Early Earth Systems
A Geochemical Approach
Published on 12. March 2009
296 pages
978-1-4443-0894-5 (ISBN)
Description
Early Earth Systems provides a complete history of the Earthfrom its beginnings to the end of the Archaean. This journeythrough the Earth's early history begins with the Earth's origin,then examines the evolution of the mantle, the origin of thecontinental crust, the origin and evolution of the Earth'satmosphere and oceans, and ends with the origin of life.
* Looks at the evidence for the Earth's very earlydifferentiation into core, mantle, crust, atmosphere and oceans andhow this differentiation saw extreme interactions within the Earthsystem.
* Discusses Archaean Earth processes within the framework of theEarth System Science paradigm, providing a qualitative assessmentof the principal reservoirs and fluxes in the early Earth.
"The book would be perfect for a graduate-level or upperlevel undergraduate course on the early Earth. It will also serveas a great starting point for researchers in solid-Earthgeochemistry who want to know more about the Earth's earlyatmosphere and biosphere, and vice versa for low temperaturegeochemists who want to get a modern overview of the Earth'sinterior." GeologicalMagazine, 2008
Reviews / Votes
"This is a book for everyone fascinated by a description ofthe Earth's history in terms of Earth system science."(Pure and Applied Geophysics) "Hugh Rollinson sets out in his book Early Earth Systems: AGeochemical Approach to summarize what we know (and don'tknow) about this enigmatic portion of our planet's evolution.He does an excellent job of it." (Geological Magazine,November 2008)More details
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
12/2006
1st Edition
Wiley
€92.95
Shipment within 3-4 weeks
Person
Hugh Rollinson is Professor of Earth Sciences at Sultan Qaboos University.
Content
1. The Earth System.
Introduction.
The Nature of the Early Geological Record.
Archaean Lithological Associations.
The Oldest Rocks.
How Much do we Really Know About the Early Earth?.
2. The Origin and Differentiation of the Earth.
The Origin and Early History of the Universe.
Star Formation.
The Condensation of the Solar System.
Earth Differentiation - the First Earth System.
3. The Evolution of the Earth's Mantle.
Understanding the Mantle.
The Earth's Earliest Mantle.
Mantle Models.
4. The Origin of the Continental Crust.
Modern Crust Formation - Models and Mechanisms.
First Order Constraints on the Origin of the ContinentalCrust.
The Secular Evolution of the Earth's ContinentalCrust.
Crustal Growth During the Archaean.
Crust-Mantle Interactions: Reservoirs and Fluxes.
5. The Origin of the Earth's Atmosphere andOceans.
The Volatile Budget of the Modern Earth.
The Origin of the Earth's Atmosphere and Oceans.
The Nature of the Archaean Atmosphere.
The Nature of the Archaean Oceans.
6. The Origin of Life.
Setting the Scene for Life.
Geochemical Signals of Biological Activity.
The Geological Record of Life's Origins.
The Microbial Record of Life's Origins.
In the Beginning....
7. Postscript.
References.
Index
