This book offers clear, detailed explanations of the many fascinating and diverse aspects of geology. The book is written in understandable language, but the answers are not over-simplified. – American Reference Books. The award-winning science writers answer such puzzlers as: What is the theory of continental drift? What are polarity reversals? They deliver captivating reading and easy understanding of the complexities that shaped our planet, as they answer nearly 1,000 of the most often asked questions. Tracing the formation of the universe and the planet, investigating the layers of the Earth, and explaining the formation of mountains and bodies of water are just some of the chapters. Questions and answers are also devoted to volcanoes, fault lines, caves, fossil fuels, world morphological features, and even the geology of other planets. Entertaining and informative, Handy Geology combines vivid, clear writing with a great format.Выдержка из предисловия:
Courtesy 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 Rings may have come from the imagination of two great storytellers,
author J. R. R. Tolkien and director Peter Jackson, but the landscape chosen for the
movies was real. This enthralling fantasy world was actually New Zealand, a land
formed and shaped by two of the most awe-inspiring, yet destructive, forces known to
humans: volcanoes and plate tectonics. This was one instance where geology made a
movie even more fascinating.Introduction
Acknowledgments
Details of geology
Measuring the Earth
The Earth in space
The Earth's layers
All about minerals
Rock families
Fossils in the rocks
Fossil fuels
Wearing away the Earth
Building mountains
Geology and water
Ice environments
Examining earthquakes
Volcanic eruption
Exploring caves
Geology and oceans
Geology and solar system
Prominent geological features in the Eastern USA
Prominent geological features in the Western USA
Prominent geological features in the Northern Hemisphere
Prominent geological features in the Southern Hemisphere
Geology resources
Glossary
