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Loading... Reading the Rocks: The Autobiography of the Earth (edition 2006)by Marcia Bjornerud (Author)
Work InformationReading the Rocks: The Autobiography of the Earth by Marcia Bjornerud
Geology (9) Loading...
Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. A small book that opens up the world of geology. Author includes a dictionary in the back to add in the understanding. With just a little geology knowledge the Earth opens up for you and you learn how to read it's history. So many rock formations, etc that just looked beautiful or even odd, now make more sense. I will definitely continue to learn more about the fascinating science. An exceptionally good geology book that I recommend unreservedly. What made this so engrossing was that rather than just telling us the currently understood structure and history of the earth, the author, much like Andrew Knoll, focusses on telling us how we know what we know. My one suggestion is that you bail out about three pages before the second-to-last chapter. The last chapter, and the last few pages of the second-to-last chapter switch from this beautiful expository style to the usual round of ecological scolding about the state of the earth, material I mostly agree with but really don't want to read yet again. no reviews | add a review
This armchair guide to the making of the geologic record shows how to understand messages written in stone. To many of us, the Earth's crust is a relic of ancient, unknowable history--but to a geologist, stones are richly illustrated narratives, telling gothic tales of cataclysm and reincarnation. For more than four billion years, in beach sand, granite, and garnet schists, the planet has kept a rich and idiosyncratic journal of its past. Fulbright Scholar Bjornerud takes the reader along on an eye-opening tour of Deep Time, explaining what we see and feel beneath our feet. Both scientist and storyteller, Bjornerud uses anecdotes and metaphors to remind us that our home is a living thing with lessons to teach. She shows how our planet has long maintained a delicate balance, and how the global give-and-take has sustained life on Earth through numerous upheavals.--From publisher description. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)551.7Natural sciences and mathematics Earth sciences & geology Geology, Hydrology Meteorology Historical geologyLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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This book is recommended for people with some knowledge of science, but is an excellent introduction to geology and the history of our planet. This book is recomeneded for general collections, public libraries and high school and college libraries. I enjoyed it. ( )