The Little Book of Planet Earth.ROLF MEISSNER How did life on our planet evolve? HOW old is Earth? How was our solar system solar system, the sun and the surrounding planets, natural satellites, dwarf planets, asteroids, meteoroids, and comets that are bound by its gravity. The sun is by far the most massive part of the solar system, containing almost 99.9% of the system's total mass. formed and, with it, our planet? These are big questions, but the answers are found in this small book that gives broad insights into earth science. Meissner begins with the roots of the field, as formulated for·mu·late tr.v. for·mu·lat·ed, for·mu·lat·ing, for·mu·lates 1. a. To state as or reduce to a formula. b. To express in systematic terms or concepts. c. by Copernicus and Isaac Newton. A review of the tools and methods of modern geologists shows how the field has blossomed during the past 40 years. This book provides critical insights into the nature of Earth's composition, our understanding of Earth's magnetic field Earth's magnetic field (and the surface magnetic field) is approximately a magnetic dipole, with one pole near the north pole (see Magnetic North Pole) and the other near the geographic south pole (see Magnetic South Pole). , and plate tectonics plate tectonics, theory that unifies many of the features and characteristics of continental drift and seafloor spreading into a coherent model and has revolutionized geologists' understanding of continents, ocean basins, mountains, and earth history. . Copernicus, 2002, 202 p., b&w photos/illus., hardcover, $20.00. |
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