Language of the Earth (eBook)

Frank H. T. Rhodes, Richard O. Stone (Herausgeber)

eBook Download: PDF

2013 | 1. Auflage
432 Seiten
Elsevier Science (Verlag)
978-1-4831-6166-2 (ISBN)

Infos

Language of the Earth is a collection of essays that provides a particular category of and describes the current content in each area of earth science. The book reviews various aspects of geological knowledge, including the characters, motives, and attitudes of certain individuals who have made contributions in this field. Case studies of eyewitness accounts of geological phenomena include the Turtle Mountain slide, the Lisbon earthquake, the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the eruption of the Oraefajokull in 1727. The text also discusses some geological controversies such as the footprints in red sandstone, as well as geological philosophies concerning estimates of time since the Earth has existed. The book cites 3000-year old Chinese records chronicling earthquake activity; it also discusses earthquakes and the hypothesis of continental drift. The text then explains the many ways in which geology can relate to the person-in his approach to his work, the personal touch. Geology is shown in terms of its relation to prose, poetry, and sometimes, humor, as in the discovery of the 'petrified woman.' This book can offer a light and entertaining respite for geologists, historians, students or professors of the earth sciences, and for general readers interested in personal accounts of some geological discoveries.

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Language of the Earth is a collection of essays that provides a particular category of and describes the current content in each area of earth science. The book reviews various aspects of geological knowledge, including the characters, motives, and attitudes of certain individuals who have made contributions in this field. Case studies of eyewitness accounts of geological phenomena include the Turtle Mountain slide, the Lisbon earthquake, the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the eruption of the Oraefajokull in 1727. The text also discusses some geological controversies such as the footprints in red sandstone, as well as geological philosophies concerning estimates of time since the Earth has existed. The book cites 3000-year old Chinese records chronicling earthquake activity; it also discusses earthquakes and the hypothesis of continental drift. The text then explains the many ways in which geology can relate to the person-in his approach to his work, the personal touch. Geology is shown in terms of its relation to prose, poetry, and sometimes, humor, as in the discovery of the "e;petrified woman."e; This book can offer a light and entertaining respite for geologists, historians, students or professors of the earth sciences, and for general readers interested in personal accounts of some geological discoveries.

Inhalt

Front Cover 1
Language of the Earth 4
Copyright Page 5
Table of Contents 6
Preface 10
Acknowledgments 14
Part I: GEOLOGICKNOWLEDGE 16
CHAPTER I. Geologists Are Also Human 18
THRILLS IN FOSSIL HUNTING 20
SHIP'S WAKE 23
KING'S FORMATIVE YEARS 28
THE MAKING OF A VOLCANOLOGIST 34
WITH SHACKLETON IN THE ANTARCTIC 37
LIFE, TIME, AND DARWIN 42
THE VOYAGE OF THE BEAGLE 45
A LONG LIFE'S WORK 48
THE OLD RED SANDSTONE 51
LIFE AT FREIBERG 57
CHAPTER 2. Eyewitness Accounts of Geological Phenomena 60
THE TURTLE MOUNTAIN SLIDE 62
THE NIGHT THE MOUNTAIN FELL 64
CANDIDE 71
THE LISBON EARTHQUAKE 74
NO MORE WOODEN TOWERS FOR SAN FRANCISCO, 1906 
79 
TSUNAMI 83
NOT A VERY SENSIBLE PLACE FOR A STROLL 85
LAST DAYS OF ST. PIERRE 92
BEACONS ON THE PASSAGE OUT 98
ERUPTION OF THE ORAEFAJÖKULL, 1727 102
CHAPTER 3. Controversy in Geology 105
FOOTPRINTS IN RED SANDSTONE 107
APES, ANGELS, AND VICTORIANS 114
FOSSILS AND FREE ENTERPRISERS 119
THE FOUNDERS OF GEOLOGY 124
CHAPTER 4. Philosophy of Geology 130
CONCERNING THE SYSTEM OF THE EARTH 132
THE METHOD OF MULTIPLE WORKING HYPOTHESES 138
THE DISCRIMINATION OF SHORE FEATURES 143
HISTORICAL SCIENCE 147
CHAPTER 5. Life's Biography 156
EARTH AND MAN 156
THE FLOWERING EARTH 161
HABITS AND HABITATS 168
CHAPTER 6. Modern Problems in Geology 172
MAO'S ALMANAC—3,000 YEARS OF KILLER EARTHQUAKES 
172 
EARTHQUAKES AND CONTINENTAL DRIFT 177
Part II: GEOLOGY AND THE INDIVIDUAL 184
CHAPTER 7. Humor in Geology 186
THE GEOLOGIC COLUMN 190
PROPERTIES AND COMPOSITION OF LUNAR MATERIALS: EARTH ANALOGIES 
193 
WILLIAM BUCKLAND 196
CHAPTER 8. Geology and Poetry 202
IN PRAISE OF LIMESTONE 203
STRATIGRAPHICAL PALAEONTOLOGY 205
ICHTHYOSAURUS 206
FROZEN MAMMOTHS 206
PROMETHEUS UNBOUND 207
LINES WRITTEN IN THE VALE OF CHAMOUNY 209
HYMN BEFORE SUN-RISE, IN THE VALE OF CHAMOUNI 211
TO A TRILOBITE 212
THE LISBON EARTHQUAKE 212
A SHROPSHIRE LAD 214
WHERE SHALL WISDOM BE FOUND? BOOK OF JOB 
215 
BOOK OF JOB 216
MENTE ET MALLEO 219
PARADISE LOST, BOOK VII 220
LYELL'S HYPOTHESIS AGAIN 223
CHAPTER 9. Geology and Prose 226
LANDSCAPE AND LITERATURE 227
ROUGHING IT 231
MONO LAKE—AURORA—SONORA PASS 235
SEVEN PILLARS OF WISDOM 237
TRIP TO THE MIDDLE AND NORTH FORKS OF SAN JOAQUIN RIVER 
241 
SEA OF CORTEZ 245
WIND, SAND AND STARS 248
GREEN HILLS OF AFRICA 251
THE FRENCH LIEUTENANT'S WOMAN 253
LETTERS FROM SWITZERLAND AND TRAVELS IN 
256 
THE LOST WORLD 263
CHAPTER 10. Geology and the Arts 266
ALAND 267
BEYOND MODERN SCULPTURE 278
THOMAS MORAN: AMERICAN LANDSCAPE PAINTER 282
GREEK MARBLES: DETERMINATION OF PROVENANCE BY ISOTOPIC ANALYSIS 
284 
CHAPTER 11. A Geologic Detective Story or Two 286
THE GREAT DIAMOND HOAX 287
THE GREAT PILTDOWN HOAX 291
CHAPTER 12. Earth Scientists Also Known As... 298
MEGALONYX, MAMMOTH, AND MOTHER EARTH 299
THREE SHORT, HAPPY MONTHS 304
STANFORD UNIVERSITY 308
MOUNTAIN-WORSHIP 312
MINERALOGY, GEOLOGY, METEOROLOGY 315
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN AND THE GULF STREAM 323
LEONARDO DA VINCI AS A GEOLOGIST 325
Part II: IGEOLOGY AND SOCIETY 
330 
CHAPTER 13. Geology and World History 332
TOPOGRAPHY AND STRATEGY IN THE WAR 333
THE GEOLOGIC AND TOPOGRAPHIC SETTING 
337 
MINERALS AND WORLD HISTORY 341
THE ICE AGE COMETH 348
TAMBORA AND KRAKATAU: VOLCANOES AND THE COOLING OF THE WORLD 352
CHAPTER 14. Geopolitics 358
MOHOLE: GEOPOLITICAL FIASCO 358
A WINDOW ON THE OLIGOCENE 364
THE ENVIRONMENTAL GEOLOGIST AND THE BODY POLITIC 367
CHAPTER 15. Geology in the Service of Humankind 372
MORTGAGING THE OLD HOMESTEAD 375
GEOLOGIC JEOPARDY 379
THE GREAT AND DIRTY LAKES 385
GEOLOGY—FOR HUMAN NEEDS 388
NATIONAL ENERGY POLICY 392
MINERALS, PEOPLE, AND THE FUTURE 396
THE GEOLOGICAL ATTITUDE 399
MEDICAL GEOLOGY 406
Sources 410
Index 420
About The Editors 432

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 22.10.2013
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Naturwissenschaften ► Geowissenschaften ► Geologie
• Themenwelt: Naturwissenschaften ► Geowissenschaften ► Geophysik
• Themenwelt: Naturwissenschaften ► Physik / Astronomie
• Themenwelt: Sozialwissenschaften ► Ethnologie
• Themenwelt: Sozialwissenschaften ► Politik / Verwaltung
• Themenwelt: Sozialwissenschaften ► Soziologie
• ISBN-10: 1-4831-6166-8 / 1483161668
• ISBN-13: 978-1-4831-6166-2 / 9781483161662