Earth: An Intimate History.EARTH: An Intimate History RICHARD FORTEY Richard A. Fortey FRS (born 1946 in London) is a British paleontologist and writer, formerly a Merit Researcher at the Natural History Museum in London. Since 1997, he has been a member of the Royal Society. Prof. Some people say that geology is as boring as a bag of rocks. But with a naturalist's view of the land and a geologist's understanding of gradual change, Fortey does an admirable ad·mi·ra·ble adj. Deserving admiration. ad  mi·ra·ble·ness n.ad job of bringing the field to life. His approach is to explain the "character of the earth." In this sense, "the rocks beneath us are like an unconscious mind beneath the face of the earth, determining its shifts in mood and physiognomy physiognomy /phys·i·og·no·my/ (fiz?e-og´nah-me) 1. determination of mental or moral character and qualities by the face. 2. the countenance, or face. 3. ," Fortey writes. He weaves this text around a tour of places he's visited that not only define Earth's geologic past, but also reveal how geology has shaped the people, plants, and animals that thrive in each place. He tours the Hawaiian Islands, the salt flats of Oman, the Icelandic hot springs, the Bay of Naples Noun 1. Bay of Naples - an arm of the Tyrrhenian Sea at Naples Italia, Italian Republic, Italy - a republic in southern Europe on the Italian Peninsula; was the core of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire between the 4th century BC and the 5th century AD , and many other locales to illustrate how our scientific understanding of these places has evolved over time. In this context, Fortey explains the shifting of landmasses, the rise and fall of mountains, and the creation of the seas. As he has done in his previous books Life and Trilobite trilobite (trī`ləbīt'), subphylum of the phylum Arthropoda that includes a large group of extinct marine animals that were abundant in the Paleozoic era. They represent more than half of the known fossils from the Cambrian period. , Fortey reveals the history of our planet in a thorough and engaging manner. Knopf, 2004, 429 p., color plates/b&w photos/illus., hardcover, $30.00. |
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