You can purchase this book clicking here.

If you wish to purchase further titles already reviewed here, please return each time to SBB. Using the direct links available at our site is easier than searching by title, author, or ISBN number.

EDITORIAL INFORMATION

The science of geology is like all other sciences in that it is based on observations. We have tried to write this book so that the readers can sense both the fun of making their own observations and the challenge of drawing conclusions; the reader does not need a geological background to read the text and apply the principles it introduces. We believe that everyone, when given a chance to do so, quickly becomes intrigued to learn how the Earth works. We hope that the reader of this book will become actively involved in the science of geology.

The book has 21 chapters that follow a more or less traditional sequence. The first two chapters introduce the Earth, its overall properties, and plate tectonics. The next six chapters discuss minerals and their properties, igneous rocks and magmatic processes, weathering and soils, sedimentation, metamorphism, and geological time. Chapters 9 through 14 deal with surficial processes-mass wasting, streams and drainage, ground-water, glaciation, deserts, and the oceans. Then follow three chapters dealing with internal processes, rock deformation, earthquakes, and global tectonics. Chapter 18 is concerned with the changing face of the land as a result of interactions between internal and external processes. Chapter 19 ties together the many environmental themes that were introduced in earlier chapters, and the book closes with a chapter on resources and one on planets and planetary processes. Each chpater in the book is written to stand alone. Also, the book includes the CDROM "Geosciences in Action", with virtual internships, videos, and animations. A web site has been developed in support of The Dynamic Earth.

(Extracted from the back cover).

GENERAL TABLE OF CONTENTS

-Preface.

-Contents.
-Boxed Essays.

-About the Authors.

-1. A First Look at Planet Earth.

-2. The Dynamic Earth.

-3. Atoms, Elements, and Minerals.

-4. The Fire Within: Volcanoes and Magmas.

-5. Weathering and Soils.

-6. Sediments and Sedimentation.

-7. New Rocks from Old: Metamorphism and Metamorphic Rocks.

-8. Geologic Time.

-9. Mass Wasting.

-10. Streams and Drainage Systems.

-11. Groundwater.

-12. Glaciers and Glaciation.

-13. Wind Action and Deserts.

-14. The Oceans and Their Margins.

-15. Deformation of Rock.

-16. Earthquakes and the Earth's Interior.

-17. Global Tectonics.

-18. The Changing Face of the Land.

-19. Our Changing Planet.

-20. Resources of Minerals and Energy.

-21. Beyond Planet Earth.

-Appendix A: Units and Their Conversions.

-Appendix B: Tables of the Chemical Elements and Naturally Occurring Isotopes.

-Appendix C: Tables of the Properties of Common Minerals.

-Glossary.

-Selected References.

-Credits.

-Index.