Table of Contents
Preface ix
Acknowledgements x
1 Introduction: a mighty matter of Legend 1
Rock types and the rock cycle
The structure of this book
2 Inside and outside: the solid Earth and the atmosphere 9
The atmosphere and its development
The Earth's interior
Seismic waves
The Earth's core
Evidence from magnetism
The Earth's crust and mantle - compositional layers
Summary of compositional layers
Another kind of layering - strong and weak
The Earth's heat
Radiogenic heating
Radiometric dating and the age of the Earth
The origin of the Earth and the Solar System
A warning
3 Earthquakes 35
How earthquakes happen
Measuring earthquakes
Protecting structures from earthquake damage
Earthquake preparedness
Prediction and prevention
Tsunamis
4 Plate tectonics 51
Moving plates
Plates colliding
Plates moving apart
The break-up of a continent
The life-cycle of an ocean
Plates sliding past each other
The global picture
What makes the plates move?
5 Volcanoes 71
Magma origin and eruption
Magmatic gases and explosive eruptions
Volcanic hazards
Ignimbrite eruptions
Volcanoes associated with continental rifting
Volcanism at ocean ridges
Hawaiian volcanism
Lava hazards
Predicting eruptions
Widespread effects of eruptions
6 Igneous intrusions 105
Minerals
Granite
Basaltic intrusions in the oceanic crust
Dykes and sills
Grain sizes in igneous rocks
7 Metamorphism 123
Thermal metamorphism
Regional metamorphism
Metamorphic fades
Textures of metamorphic rocks
8 Weathering, erosion and transport 137
Chemical breakdown of minerals during weathering
Physical weathering
Sand-sized grains in wind and water
Moving ice
Glacial landscapes
Erosion by rivers and streams
Drainage patterns
Marine erosion
9 Deposition of sediment and the origin of sedimentary rocks 155
Ripples and dunes
Turbidity currents
Current directions
Waves
Finer and coarser sediments
Other means of transport
Using sediments to interpret ancient environments
Depositional environments associated with rivers
Flash floods
Deltas and estuaries
Logging a sedimentary succession
Beaches and other coastal environments
Evaporite deposits
Limestone
Turning sediment into rock
10 Deformation of rocks 189
Different types of steep fault
Low-angle faults
Thrust belts and collision zones
Brittle faults versus shear zones
Folds
Shapes and styles of folding
Unconformities
11 Physical resources 211
Reserves and resources
Origins of oil and gas
Oil and gas reservoirs
Exploration for oil and gas
The origin of coal
Mining techniques
Ores and their origins
Ore exploration
The mining of ores
Diagenetic and sedimentary ore bodies
Non-metallic raw materials
Making good the damage
Water resources
12 Past Life and fossils 239
The origin of life
The first microbes
More complex cells
Multicellular organisms
The major animal phyla appear
Vascular plants and life on land
The mammals take over
Mass extinctions and adaptive radiations
How fossils form
Exceptional preservation
Plant fossils
The use of fossils in stratigraphy
13 A Short History of the Earth 267
The Earth's first crust
Archean plate tectonics?
The growth of cratons
The Proterozoic Eon
Phanerozoic plate configurations
Climate change
Human-induced climate change
The future history of the Earth
14 Solar System Geology 293
Impact craters
The Moon
Mercury
Venus
Mars
The asteroids
lo
Europa
Large icy bodies
Geology among the stars
15 Going into the Field 327
Things to do in the field
Field equipment
Field safety
Geological maps and guidebooks
Suggestions for field projects
Appendix 1 Minerals 343
Appendix 2 Rock names 349
Igneous rocks
Metamorphic rocks
Sedimentary rocks
Appendix 3 Geological time 355
Glossary 357
Answers 371
Index 379
