Reviews (7)

Great Book! What a Find!
Picked up this book in a book store because I though it looked good. It was. I have to admit that I was already in the thrall of the scablands of eastern Washington but this book really brought it together. There is an interesting biographical drama as a separate story. The basin by basin description of the columbia valley that follows can be skipped over, used as a tour guide, or cherry picked. Or, like me, you can read every page. First go see the dry falls and the excellent interpretive center there with its satellite photographs and topographic maps. Then read this book and marvel at what Harlan Bretz was able see from eye level. You will never look at Eastern Washinton the same way again. A steal at ten bucks!

When I say Cata, you say Clysm...Cata,clysm. Cata,clysm
Ever driven down Highway 84 and been amazed by the scenery of the Columbia River?
Ever curious about how the Columbia became the Columbia?
Ever seen a giant bolder in the Willamette Valley and wondered how it got there.
Can you imagine the sea level four hundred feet above Portland?
You think you know, but you have no idea.
Until you read this book! (Or hear about it from a friend.)

A very good tour book
This book excellently explains why the eastern half of the State of Washington and the lower Columbia valley are so curiously carved. It also shows how a truly observant scientist works, even though his vindication may be slow in coming. While some persons might wish for more color photographs, I believe the black and white format, particularly in the Grand Coulee region, better shows the power and scope of the floods that carved these otherworldly channels from bare lava rock. The drawing of a typical Bretz flood has to be seen firsthand to be believed. Another exemplary book on the geology of the West. Don't see Grand Coulee or the Columbia Gorge without reading this book.

good book
I've lived in the Walla Walla River Basin for a little over a year. After reading this book, the surrounding area became more alive. This book tells of fascinating events that took place several thousand years ago that created many of the local landmarks. It makes my travels more interesting and personal as I recognize features described in this book. If your a highly educated geologists searching for some real meat, this book is not for you. For the rest of us, this book is written in easy to understand terms. If you live in the Northwest, it's a must read.

Great story, flawed book
I'd like to give this book a higher rating, but I can't. Great subject, should be brought to the attention of everyone even vaguely interested in the forces that shape our landscapes, and a fascinating account of the Bretz "saga". Like Wegener, Bretz was ridiculed in his time for his outlandish theories; unlike Wegener, he lived long enough to see his theories dramatically confirmed. On a recent trip to the US I had the opportunity to drive across WA, ID, and MT, and was entranced by the coulees, Dry Falls, the scablands, and the stranded lake shores above Missoula.

So what's my gripe? Simply that, while the authors have done a commendable job of making the whole story accessible to lay readers, they haven't really done their subject the treatment it so richly deserves. The writing (shared by three authors) is uneven, tends to be repetitious, and would have benefited from tighter editing. The chapters describing Bretz and his battles with the geological establishment are the best and most readable; those describing the details of the post-flood geomorphology (sensibly ordered from Lake Missoula to the sea) are more ponderous. The photos are also a big disappointment - I would happily have paid extra for a book with up to date and well-produced colour photos, rather than the grainy monochromes which have been used throughout. Buy the book, marvel at the story, and imagine what it would have been like to watch the floods from a secure piece of high ground, but keep your eyes open for the day when the authors (or someone else) produce a livelier and more readable update. ... Read more

Book Description

Intended for junior/senior level students in biology and environmental sciences, this best-selling study of lake systems covers the physics, chemistry, and biology of lakes. The text includes ecosystem examples to illustrate basic concepts in limnology. The examples are drawn from all over the world-Africa, the Americas, Antarctica, the Arctic, Europe, Japan, and New Zealand. The authors are selective in presentation and coverage of topics, making the text perfectly suited for a one-semester introduction to this science. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

An easy to follow, but very informative book for all levels.
This book covers the main issues of Limnology, and compiles them into an easy to read, well descriptive text. Also includes good diagrams for the more complicated aspects.Suitable for those with a fair knowledge ofBiology and Chemistry.

Excellent textbook for those interested in lakes and streams
I enjoyed this textbook.Unlike most texts it was engaging AND informative.The text and diagrams are well integrated and a number of important concepts are covered well.This text could be improved by addingadditional color photographs.

Book is well done, perhaps too technical
Well done, explanations at times are a little too technical, fun book to read

Book is well done, perhaps too technical
Well done, explanations at times are a little too technical, fun book to read ... Read more

Reviews (7)

A Trusted Guide Always
As with all the books in this series, you simply cannot go wrong. On a recent trip to central Texas, we took this guide with us and were able to follow along the drive and both visually and scientifically understand what the geology was all about. A truly great geology guide for Texas.

Excellent
This book is very easy to read and understand - even by someone who knows nothing about geology! I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to know more about the geological beauty of the beautiful state of Texas!

A must for roadcut rockhounds!
This is the best book of the Roadside Geology series. Spearing explains not just the location and character of the rock formations one encounters on TX roadways, but the processes which made them. Best of all, he specifically provides the name and formative time period of almost every formation mentioned (e.g., "Triassic Trujillo sandstone") -- avoiding the overgeneralized naming (e.g., "Mesozoic sediment layer") of a few other Roadside Geology volumes. This is certainly a time saver for the rock collector who catalogs his specimens! This book is a must-get for all rock enthusiasts -- even those who have never been to Texas. Now if someone would just write a Roadside Geology of Oklahoma volume...

The single best book on Texas geology
Excellence abounds in this book. The illustrations are good, but the writing is extraordinarily good for a book on a technical subject. I read it through like a fine novel. I've lived in Texas all my life and was surprised that there was so much Texas geology that I didn't know. A must-have for anyone interested in Texas history or geology.

The ideal book for roadcut rockhounds!
This is the best book of the Roadside Geology series. Spearing explains not just the location and character of the rock formations one encounters on TX roadways, but the processes which made them. Best of all, he specifically provides the name and formative time period of almost every formation mentioned (e.g., "Triassic Trujillo sandstone") -- avoiding the overgeneralized naming (e.g., "Mesozoic sediment layer") of a few other Roadside Geology volumes. This is certainly a time saver for the rock collector who catalogs his specimens! This book is a must-get for all rock enthusiasts -- even those who have never been to Texas. Now if someone would just write a Roadside Geology of Oklahoma volume... ... Read more

Book Description

Although known for its gold production, California is a virtual haven for rock and gem collectors. With this informative guide, you can explore the mineral-rich desert regions, comb tide-washed beaches for jade, agate, abalone, fossilized whale bone, and prospect in the mountains and hills for gold, copper, and other minerals and gems. It describes 75 of the state's best rockhounding sites and covers popular and commercial sites as well as numerous little-known areas. This handy guide also describes how to collect specimens, includes maps and directions to each site, and lists rockhound clubs around the state. Rockhounding California offers a complete introduction to this many-faceted hobby and is an outstanding guide and sourcebook. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

just what I was looking for!
got the book last night, found crystals the next day. I am going for jasper tommorrow. great book!

lost with a map
A friend of mine recently got me interested in rockhounding and we went and purchased this book... Anyway, we went to a random site and the maps, although detailed with mileage, don't show distance to site from areas in california. Example, distance from Barstow to Ludlow? YOU have to go there to see the mileagle sign. Secondly, there needs to be better markers on where to turn for these dirt roads. A few sites were passed due to not being where they "should be". I really would hate to take some unmarked road for 10 miles only find it leads nowhere and then have a problem getting back. The lore and history of the sites was nice along with hints of how to dig or uncover rocks but the maps do leave a bit to be desired. Finally, and most annoyingly, all of the photos were black and white and of low quality. How can one tell what green jasper looks like with a black photo? Blooodstone? Rose quartz? This one portion of the book really was what made me not want to purchase my own copy. Maybe future editions will have better maps and at least a few color photos of the rocks,etc. Thanks for your time, Dean

Rock Solid
This book really is solid. It's got some of the best information on everything you'll need to be right in the middle of all that this great big state of California has to offer. I have traveled to 14 sites so far, and almost all of them have been productive and well worth the trip. What I like most is the extra types of information given; like the best season to look for gems and minerals at a particular site, and the specific tools you'll need. Especially appreciated are the alternate maps that are recommended, like the USGS and the BLM, which match up right to the book. Way to go and thank you very much! ... Read more

Book Description

In this engrossing and accessible book, Doug Macdougall explores the causes and effects of ice ages that have gripped our planet throughout its history, from the earliest known glaciation-nearly three billion years ago-to the present. Following the development of scientific ideas about these dramatic events, Macdougall traces the lives of many of the brilliant and intriguing characters who have contributed to the evolving understanding of how ice ages come about. As it explains how the great Pleistocene Ice Age has shaped the earth's landscape and influenced the course of human evolution, Frozen Earth also provides a fascinating look at how science is done, how the excitement of discovery drives scientists to explore and investigate, and how timing and chance play a part in the acceptance of new scientific ideas.Macdougall describes the awesome power of cataclysmic floods that marked the melting of the glaciers of the Pleistocene Ice Age. He probes the chilling evidence for "Snowball Earth," an episode far back in the earth's past that may have seen our planet encased in ice from pole to pole. He discusses the accumulating evidence from deep-sea sediment cores, as well as ice cores from Greenland and the Antarctic, that suggests fast-changing ice age climates may have directly impacted the evolution of our species and the course of human migration and civilization. Frozen Earth also chronicles how the concept of the ice age has gripped the imagination of scientists for almost two centuries. It offers an absorbing consideration of how current studies of Pleistocene climate may help us understand earth's future climate changes, including the question of when the next glacial interval will occur.Illustrations: 14 line illustrations, 12 b/w photographs ... Read more

Book Description

Demonstrating how rock physics can be applied to predict reservoir parameters, such as lithologies and pore fluids, from seismically derived attributes, this volume provides an integrated methodology and practical tools for quantitative interpretation, uncertainty assessment, and characterization of subsurface reservoirs. Including problem sets and a case-study for which seismic and well-log data and Matlab codes are provided on the Internet (http://publishing.cambridge.org/resources/0521816017), the book is intended for students of petroleum geoscience as well as professionals in the field. ... Read more

Book Description

Designed to show readers how to use chemical principles in solving geological problems, this book emphasizes a quantitative approach to problem solving and demonstrates how chemical principles control geologic processes in atomic and large-scale environments.The book starts with basic principles and emphasizes quantitative methods of problem-solving. It uses the principles of isotope geology to enhance the understanding of appropriate geochemical subject areas. The book also examines the geochemical processes that affect the chemical composition of surface water and that determine its quality for human consumption.For anyone interested in Geochemistry or Geology. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Faures principles and apps of geochem
This is an excellent text for geology / earth science undergraduates and graduates covering pretty much all the fundamental geochemistry topics. It is generally very readable with material presented in a logical and coherent fashion. The sections regarding geochemical thermodynamics and the construction of Eh / pH diagrams are especially well presented. An excellent reference text and a must have for those interested in a broad range of geochemical areas. ... Read more

Book Description

Hapgood's tour de force is back in print!This riveting account of how Earth's poles have flipped positions many times is the culmination of Hapgood's extensive research of Antarctica, ancient maps and the geological record. This amazing book discusses the various pole shifts in Earth's history-occurring whenEarth's crust slips in the inner core-and gives evidence for each one. It also predicts future pole shifts:a planetary alignment will cause the next one on May 5, 2000! Packed with illustrations, this book is the reference other books on the subject cite over and over again. With millennium madness in full swing, this is just the book to generate even more excitement at the unknown possibilities. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Count me as a skeptic
In so titling this review, I do not intend to cast aspersions on the author's indefatigable industry and considerable scholarship. He marshalled an impresive array of data and sought sensible conclusions from it, based on the state of knowledge at the time. This was in the finest period of scientific inquiry. However, subsequent discoveries have vitiated many of his premises and his ultimate conclusion of geologically sudden wandering of the poles is supported by neither earth science, physics, nor Quaternary paleontology.

It must be remembered that Hapgood wrote this book before the advent of plate tectonics, and while continental drift was rejected by all but a few scientists. Admittedly, an analysis of magnetic lines of force in ancient igneous deposits would supprt his conclusion of wandering poles, IF there was no such thing as moving continents. But there is.

Likewise, with reference to sudden large animal extinctions at the end of the Pleistocene Epoch, research now shows that prehistoric hunting techniques were far more advance than previously thought, and that extinction of many of the large creature was due to man-created overkill, something that is going on even today. As to climate peculiarities such as an open Arctic Ocean at the height of the Ice Age advances, research has disclosed that such is to be expected in the event of North American glaciation.

Author Hapgood, and his devotees, therefore find themselves in a position better than Velikovskyites, but in one which, like theirs, has been obviated by the discovery of facts and scientific principles which werenot available to Hapgood when he wrote this book. Therefore, although the books is highly interesting, and even persuasive in the face of a lack of advanced study of Earth sciences, I do not find it persuasive in this day and and age. It is a pity that Hapgood is not with us now, for his inquisitive mind and obvious genius and industry would benefit us greatly.

Time will tell
Charles Hapgood must be considered as on the mainstays of catastrophism to date. His evidence of different pole positions in the past is rather concrete and his hyphothesis of an Earth crust displacement is well thought out.

The ECD has been defeated since then. It cannot have happened that way. That's why I subtracked a star. But the evidence continues to exist to this day and is accumulating. For instance with the Jarkov mammoth 1999 and its inherent proof of a moderate climate about 1000 miles from the current North Pole in about the coldest era of the last ice age. Strange things must have happened indeed in those days. The notion of different pole positions will live on.

I highly recommend the book and challenge you to solve the riddle. If not the ECD, what did really happen? How did the poles really change positions? Somebody will tell us sometimes. Will you? I might. Time will tell.

Andre

One of the most important books of our time
I will try and keep this short. All of Charles Hapgood's books are seminal works. He remains one of the most original and brilliant thinkers of the 20th century. He was also a very fine writer. His work is constantly cited by others. But don't settle for secondary sources. Read and study everything Hapgood wrote. Start with his first book on crustal displacement, EARTH'S SHIFTING CRUST. Then read THE PATH OF THE POLE. And don't miss his MAPS OF THE ANCIENT SEA KINGS. Albert Einstein was convinced that Hapgood's theory of crustal displacement was correct. The fact that Hapgood couldn't explain the mechanism does not detract from his contribution; just as Newton's work on gravity is not diminished by his inability to explain what gravity actually is. Time will prove Hapgood correct on just about everything. Perhaps the mechanism for the crustal shifts will turn out to be a periodic earth rendezvous with a nemesis, a planet X, or a periodic close encounter with a comet ...we shall see! Enjoy!

The book to read first on Pole Shift
I've read the Flem-Ath book (see previous review from Rand Flem-Ath) on the search for Altlantis, and Graham Hancock's excellent book, Fingerprint of the Gods, and both books begin with Hapgood. His ideas on crustal displacement have been adopted by the "alternate history" writers and sometimes sensationalized. The back page of the copy of Path of the Pole which I got from Amazon quotes Richard Noone, author of one of those sensational books, and actually says "A planetary alignment on May 5, 2000 is predicted to cause the next pole shift -- are you ready?" This is total nonsense and a disservice to the meticulously researched book that Hapgood wrote. Hapgood felt these processes took place over thousands of years, which in his mind was "rapid." The geologists of his time were adherents of uniformitarianism and suggesting earth changes could happen in thousands, not millions, of years was heresy.

Rand and Rose Flem-Ath build on Hapgood in their book, When the Sky Fell: The Search for Atlantis, and after reading Rand's note above, I feel better about their book knowing they were in touch with Charles Hapgood. Clearly these ideas are still not mainstream and it remains to be seen when Hapgood will get the recognition he deserves. Meanwhile, before you believe all the writers of "catastrophe" books, read the original. Path of the Pole is basically an academic book, not always an easy read. Hapgood presents mountains of evidence and much of it is highly technical. But if you seriously want to know what "pole shift" is all about, then you must read Path of the Pole.

In Print AT LAST!
At last Charles Hapgood's book on earth crust displacement is available for everyone to read. The book, which has been out of print for nearly two decades, is the fundamental statement of his theory. Having corresponded with Hapgood for the last five years of his life I know how pleased he would be to see his book back in print. Also, having read the nearly two hundred pages of correspondence between Albert Einstein and Hapgood, I can say that most of the issues the two men discussed are contained in PATH OF THE POLE.

However, the description of the book given here is way off base. Hapgood NEVER predicted another earth crust displacement in the year 2000. This is NOT his theory. In his last letter to me, just weeks before he was killed in an automobile accident, he did write that he thought another crustal displacement would occur but not for THOUSANDS of years. Charles would also object to the new subtitle (Cataclysmic Poleshift Geology). First of all, Hapgood thought that each earth crust displacement took as much as 5,000 years to complete (a point upon which we disagreed) so his theory wasn't "cataclysmic" in the sense that the word is used today. Nor would Hapgood have used the term 'poleshift' because it confuses the reader into thinking that the earth's axis is altered (it is only the outer shell of the earth's mass that is shifted in Hapgood's theory).

Many people will argue that this book is out of date and that advances in geology have made it obsolete. NOT true. The issues that Hapgood covers, such as the geography of the ice ages and the sudden demise of millions of animals during the late Pleistocene remain persistant UNEXPLAINED problems in science.

Aside from the misrepresentations (possibly misunderstandings) in the publisher's book blurb this is still the key book to read first on earth crust displacement. I believe that WHEN THE SKY FELL: IN SEARCH OF ATLANTIS advances Hapgood's theory into new areas of investigation (origins of agriculture, Atlantis, the sun-deluge and the lost island paradise motif in world mythology, etc.) but any serious investigation of the topic must begin with PATH OF THE POLE. Readers of this book should also acquire MAPS OF THE ANCIENT SEA KINGS which Hapgood thought of as a companion book. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Excellent material.Well presented sans...............
This is an excellent textbook of geology and some history of our national parks.The text is organized by each park within geographic regions.This is great and helps one to read up on a specific park BEFORE visiting it so as to get the most out of the trip.

The layout, font size and pictures are great.The explanation of the geology behind the landscape is just beautiful and quite meaty.There is a CD that comes with the text and this is where I have a problem.The CD has great pictures of the parks but that is it.It would have been great if the CD came with some interactive stuff.

With the book size being formidible it would have been great to have a folded handout along with the CD so that one could actually use it on a field trip.

But all in all this is an excellent book and very useful to a non-geologist like myself.

I would have given it a 5-star except that there is no handy cutout that effectively summarizes the book for use in the field.

Great desk reference, not really a textbook
"Geology of the National Parks" is filled to the brim with information, but it is less a textbook than a nice desk reference.

The book organizes the national parks according to their major geographical features.This works, but since many parks have the same or similar features, the same information is often repeated.Furthermore, the information on the parks is extremely detailed and extends beyond the geographic features that the book is organized by.A straight geographic or alphabetical ordering might have worked better.The index is adequate, though, which make up for this somewhat.

The writing is clear and understandable, though packed with information.If there is a geological process in a NP, it is in this book.The only problem is that the student never really gets an idea of geological processes on a continental or global scale because of the organization.Each park comes off as isolated.

Still, if you are an amateur geologist who enjoys the national parks, this is a great book to have in your collection.It really makes a person appreciate how unique and special each park is.But any professor looking to use this as a text really needs address the material like they would a GEOL 101 course and use the parks to address these larger geological processes.A biology or chemistry teacher wouldn't teach from an encyclopedia of those disciplines and the same care needs to be taken with this text.

Book good, not great
The provided great geologic information.The colorplates of the parks were nice, but it would be better if the whole book was in color, and if they had pictures of all the parks.A good buy if your intrested in National Parks or geology.

A good basic text for the vacationing geologist
Harris et al. have produced a weighty tome that will appeal to the geologist on vacation who wants to get more out of the National Park experience. There are plenty of maps and cross-sections to interest theinformed reader, particularly the increasing number of retired geologists. Unfortunately there is not enough in the way of more modern data such asreflection seismic, potential fields or, surprisingly, geothermal data.Also, considering the price, more color satellite images would have beenappreciated. One point: I am not sure how much this book would appeal tothe lay reader, whose enjoyment of the National Park system would beconsiderably enhanced by knowledge of the underlying geologic processesthat produced the beautiful scenery. ... Read more

Book Description

"The vine and its wine are a great mystery. Only the vine reveals to us what is the real taste of the earth," writes Colette. In this sumptuously illustrated and wonderfully informative book, Jacques Fanet invites us on an entertaining tour of the world's most celebrated winegrowing regions to discover the characteristics of the bond that ties the vine to its place of birth: the terroir. Terroir is a uniquely French term for the subtle interaction of natural factors and human skills that define the characteristics of each winegrowing region.Interviewing growers and researchers in France, Spain, Italy, California, Chile, Australia, and South Africa, Fanet looks for the soil in the soul of each wine. He takes us back millions of years to show how movements in the ancient bedrock, faults, mountain building, tidal flow, sedimentation, and volcanic activity contribute to the precise and individual character of each terroir, making the great winegrowing regions what they are today. Great Wine Terroirs provides wine enthusiasts with everything they will want to know about different soils and climates, the relationship between international grape varieties and the soil in which they grow, and how these factors affect the taste of the wines.Color geological illustrations and timelines support the text and explain key phenomena. Fanet also provides a glossary, geographical index, and index of soil types and grape varieties. He explains enological practices and their effect on the terroirs and answers questions such as why the Châteauneuf plateau, almost 300 feet about the Rhône Valley, is surrounded by river alluvia and why there are fossilized oysters in the soils of Chablis. Those interested in the wine of California will find a lively discussion of the Napa Valley, with a detailed explanation of how the San Andreas fault, the Sierra Nevada, and the Great Central Valley have all played a part in creating the most spectacular wine-producing region on the continent.Illustrations: 283 color illustrations, 20 maps ... Read more

Book Description

Nominated for the Winship/PEN New England Award

In Water: A Natural History,&nbsp Alice Outwater takes us on a journey that begins500 years ago, back to the wardrobe records of the kings of France and the diaries of the first Western explorers, to recover a lost knowledge -- how the land cleans its water.Water&nbsp moves from the reservoir to the toilet, from the grasslands of the Midwest to the Everglades of Florida, through the guts of a wastewater treatment plant and out to the waterways again.Step by step, we come to learn what should have been done from the beginning: A complex ecological system long kept American water remarkably clean but as we have randomly removed necessary components from it, we have simplified the system to the point where it can no longer do its job.While engineering can depollute water, only these ecologically interacting systems can create healthy waterways.Water&nbsp is the unforgettable story of the symbiosis that existed between the country's water, the land from which it springs and the life the two support together.It is a story that none of us who hope to live on this planet can afford to miss. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Clarity about the reason why our water is not yet clear/pure
Many of the books on the increasingly common water shortages spend a great deal of their time listing mind numbing statistics. This author is authoritative but has the sense to pick a few key reasons why our entire US water infrastructure needs the help of nature. Beavers and prairie dogs may be what we need, at least in this country, to improve the percolating powers of the earth to clean what science alone cannot remove from our water. This is one of the few books in this area that is readable by anyone over mid-teens. I highly recommend this book for a history of why the Clean Water Act is not enough.

If Aldo Leopold was alive today he would recommend this book
This wonderful book is not about the molecule or its chemistry. It is the natural history of life's most basic building material as it has been used and abused on the North American continent over the past five hundred years or so. It would be reasonable to call this engaging book a short history of the ecology of America's water only, as vital as it is, water is not alive. The author traces the interactions of living systems with the natural water cycle to support the thesis that nature had water quality and quantity problems well sorted out before we humans came on the scene. She indicates that restoration of natural systems of porus grasslands, free-flowing streams,fresh-water mussels, beaver ponds, and mature woodlands may very well be the "best practise" for water quality management if this country is serious about making every river, lake and stream fishable and swimable. As I read this well crafted history it occurred to me that this book belongs in the same league as "A Sand County Almanac". I am sure Aldo leopold would agree.

Excellent view of the big picture
This book is a must read for everyone. It was well documented and interesting, covering a lot of information in a small, easily read book. It's the type of book that should be used in classrooms as required reading, for it promotes a greater understanding of our world.

most informative book on water and environment
This book opens one's eyes about water, the way the water cycle was before the continent was despoiled, little things like water percolating through leaves and big things like the beaver dams constructed by 200 million beavers...now, there are 200 million people! We are ordering extra copies to give away, to inform and to intrigue people in all walks of life.

Jam-packed, Non-fat Eco-journey
This is a superlative book; I recommend anyone living in the USA to read it. It is short, but each sentence is informative, there are no wasted words, no fat. It is scientifically and historically acurate to the smallest detail, but never dry. Outwater's writing style is flowing and musical, and each sentence takes you further and deeper into an Alice-in-Wonderland journey of the magic and marvel of each of the ecosytems she describes. She uses water as the vehicle for each journey, from molecules to the ocean. She describes the balances of Nature and how humans have fit in, or destroyed, these balances. I am a longtime outdoorsman, photographer, and conservationist, and had thought I was reasonably observant. But reading this book was like having a film removed from my eyes and being fitted with ultra-acute vision and hightened understanding and appreciation of our history and environment. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Planet Earth.
This book, Understanding Earth, is a wonderful book to read even if you are not taking a course in Geology. If you are interested in the history of the Earth and what's happening today with our glaciers, groundwater, tectonic plates, volcanoes, earthquakes, landslides, and more, this is the book to read. The publisher lists it as having 70 pages, but that is an error. There are 567 pages as well as 6 appendices, glossary, and index.

A Great Geology Textbook
This 4th edition of Understanding Earth by Press, Siever, Grotzinger and Jordan is an up-to-the-minute comprehensive review of the history of Earth from the beginning to the present as geologists understand it.
It contains 567 pages plus glossary, index and appendices. ... Read more

Book Description

Take a learning journey through billions of years of Earth history

This indispensable guide to the fundamentals of geology is the ideal way to introduce yourself to all the basics, from rocks, minerals, and fossil fuels to earthquakes, volcanoes, and plate tectonics. Using quick quizzes and self-tests to reinforce key concepts, Geology carefully walks you through billions of years of Earth history. Illustrated with more than one hundred specially commissioned illustrations and fifty photographs that help clarify difficult concepts, this easy-to-follow book is an interactive resource for anyone interested in learning more about our planet.

Whether you are new to geology or want to refresh and update your knowledge, the proven self-teaching guide approach will allow you to work at your own pace, check your progress, and learn more about this fascinating field of study. ... Read more

Book Description

EARTH REPORT 2000, sponsored by the Competitive Enterprise Institute--“the best environmental think tank in the country,” according to the WALL STREET JOURNAL--sets a new standard for examining humankind’s stewardship of this planet. In remarkably clear fashion, EARTH REPORT 2000 explains the key issues regarding our planet’s fitness to sustain future generations. It debunks many of the myths, statistical and scientific, that have influenced policies of the recent past. And it offers a persuasive argument for rethinking our approach to the most critical dilemmas of the next century.Environmental concerns both long familiar--global warming and overpopulation--and startlingly new--the “toxic menace” of endocrine disruptors--are addressed. Throughout, the expert authors, gathered from such distinguished institutions as the University of Chicago, NASA, the World Bank and the Cato Institute, challenge many widely held ideas. In doing so, they make compelling forecasts about a future world quite different from that envisioned by environmentalists, politicians and the news media. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A Choice Of Disasters
Furious Earth by Ellen J. Prager [with help from Stanley Williams (Surviving Galeras), Kate Hutton (one of SoCals TV seismologists and the author of the earthquake updates on the TriNet earthquake website), and Costas Synolakis] is a well-written introduction to earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis. This book appears to be aimed at junior high/high school aged readers, but adult readers who have no background in these subjects will also enjoy the book. An earlier reviewer suggested that the book has the coverage of the better chapters of an earth science textbook, but I wish high school earth science texts were this well-written. I enjoyed reading the book despite the depth of my background and appreciate the refresher course that Furious Earth gave me. My only complaint concerns the ordering of the color plates at the center of the volume. The pictures are out of order to their mention in the text and the only thing that comes to mind is that they were ordered the way they were to make them fit on a limited number of plate pages. Furious Earth belongs on the shelves in as many elementary and secondary school libraries as possible and would be a wonderful gift for a budding earth scientist.

Furious Earth-
I am a sixth grade teacher and was given this book at a science conference. After just beginning to read it, I immediatly went online to see how much the book cost- I want to order one for each for my students! It will be a bit hard and I will have to do some serious directing, but the book is an excellent example of a clear, scientific, organized, up-to-date, and interesting (yes- interesting enough for 30 sixth graders) nonfiction book in the field of earth science. Furious Earth combines "PBS-like" research discussions and theory- (Plate Techtonics Discovered, Paleotsunamis...) with "RealTV-like" examples (Italy, 79 A.D.: Vesuvuis; The World's Largest and Smallest Quakes). The book is a surprisingly suspenseful, fascinating, and easy read (for us unscientific folk). The 16 color pages of graphs and pictures also add to the subject. I can't wait to see their eyes grow when I read to them Chapter 2- Earthquakes. It starts off with the 1994 Northridge, CA quake... It hooked me at least...

non-technicle, intro earth-science book
very basic, simple geological concepts and explanations involving volcanology, ocanography, geophysics, etc. anybody can read this interesting book about the processes of the earth, and how humans have attempted to understand it. it is basicaly the more interesting chapters in any college-level Geology 101 course. up to date, very easy to read. ... Read more

Book Description

Hardbound. Many countries in the world have made great efforts, to remedy the water shortage, by providing financial and technical backing, for water desalination, treatment of wastewater and improved management and conservation techniques.

Water ministries, universities and research centres have supported scientific research, and applied the most recent technologies, in search of new and alternative water supplies. Laws have been promulgated, economic and public relation campaigns developed, to promote and encourage the practice of efficient water use and the conservation of this scarce commodity. This book covers water resources and management and provides a new vision of water resources management, water conservation and legislations, water law, and modern techniques of water resources investigation. ... Read more

Book Description

From recent developments in digital image processing to the next generation of satellite systems, this book provides a comprehensive introduction to the field of remote sensing and image interpretation. This book is discipline neutral, so readers in any field of study can gain a clear understanding of these systems and their virtually unlimited applications.
* The authors underscore close interactions among the related areas of remote sensing, GIS, GPS, digital image processing, and environmental modeling.
* Appendices include material on sources of remote sensing data and information, remote sensing periodicals, online glossaries, and online tutorials. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Absolutly One of the BEST!!
This book is one of the best on the market on Image Interpretation. After taking a class and the instructor had a different book (which was poorly written book) I bought this book. I found it interesting and easy to use, any math was explained step by step! I cant wait to get the 5th edition! This is a must for any person who is interested in this topic or is working in the field.

One of the best books in RS
One of the best text books in Remote Sensing: comprehensive, complete. I have the 1st, 2nd and 3rd editions. Will wait to the 4th edition in paperback.

A good technical overview of RS
The text is a comprehensive introduction to RS that covers the science from physical basis to sensors and applications. It is not a HOW-TO-DO-IT book as opposed to a complete textbooks for students in this area who need good background of the science and its application. We use it as a good textbook for solid foundation prior to more practical texts on HOW-TO-DO-IT.

Drawn out, very difficult to follow
Imagine a textbook without a glossary of terms. A book thatseems to use fancy nomenclature only as a tool to boostthe authors egos. Having strained through this text only by shear interest in Remote, I would advise any academic to look towards the piles of other more appropriatly constructed textbooks concerned with remote. As to the publishers claim that it also concerns itself with GIS applications, yes, but in an obscure and unfriendly manner. Do not consider this book as a textbook choice. It only serves to discredit the noble and forthright advances of a vital technology. ... Read more