Rocks: A Very Short Introduction by Jan Zalasiewicz (English) Paperback Book

Publisher Description

Rocks, more than anything else, underpin our lives. They make up the solid structure of the Earth and of other rocky planets, and are present at the cores of gas giant planets. We live on the rocky surface of the planet, grow our food on weathered debris derived from rocks, and we obtain nearly all of the raw materials with which we found our civilization from rocks. From the Earth's crust to building bricks, rocks contain our sense of planetary history, and are aguide to our future. In this Very Short Introduction Jan Zalasiewicz looks at the nature and variety of rocks, and the processes by which they are formed. Starting from theorigin of rocks and their key role in the formation of the Earth, he considers what we know about the deep rocks of the mantle and core, and what rocks can tell us about the evolution of the Earth, and looks at those found in outer space and on other planets. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in anew subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Notes

Looks at how rocks are formed, how they evolve, and how we can examine and glean histories from them.

Author Biography

Dr Jan Zalasiewicz is Professor of Palaeobiology at the University of Leicester, having previously worked at the British Geological Survey. A field geologist, palaeontologist and stratigrapher, he teaches various aspects of geology and Earth history to undergraduate and postgraduate students, and is a researcher into fossil ecosystems and environments across over half a billion years of geological time. He has published over a hundred papers in scientific journalsand is the author of several books for OUP, including The Earth After Us (2008), The Planet in a Pebble (2012) and, with co-author Mark Williams, The Goldilocks Planet (2012) and Ocean Worlds(2014).

Table of Contents

Preface1: Primordial rocks2: First rocks on a dead Earth3: Earth surface processes: the making of sedimentary rocks4: Rock transformations: the story of metamorphism5: Rocks in the deep6: Living rocks, evolving rocks7: Rocks on other planets8: Human-made rocksFurther readingIndex

Review

This is a thorough and succinct account, accessible to all who would like a concise introduction on a wide and highly researched topic -- rocks... Zalasiewicz is a great storyteller who captures your imagination as concepts are explained using straightforward prose. * Amy-Jo Miles, Geoscientist *

Promotional

This Very Short Introduction introduces the structure and diversity of rocks on Earth, in outer space, and on other planets.

Long Description

Rocks, more than anything else, underpin our lives. They make up the solid structure of the Earth and of other rocky planets, and are present at the cores of gas giant planets. We live on the rocky surface of the planet, grow our food on weathered debris derived from rocks, and we obtain nearly all of the raw materials with which we found our civilization from rocks. From the Earth's crust to building bricks, rocks contain our sense of planetary history, and are
a guide to our future.In this Very Short Introduction Jan Zalsiewicz looks at the nature and variety of rocks, and the processes by which they are formed. Starting from the
origin of rocks and their key role in the formation of the Earth, he considers what we know about the deep rocks of the mantle and core, and what rocks can tell us about the evolution of the Earth, and looks at those found in outer space and on other planets. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new
subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Review Quote

This is a thorough and succinct account, accessible to all who would like a concise introduction on a wide and highly researched topic -- rocks... Zalasiewicz is a great storyteller who captures your imagination as concepts are explained using straightforward prose.

Feature

Looks at how rocks are formed, how they evolve, and how we can examine and glean histories from them
Covers metamorphic, igneous, and sedimentary rock, as well as minerals
Explores how rocks feature in nature and man-made structures, from plant pots to the Earth's crust
Part of the bestselling Very Short Introductions series - over seven million copies sold worldwide

Details