Earth science : an introduction

Cover
Brief Contents
Contents
Preface
Chapter 1: Earth Systems
Introduction
The Earth's Four Spheres
Earth Systems
Time and Rates of Change in Earth Science
Threshold and Feedback Effects
Humans and Earth Systems
Key Concepts Review
Important Terms
Review Questions
Chapter 2: Minerals
Introduction
What Is a Mineral?
The Chemical Composition of Minerals
The Crystalline Nature of Minerals
Physical Properties of Minerals
Mineral Classes and the Rock-Forming Minerals
Commercially Important Minerals
Harmful and Dangerous Rocks and Minerals
Key Concepts Review
Important Terms
Review Questions
Chapter 3: Rocks
Introduction
Rocks and the Rock Cycle
Igneous Rocks
Sedimentary Rocks
Metamorphic Rocks
Key Concepts Review
Important Terms
Review Questions
Chapter 4: Geologic Time
Earth Rocks, Earth History, and Mass Extinctions
Geologic Time
Relative Geologic Time
Unconformities and Correlation
Absolute Geologic Time
The Geologic Time Scale
Key Concepts Review
Important Terms
Review Questions
Chapter 5: Geologic Resources
Introduction
Mineral Resources
Ore and Ore Deposits
Mineral Reserves vs. Mineral Resources
Mines and Mining
Energy Resources: Coal, Petroleum, and Natural Gas
Unconventional Petroleum and Gas Reservoirs
Energy Resources: Nuclear Fuels and Reactors
Energy Resources: Renewable Energy
Conservation as an Alternative Energy Resource
Energy for the 21st Century
Key Concepts Review
Important Terms
Review Questions
Chapter 6: The Active Earth
The Origins of Continents and Oceans
Alfred Wegener and the Origin of an Idea: The Continental Drift Hypothesis
The Earth's Layers
The Seafloor Spreading Hypothesis
The Theory of Plate Tectonics
The Anatomy of a Tectonic Plate
Why Plates Move: The Earth as a Heat Engine
Supercontinents
Isostasy: Vertical Movement of the Lithosphere
How Plate Tectonics Affect Earth's Surface
How Plate Tectonics Affect Earth's Climate
Key Concepts Review
Important Terms
Review Questions
Chapter 7: Earthquakes and the Earth's Structure
Introduction
Anatomy of an Earthquake
Earthquake Waves
Earthquakes and Tectonic Plate Boundaries
Earthquake Damage and Hazard Mitigation
Earthquake Prediction
Studying the Earth's Interior
Earth's Magnetism
Key Concepts Review
Important Terms
Review Questions
Chapter 8: Volcanoes and Plutons
Magma
Basalt and Granite
Partial Melting and the Origin of Continents
Magma Behavior
Plutons
Volcanoes
Volcanic Explosions: Ash-Flow Tuffs and Calderas
Risk Assessment: Predicting Volcanic Eruptions
Volcanic Eruptions and Global Climate
Key Concepts Review
Important Terms
Review Questions
Chapter 9: Mountains
Folds and Faults: Geologic Structures
Mountains and Mountain Ranges
Island Arcs: Subduction Where Two Oceanic Plates Converge
The Andes: Subduction at a Continental Margin
The Himalayas: A Collision between Continents
Mountains and Earth Systems
Key Concepts Review
Important Terms
Review Questions
Chapter 10: Weathering, Soil, and Erosion
Introduction
Weathering and Erosion
Mechanical Weathering
Chemical Weathering
Soil
Mass Wasting and Landslides
Types of Rapid Mass Wasting
Predicting and Avoiding the Effects of Mass Wasting
Key Concepts Review
Important Terms
Review Questions
Chapter 11: Freshwater
Introduction
The Water Cycle
Streams
Stream Deposition
Floods
Lakes
Wetlands
Groundwater
Hot Springs, Geysers, and Geothermal Energy
Key Concepts Review
Important Terms
Review Questions
Chapter 12: Water Resources
Introduction
Water Supply and Demand
Dams and Diversion
The Great American Desert
Water and International Politics
Water Pollution
How Sewage, Detergents, and Fertilizers Pollute Waterways
Toxic Pollutants, Risk Assessment, and Cost-Benefit Analysis
Groundwater Pollution
Nuclear Waste Disposal
The Clean Water Act: A Modern Perspective
Key Concepts Review
Important Terms
Review Questions
Chapter 13: Glaciers and Glaciations
Introduction
Formation of Glaciers
Glacial Movement
Glacial Erosion
Glacial Deposits
The Pleistocene Glaciation
Snowball Earth: The Greatest Glaciation in Earth's History
The Earth's Disappearing Glaciers
Key Concepts Review
Important Terms
Review Questions
Chapter 14: Deserts and Wind
Introduction
Why Do Deserts Exist?
Water and Deserts
Two American Deserts
Wind
Desertification
Key Concepts Review
Important Terms
Review Questions
Chapter 15: Ocean Basins
The Origin of Oceans
The Earth's Oceans
Studying the Seafloor
Features of the Seafloor
Sediment and Rocks of the Seafloor
Continental Margins
Key Concepts Review
Important Terms
Review Questions
Chapter 16: Oceans and Coastlines
Introduction
Geography of the Oceans
Seawater
Tides
Sea Waves
Ocean Currents
The Seacoast
Emergent and Submergent Coastlines
Beaches
Life in the Sea
Global Warming and Rising Sea Level
Key Concepts Review
Important Terms
Review Questions
Chapter 17: The Atmosphere
Introduction
Earth's Early Atmospheres
The Modern Atmosphere
Atmospheric Pressure
Atmospheric Temperature
Air Pollution
Depletion of the Ozone Layer
Key Concepts Review
Important Terms
Review Questions
Chapter 18: Energy Balance in the Atmosphere
Introduction
Incoming Solar Radiation
The Radiation Balance
Energy Storage and Transfer: The Driving Mechanisms for Weather and Climate
Temperature Changes with Latitude and Season
Temperature Changes with Geography
Key Concepts Review
Important Terms
Review Questions
Chapter 19: Moisture, Clouds, and Weather
Moisture in Air
Cooling and Condensation
Rising Air and Precipitation
Types of Clouds
Fog
Pressure and Wind
Fronts and Frontal Weather
How the Earth's Surface Features Affect Weather
Thunderstorms
Tornadoes and Tropical Cyclones
Hurricane Katrina
El Nino
Key Concepts Review
Important Terms
Chapter 20: Climate
Introduction
Global Winds and Climate
Climate Zones of Earth
Urban Climates
Key Concepts Review
Important Terms
Review Questions
Chapter 21: Climate Change
Introduction
Climate Change in Earth's History
Measuring Climate Change
Astronomical Causes of Climate Change
Water and Climate
The Natural Carbon Cycle and Climate
Tectonics and Climate Change
Greenhouse Effect: The Carbon Cycle and Global Warming
Feedback and Threshold Mechanisms in Climate Change
Key Concepts Review
Review Questions
Chapter 22: Motions in the Heavens
The Motions of the Heavenly Bodies
Aristotle and the Earth-Centered Universe
The Renaissance and the Heliocentric Solar System
The Motions of the Earth and the Moon
Modern Astronomy
Key Concepts Review
Important Terms
Review Questions
Chapter 23: Planets and Their Moons
The Solar System: A Brief Overview
The Terrestrial Planets
The Moon: Our Nearest Neighbor
The Jovian Planets: Size, Compositions, and Atmospheres
Moons of the Jovian Planets
Planetary Rings
Pluto and Other Dwarf Planets
Asteroids, Comets, and Meteoroids
Key Concepts Review
Important Terms
Review Questions
Chapter 24: Stars, Space, and Galaxies
Introduction
In the Beginning: The Big Bang
The Nonhomogeneous Universe
The Birth of a Star
The Sun
Stars: The Main Sequence
The Life and Death of a Star
Neutron Stars, Pulsars, and Black Holes
Galaxies
The Milky Way
Quasars
Dark Matter
The End of the Universe
Why Are We So Lucky?
Key Concepts Review
Important Terms
Review Questions
Appendix A: English-Metric Conversion Chart
Appendix B: Earth Science Mineral Identification
Glossary
Index