Understanding Earth

By John P. Grotzinger, Thomas H. Jordan, Frank Press

Book Overview

For the introductory geology or physical geology course. Understanding Earth offers both majors and non-majors rock solid content that originated with the ground-breaking text, Earth. In subsequent editions, the text has consistently met the needs of today's students with exceptional content, currency, interactive learning features, and an overall focus of the role of geological science in our lives.

Understanding Earth doesn't merely present the concepts and processes of physical geology-- the authors focus on how we know what we know. Students actively take part in the scientific process of discovery and learn through experience as they explore the impact of geology on their lives as citizens and future stewards of the planet. The new edition incorporates coverage of recent natural disasters (the 2011 tsunami), fracking and other natural resources issues, the latest developments in climate change, and key events such as the Mars mission and the arrest of geologists in Italy.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1464138745
• ISBN13: 9781464138744
• Release Date: April 2014
• Publisher: W. H. Freeman
• Length: 650 Pages
• Weight: 3.03 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 8.5" x 10.7"

Customer Reviews

Excellent

This is an excellent that explains earth processes extremely well and keeps your attention the entire time.

Fantastic advertisement for the science of geology

This is an amazing and wonderful book that will surely attract many new students who would otherwise not choose to study geology. It is full of colour pictures and photographs, written in an extremely entertaining style, and is also full of high-quality science put in perspectives that I have not seen in any other text. The authors truly have everything at their fingertips. The book comprehensively covers the full breadth of what the reader might infer from the title "Understanding Earth", including (in addition to geology) weather and climate, the evolution of life (concentrating mainly on microbes), biogeology, human impact on the earth, and study of the other terrestrial planets (Mercury, Venus and Mars). The information presented is up to date and, astonishingly given its publication date, includes detailed coverage of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the 2005 impact of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans, and results of the latest space probes to other planets.