The Handy Geology Answer Book

Thomas E Svarney, Patricia Barnes-Svarney

Description

Answers hundreds of questions on the most interesting of topics—planet Earth!

It’s right under our feet every day—Earth and all its glorious components. From fossils, rocks, and minerals to caves, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions, The Handy Geology Answer Book traces the formation of the universe and the planet, investigating the layers of the planet and explaining the formation of mountains and bodies of water. Questions and answers are also devoted to physical and chemical processes, fossil fuels, the effects of global warming on glaciers, world morphological features, and even the geology of other planets.

It answers nearly 1,000 of the most frequently asked questions on the complexities that shaped our planet. It is also a trivia buff’s delight with the stats for Earth’s deepest (the Mariana, the deepest-known ocean trench), lowest (the shoreline of the Dead Sea), highest (Mt. Everest), the longest river (the Nile), and the largest freshwater lake (Lake Superior) along with the “how and why” of these features.

Easy to understand and use, The Handy Geology Answer Book is invaluable for students and general science readers of all ages. With numerous photos and illustrations, this informative book also includes a resource section on educational places, government organizations, and other references, a helpful bibliography, an extensive index, and a glossary of terms, adding to its usefulness. From the microscopic formation of crystals to the titanic, eons-long processes that result in islands, volcanoes, mountains, glaciers, oceans, continents, and even planets, you’ll learn about the events that created today’s world and the changes that continue to affect Earth every day.

Sujets

• Sciences de la nature
• Géologie
• Sciences de la terre
• Science de la Terre
• Earth Sciences
• Sciences et techniques
• Igneous rock
• Metamorphic rock
• Sedimentary rock
• Geology
• Science
• géologie

Informations

• Publié par: Visible Ink Press
• Date de parution: 01 février 2004
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781578597925
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

About the Authors
Patricia Barnes-Svarney has traveled worldwide as a nonfiction science and science fiction writer for more than 18 years. She has a bachelor s degree in geology and a master s degree in geography/geomorphology, and has worked professionally as a geomorphologist and oceanographer. Barnes-Svarney has had more than 350 articles published in magazines and journals and is the author or coauthor of nearly 30 books, including the award-winning New York Public Library Science Desk Reference and Asteroid: Earth Destroyer or New Frontier?, and several internationally best-selling children s books. In her spare time, she volunteers at a local animal shelter and runs an organic herb farm.
Thomas E. Svarney brings extensive scientific training and experience, a love of nature, and creative artistry to his various projects. With Barnes-Svarney, he has written extensively about the natural world, including paleontology ( The Handy Dinosaur Answer Book ), oceanography ( The Handy Ocean Answer Book ), weather ( Skies of Fury: Weather Weirdness around the World ), natural hazards ( A Paranoid s Ultimate Survival Guide ), and reference ( The Oryx Guide to Natural History ). His passions include martial arts, Zen, Felis catus, and nature.
Recently, as participants in the National Science Foundation s Antarctica Artists and Writers Program, the authors conducted research in Antarctica for a book on that icy continent s extreme weather. When they aren t traveling, the authors reside in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York with their cats, Fluffernutter, Worf, and Pabu.
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THE HANDY GEOLOGY ANSWER BOOK
Copyright 2004 by Visible Ink Press
This publication is a creative work fully protected by all applicable copyright laws, as well as by misappropriation, trade secret, unfair competition, and other applicable laws.
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Cover image of sand dune courtesy Photo Disk. All other cover and back cover images reprinted by permission of AP/Wide World Photos.
Art Director: Mary Claire Krzewinski
Typesetting: Graphix Group
ISBN 1-57859-156-2
Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file with the Library of Congress.
Printed in the United States of America
All rights reserved
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
I NTRODUCTION
A CKNOWLEDGMENTS


DETAILS OF GEOLOGY
Studying the Earth History and Geology Famous Geologists
MEASURING THE EARTH
Views of the Earth The Earth in Numbers Keeping Track of Time Out in the Field
THE EARTH IN SPACE
The Earth and the Universe Forming the Solar System The Earth s Early Crust The Earth and the Sun Mother Earth, Daughter Moon The Earth and Small Space Debris Right Place for Life
THE EARTH S LAYERS
The Inside Story Crust, Mantle, and Cores Seismography and Earthquakes Moving Continents and Plate Tectonics
ALL ABOUT MINERALS
Mineral Forms Details of Crystallography A Closer Look at a Few Common Minerals Gems Galore
ROCK FAMILIES
Rock Divisions Familiar Rocks Mining Mines
FOSSILS IN THE ROCKS
Fossil History Forming Fossils Dating Fossils Dinosaur, Human, and Other Famous Fossils
FOSSIL FUELS
Fossil Fuels Basics Oil (Petroleum) Products Exploring Natural Gas Digging for Coal Present Problems, Finite Future
WEARING AWAY THE EARTH
Surface Wear Mass Wasting WindBlown Sands and Deserts Soils
BUILDING MOUNTAINS
How Mountains Form Mountain History Mountain Evolution Well-Known Mountains and Ranges
GEOLOGY AND WATER
Water Statistics Rivers and Streams Lakes and Groundwater Flooding Waters
ICE ENVIRONMENTS
Icy Features Glaciers Glacial Features Ice Sheets Ice Ages
EXAMINING EARTHQUAKES
Earthquake History Earthquakes Defined Measuring Earthquakes The Risks and Damage from Earthquakes Famous Faults and Earthquakes
VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS
Volcano History Volcanoes Defined Underwater Volcanoes Measuring Volcanoes Volcanoes around the World
EXPLORING CAVES
Rocking Underground Caves Described Other Caves Common Cave Features Caving the Easy Way
GEOLOGY AND THE OCEANS
Describing the Oceans Ocean Tides Along the Shore Beyond the Shore The Deep Oceans Global Warming, Oceans, and Geology
GEOLOGY AND THE SOLAR SYSTEM
Makeup of the Solar System Impacts Everywhere How Earth Is Similar to Other Planets How Earth Differs from Other Planets
PROMINENT GEOLOGICAL FEATURES IN THE EASTERN UNITED STATES
Glacial Phenomena Mountains Big Rivers, Big Waters Off the Coast Fault Zones
PROMINENT GEOLOGICAL FEATURES IN THE WESTERN UNITED STATES
Mountains Western Hot Spots Big Rivers, Big Waters Open Spaces Fascinating Morphology Fault Zones
PROMINENT GEOLOGICAL FEATURES IN THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE
Glacial Features Mountains Volcanics Evidence of Earth Movements Big Waters, Big Rivers Plateaus and Deserts Other Features
PROMINENT GEOLOGICAL FEATURES IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE
Mountains Volcanics Glaciers and Ice Big Waters, Big Rivers Off the Coast Other Features
GEOLOGY RESOURCES
Getting Started Collecting Rocks, Minerals, and Fossils Visiting Geology Geological Organizations and Societies Geology Careers Geology Magazines and Books Geology Museums Other Geology Resources Surfing the Internet


G LOSSARY
I NDEX
Introduction
C ourtesy of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, movie audiences have been drawn to a fantasy place called Middle Earth, an ever-changing landscape that seems almost alien. The Lord of the R