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Title details for The Earth Machine by Edmond A. Mathez - Available

The Earth Machine

The Science of a Dynamic Planet

by Edmond A. Mathez
James D. Webster
ebook
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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.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    June 5, 2004

  • Formats

    • Kindle Book

    • OverDrive Read

      • ISBN: 9780231500876

    • EPUB ebook

      • ISBN: 9780231500876
      • File size: 47863 KB

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Booklist

      April 1, 2004
      The authors are curators for the geology exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History, and their overview is an accessible mixture of scientific and popular knowledge. Mathez and Webster invariably select, for the purpose of illustrating an important feature of our planet, the most spectacular and best-known structures, such as the Grand Canyon, the Alps, or the Hawaiian Islands. To answer our deep wondering about how such awe-filling sights formed, Mathez and Webster narrate the same beguilement historically felt and investigated by geology's founder, James Hutton, and succeeding scientists on through to the makers of the plate tectonics revolution. By expressing curiosity instead of declamatory didacticism, the authors furnish one of their stated audiences--geology teachers--with a fine example for exciting students. With numerous photographs and graphs, plus sidebars about how rock samples were brought from the field to the New York museum, this survey offers a great foundation for learning about the earth's profound connections, from its center to its atmosphere.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)

    • Library Journal

      April 15, 2004
      This companion volume to the American Museum of Natural History's award-winning Hall of Planet Earth exhibit by Mathez and Webster, the original cocurators, offers readers an accessible guided tour of how our planet works from interdisciplinary and scientific perspectives. Traversing the entire geological record and well illustrated with photographs, figures, diagrams, maps, and charts, the text quickly moves from describing geological phenomena, explaining background theories, and presenting important facts to commenting on contemporary environmental issues. Interspersed throughout are vignettes, review essays, research data, and personal stories. Although the book's structure is somewhat confusing-it is organized by a series of questions-the volume is supplemented by an exhaustive index as well as a bibliography, a glossary, and end notes. Similar to Edmond A. Mathez's Earth: Inside and Out and more advanced than the Smithsonian Institute's Earth, this complements standard physical geography and earth sciences texts. Recommended for academic and large public libraries.-Ian Gordon, Brock Univ. Lib., St. Catharines, Ont.

      Copyright 2004 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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