Earth Science

by Tarbuck, Edward J.

• ISBN13: 9780130815668
• ISBN10: 0130815667
• Edition: 9th
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1999-01-01
• Publisher: PRENTICE HALL

Summary

This book offers a user-friendly overview of our physical environment with balanced, up-to-date coverage of geology, oceanography, astronomy, and meteorology. The emphasis is on readability, with clear, example-driven explanations refined by over twenty years of feedback. It takes full advantage of the subject's visual appeal. Discussions are reinforced with a superb collection of color photos along with newly redrafted illustrations by highly respected earth science illustrator, Dennis Tasa. Throughout the book, a stronger emphasis is placed on the themes of Earth as a system and the interactions between people and the natural environment. A designated home page at http: //www.prenhall.com/earthsci provides on-line review exercises, opportunities for further research, follow-up on items mentioned in the book, and links to a wealth of interesting sites related to the chapter material. The GEODe II CD-ROM will be packaged Free with each book, and icons within the text direct users to explore related material on the CD-ROM. Plus, content has been significantly up

Table of Contents

Introduction	1	(14)
Part One The Solid Earth	15	(306)
Minerals: Building Blocks of Rocks	17	(18)
Rocks: Materials of the Lithosphere	35	(24)
Weathering, Soil, and Mass Wasting	59	(30)
Running Water and Groundwater	89	(34)
Glaciers, Deserts, and Wind	123	(32)
Earthquakes and Earth's Interior	155	(26)
Plate Tectonics	181	(34)
Igneous Activity	215	(30)
Mountain Building	245	(26)
Geologic Time	271	(24)
Earth's History: A Brief Summary	295	(26)
Part Two The Oceans	321	(54)
The Ocean Environment	323	(24)
The Restless Ocean	347	(28)
Part Three The Atmosphere	375	(142)
Composition, Structure, and Temperature	377	(28)
Moisture, Clouds, and Precipitation	405	(36)
Air Pressure and Wind	441	(22)
Weather Patterns and Severe Storms	463	(28)
Climate	491	(26)
Part Four Astronomy	517
Earth's Place in the Universe	519
Touring Our Solar System	547
Light, Astronomical Observations, and the Sun	579
Beyond Our Solar System	601