The Earth Machine

The Earth Machine

The Science of a Dynamic Planet

  • Editor: Columbia University Press
  • ISBN: 9780231125789
  • eISBN Pdf: 9780231500876
  • Lloc de publicació:  New York , United States
  • Any de publicació digital: 2004
  • Mes: Juny
  • Idioma: Anglés
From the scorching center of Earth's core to the outer limits of its atmosphere, from the gradual process of erosion that carved the Grand Canyon to the earth-shaking fury of volcanoes and earthquakes, this fascinating book—inspired by the award-winning Hall of Planet Earth at New York City's American Museum of Natural History—tells the story of the evolution of our planet and of the science that makes it work. With the same exuberance and expertise they brought to the creation of the Hall of Planet Earth, co-curators Edmond A. Mathez and James D. Webster offer a guided tour of Earth's dynamic, 4.6-billion-year history.

Including numerous full-color photographs of the innovative exhibit and helpful, easy-to-understand illustrations, the authors explore the major factors in our planet's evolution: how Earth emerged from the swirling dusts of a nascent solar system; how an oxygen-rich, life-sustaining atmosphere developed; how continents, mountain ranges, and oceans formed; and how earthquakes and volcanic eruptions alter Earth's surface. Traversing geologic time and delving into the depths of the planet-—beginning with meteorites containing minuscule particles that are the solar system's oldest known objects, and concluding with the unusual microbial life that lives on the chemical and thermal energy produced by sulfide vents in the ocean floor—The Earth Machine provides an up-to-date overview of the central theories and discoveries in earth science today. By incorporating stories of real-life fieldwork, Mathez and Webster explain how Earth is capable of supporting life, how even the smallest rocks can hold the key to explaining the formation of mountains, and how scientists have learned to read nature's subtle clues and interpret Earth's ever-evolving narrative.
  • CONTENTS
  • PREFACE xi
  • PART I How has the Earth Evolved?
  • 1. The Birth of Planet Earth 3
  • 2. Learning the Age of Earth 13
  • 3. The Evolution of the Continents 23
  • 4. Life and Conditions on Early Earth 36
  • 5. Reading Rocks: The Story of the Grand Canyon 49
  • PART II Why Are there Ocean Basins, Continents, and Mountains?
  • 6. Internal Earth 65
  • 7. Plate Tectonics 84
  • 8. Lavas from the Depths of Earth 99
  • 9. Great Explosive Volcanoes 116
  • 10. Earthquakes 137
  • 11. Mountains 156
  • 12. The Alps 172
  • PART III What Causes Earth's Climate and Change?
  • 13. The Atmosphere 185
  • 14. The World Ocean 197
  • 15. The Geological Record of Climate Change 209
  • PART IV Why is Earth Habitable?
  • 16. Conditions for Life 229
  • 17. Black Smokers from the Deep 242
  • 18. Some Natural Resources and How They Form 255
  • NOTES 273
  • GLOSSARY 299
  • BIBLIOGRAPHY 305
  • CREDITS AND PERMISSIONS 323
  • INDEX 327