Earth Sciences: An Illustrated History of Planetary Science (100 Ponderables)

by Tom Jackson

Overview

Do you want to understand the history and forces that created our planet and are still shaping it today? Through 100 pivotal milestones, this gorgeous reference book and timeline shows how our planet evolved from a disk of dust left behind by a young Sun and how it is constantly altered by events such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions.

The accessible text describes the Earth's ever-changing layers and what researchers have learned about the past through fossils and about the future in the search for habitable exoplanets. At a time when human life is impacting the Earth at a noticeable rate, Earth Sciences provides a rich understanding of:

• 100 milestone facts, labeled Ponderables, which detail pivotal breakthroughs in geology, meteorology, oceanography, and astronomy
• Stunning imagery and illustrations to help clarify key concepts
• An overview of core concepts in "Earth Science 101: The Basics" and biographies of key scientists
• A section that explores imponderable topics that researchers still don't fully understand
• A removable, fold-out 12-page Timeline History of Earth Science that shows every eon, era, period, epoch, and age from the formation of the planet to the present day

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781627951425
Publisher:	Shelter Harbor Press
Publication date:	10/29/2019
Series:	100 Ponderables
Edition description:	Illustrated,Hardcover w/ 24-page, removable fold-out timeline/chart
Pages:	168
Sales rank:	1,079,684
Product dimensions:	9.20(w) x 10.90(h) x 1.20(d)
Age Range:	12 - 18 Years

About the Author

Tom Jackson is a science writer based in the United Kingdom. Tom specializes in recasting science and technology into lively historical narratives. After almost 20 years of writing, Tom has uncovered a wealth of stories that help create new ways to enjoy learning about science. He studied at the University of Bristol, and still lives in the city with his wife and three children.

Editorial Reviews

"Highlights of our historical study of what's happening in, on, and above Earth's surface. Jackson hangs this sumptuously produced overview on an expansive if arbitrary 100 topics or discoveries beginning with ancient celebrations marking the solstices and equinoxes and ending with a look at the next Mars rover. In between, he builds a roughly chronological picture of how scientific fields ranging from chemistry to seismology and paleontology developed over time and have helped us to understand geological processes, explore our planet and reconstruct its long history, measure and at least try to predict weather and natural disasters, and provide some clues to conditions on other worlds. Plentiful side boxes, period or later images, and finely detailed diagrams enhance the half to two-page entries. A big folded timeline poster tucked into a back pocket summarizes the contents and also expands on them by tracking select contemporaneous world cultural milestones. After pondering a few "Imponderables " such as whether climate is actually controllable and why the notion that Earth is flat just won't die, the author finally shovels in all sorts of useful back matter. Though he displays an overall parochialism reflected in a closing gallery of earth-science greats in which but three of the 23 are women, and only two not white, he crafts a grand tapestry of scientific thought and invention in action over many centuries. A rich, if patchwork, view of large-scale events and our evolving understanding of them." — Kirkus Review, September 15, 2019

From the Publisher

2019-09-15
Highlights of our historical study of what's happening in, on, and above Earth's surface.

Jackson hangs this sumptuously produced overview on an expansive if arbitrary 100 topics or discoveries—beginning with ancient celebrations marking the solstices and equinoxes and ending with a look at the next Mars rover. In between he builds a roughly chronological picture of how scientific fields ranging from chemistry to seismology and paleontology developed over time and have helped us to understand geological processes, explore our planet and reconstruct its long history, measure and at least try to predict weather and natural disasters, and provide some clues to conditions on other worlds. Plentiful side boxes, period or later images, and finely detailed diagrams enhance the half- to two-page entries. A big folded timeline poster tucked into a back pocket summarizes the contents and also expands on them by tracking select contemporaneous world cultural milestones. After pondering a few "Imponderables," such as whether climate is actually controllable and why the notion that Earth is flat just won't die, the author finally shovels in all sorts of useful backmatter. Though he displays an overall parochialism reflected in a closing gallery of earth-science greats in which but three of the 23 are women, and only two not white, he crafts a grand tapestry of scientific thought and invention in action over many centuries.

A rich, if patchwork, view of large-scale events and our evolving understanding of them. (index, resources) (Nonfiction. 11-14)

Kirkus Reviews