The Key to Earth History: An Introduction to Stratigraphy

TheKeytoEarthHistoryintroducesstudentstothebasictoolsusedbygeologiststoreconstructtheEarth'shistory,andshowshowthesetoolscanbeusedtochartthepatternofglobalenvironmentalchangesincetheformationoftheEarthsome4600millionyearsago.Ittellsastoryofmountainbuilding,climatechangeandoftheevolutionoflife,andusestheNorthAtlanticregion(EuropeandNorthAmerica)asastudyareatoillustratethisstory.Dividedintotwoparts,thebookshowshowstratigraphyisthekeytounderstandingthehistoryoftheEarth.Thefirstpartexaminesthebasicstratigraphicalmethodsusedtoestablish,dateandinterprettherockrecordastheproductofaseriesofeventswhithinEarthhistory.Thesecondpartpresentstheresultsobtainedbygeologists,whohaveusedthesestratigraphicaltoolstoreconstructthepatternofglobalenvironmentalchangethroughgeologicaltimeandfocusesonthegeologicalevolutionoftheNorthAtlanticregion.TheKeytoEarthHistoryisessentialreadingforgeologists,geographersandenvironmentalscientists,aswellastoallthoseinterestedinthestoryoftheplanet.'Theauthorsprovidenoonewithanalibiforbadstratigraphicteaching!'Geoscientist'TheaimsofthisintroductorytextbookaretoexplaintheprocessandpatternofEarthhistory,togenerateinterestandenthusiasm,tomakestratigraphyfunandexciting!Theseaimsareadmirablyachieved.'TheHolocene'Thisisagreatlittlebook!Ifoundthat,notonlywaseverythingcovered,butthatitwascoveredinarefreshing,readable,no-nonsensefashion.'EarthScienceReviews'TheKeytoEarthHistoryreallyshouldbecompulsoryreadingforall...geologystudents.'Geologie