Review of The Story Of Earth & Life: A Southern African Perspective on a 4.6-Billion-Year Journey (Paperback)

This is a fantastic book with a great deal of valuable facts and knowledge. Especially good for anyone studying in this field or just for the person wishing to increase their general knowledge. It contains lots of illustrations and information in an easy to read format.

Product Description
‘It is inordinately difficult for most people to relate past events described by earth scientists to the world we see around us today. Reason and logic are strained when they describe mountains that were once seas, or seas where there were once mountains. It is hoped that this book will go some way to alleviating this kind of difficulty.'-- from the Introduction

Southern Africa is without equal in terms of geology, a treasure trove of valuable minerals with a geological history dating back some 3 600 million years. In addition, the evolution of plants and animals, especially mammals and dinosaurs, is well preserved in the region, which also has among the best records of the origin of modern man. The Story of Earth and Life provides a fascinating insight into this remarkable history - how southern Africa's mineral deposits were formed, how its life evolved and how its landscape was shaped. Along the way readers will be enthralled by accounts of the Big Bang that marked the beginning of time and matter, by drifting and colliding continents, folding and fracturing rocks, meteors colliding with the Earth, volcanic eruptions, and the start of life. Other topics include why South Africa is so rich in minerals, how glacial deposits came to be found in the Karoo, why dinosaurs became extinct, how mammals developed from reptiles, and how closely humans are related to the apes. The answers to many such questions can be found here. The book is comprehensively illustrated with explanatory diagrams and full color photographs.

About the Author
Prof. Terence McCarthy is Professor of Mineral Geochemistry at the University of the Witwatersrand. He has wide research interests in the earth sciences, including economic and environmental geology, geochemistry and geomorphology, and is a leading expert on the geology of wetlands, especially the Okavango Delta in Botswana.

Prof. Bruce Rubidge is director of the Bernard Price Institute for Palaeontological Research at the University of the Witwatersrand. Passionate about fossils, he is an authority on the formation of the Karoo Basin and the evolution of its fauna, especially the mammal-like reptiles.

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Review of Geology of U.S. Parklands (Geology of Us Parklands) (Hardcover)

I teach a course in geology of America's National Parklands at a community college. I have tried another book for the required text for the course, with mixed success. Thereforewhen I found out thatGeology of U.S.Parklands, fifth edition, was being released, I ordered it for the courseeven before I had seen my review copy.Previously when traveling I haveconsultedThe Geologic Story of the National Parks and Monuments by thesame authors, and was sufficiently impressed with the content, clarity ofwriting,and extent of coverage that I eagerly ordered the revisedversion.In my opinion this new book is THE one to use for similar collegecourses, and should also serve well for travelers with or without geologictraining who want to know more about the geology of the magnificent federalparklands of our nation.There is a sufficient short course on generalgeologic principles in the initial chapter. I like the clarity, accuracy and dry humor of the text, which is better than the style and content inthe book previously used - Geology of America's National Park Areas byBrooks Ellwood.Although the latter is quite a bit less expensive and hasbetter quality if not more useful pictures, it is often too simplistic formy use in this course.I may have more to say after having used Kiver andHarris book as a text for a quarter or two, but my initial reaction to itis very favorable.Other books cover the geology of one or a few parkareas, but this book has the entire country including Hawaii.However, forsome reason the parklands of Alaska are excluded, probably because theirinclusion could add many pages to what is already a massive volume (902pages).I should have liked to see higher quality photographs and a lowercost, but other than those minor quibbles, this book will very likely setthe standard to which all others on the subject will strive.

Product Description
The National Parks of the United States provide some of the world's most spectacular examples of a wide range of geological features. From the shores of Cape Cod to the volcanoes of Hawaii, this book teaches the principles of physical geology by example, re-creating the history of the earth and the development of its landforms, mountains, rivers, and oceans. By presenting a brief outline of the science of geology, and devoting chapters to individual geographical regions, the authors describe in detail the stunning geological features of each park.

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