The Field Guide to Geology - Hardcover

David Lambert; Diagram Group

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0816016976 ISBN 13: 9780816016976

Publisher: Facts On File, 1988

Synopsis

The first book to provide the amateur geologist with a complete, systematic means of charting & understanding the course of Earth s evolution. With over 500 clearly drawn two-color maps, diagrams, charts & other illustrations, & with a text approved by eminent geologists & science educators, this guide makes it possible for readers of all ages to follow the development of the Earth, from the creation of our solar system 4.6 billion years ago to recent changes in the Earth s physical structure. Provides a who s who of the world s key geologists, along with their major achievements; a worldwide listing of geological displays; & bibliography.

About this title

About the Author:

David Lambert has written more than eighty books for children and adults including the award-winning Kingfisher Book of Oceans and Seashores.

Diagram Group are the successful publishers of many illustrated encyclopedias, including "Rules of the Game" and "The New Weapons of the World Encyclopedia" published by St. Martin's Press.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 8 Up—Since the first edition of this book was published in 1998, technology for geological fieldwork has improved immensely. The coverage of these innovations, in a new chapter called "Monitoring Earth," is this book's best feature. It provides useful overviews, at a level of detail and in a vocabulary that is perfect for the audience, of concepts such as satellite laser ranging, which is used to measure the movement of continents, and the use of satellites in mapping the ozone layer. The rest of the book discusses the planet's formation; plate tectonics; methods of rock creation; how the sea, ice, and wind change the landscape; deciphering Earth's history from fossils and other rocks; exploitation of rocks and minerals, and, in another updated section, provides lists of prominent geologists and relevant institutions. The presentation in these chapters is overly succinct for such complex information, resulting in difficult reading (with no glossary) and loss of important detail. In one chapter, a 543-million-year-period is shoehorned into 30 pages. The illustrations are particularly disappointing. It is standard practice to show geological processes in simple line diagrams. These are provided, and are useful, as far as they go. But the few photographs mean that students have little opportunity to see the features produced by the forces that are so ably diagrammed. Apart from the information on new technologies, students would do better with Timothy M. Kusky's Encyclopedia of Earth Science (Facts On File, 2005).—Henrietta Thornton-Verma, School Library Journal
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About this edition

• Publisher: Facts On File
• Publication date: 1988
• ISBN 10: 0816016976
• ISBN 13: 9780816016976
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 256