
The Earth
A Very Short Introduction
Martin Redfern(Author)
Oxford University Press
Published on 26. June 2003
Book
Paperback/Softback
160 pages
978-0-19-280307-8 (ISBN)
Description
For generations, the ground beneath the feet of our ancestors seemed solid and unchanging. Around 30 years ago, two things happened that were to revolutionize the understanding of our home planet. First, geologists realized that the continents themselves were drifting across the surface of the globe and that oceans were being created and destroyed. Secondly, pictures of the entire planet were returned from space. As the astronomer Fred Hoyle had predicted, this 'let loose an idea as powerful as any in history'. Suddenly, the Earth began to be viewed as a single entity; a dynamic, interacting whole, controlled by complex processes we scarcely understood. It began to seem less solid. As one astronaut put it, 'a blue jewel on black velvet; small, fragile and touchingly alone'. Geologists at last were able to see the whole as well as the detail; the wood as well as the trees. This book brings their account up to date with the latest understanding of the processes that govern our planet.
ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Target group
Anyone interested in the processes which govern the Earth and the forces that shaped it. Students studying Geology or Physical Geography at school or as an undergraduate course
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Illustrations
numerous halftones and line drawings
Dimensions
Height: 180 mm
Width: 111 mm
Thickness: 14 mm
Weight
149 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-280307-8 (9780192803078)
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
Person
Martin Redfern studied geology at University College London. Since 1981 he has worked as an executive producer at the BBC World Service Science Unit, making programmes for both the World Service and Radio 4. He has also written extensively for magazines and newspapers such as New Scientist, The Economist, the Sunday Times, and the Independent on Sunday. His books include Journey to the Centre of the Earth, (Broadside Books 1991), The Kingfisher Book of Space (1998), and The Kingfisher Book of Planet Earth (1999), which was short-listed for the Aventis Junior Science Book Prize.
Content
1. Dynamic Planet ; 2. Deep Time ; 3. Deep Earth ; 4. Under the Sea ; 5. Drifting Continents ; 6. Volcanoes ; 7. When the Ground Shakes ; Epilogue