some understanding of the Earth's heat engine, and guided through the patterns of Earth's history. An excellent book!' Irish Astronomical JournalMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Illustrations
128 Plates, color; 113 Line drawings, unspecified
Dimensions
Height: 285 mm
Width: 227 mm
Thickness: 27 mm
Weight
1415 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-521-58278-0 (9780521582780)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Content
Part I. Beginnings: 1. Planet Earth; 2. The formation of earth; 3. The primaeval earth; 4. Methods of the earth scientist; Part II. The Earth's Heat Engine: 5. The earth's heat engine; 6. Magma; 7. The perpetual dynamo; 8. Continents and oceans; 9. The earth from space; Part III. Patterns of Earth History: 10. Dating the rock record; 11. Integrating earth history; 12. The early continents; 13. The drifting continents; 14. Late Precambrian times; 15. The Appalachian story; 16. Late Palaeozoic mobile belts; 17. Gondwanaland evolves; 18. Stirring in the Alps; Part IV. Gondwanaland and More Recent Events: 19. Gondwanaland before the break-up; 20. Gondwanaland disrupted; 21. New oceans for old; 22. The Pacific Ocean; 23. The Cordilleran Chains; 24. The Pleistocene epoch; 25. Early man; 26. The earth now; 27. What next? Appendices; Bibliography; Glossary of terms; The history of life; Data for the earth and planets, Index.