Background Reading For Geologists

I.G. Kenyon

The evidence for the Earth being totally encased in ice or a combination of ice and

slush between 650 and 800 million years ago

Joe Kirschvink proposed the theory but research by Paul

Hoffman led to the idea being accepted by many earth

scientists today

May also help to explain the evolution of complex life forms

A highly readable account of the nature of ice ages

throughout the Earth’s history

Outlines the evolution of scientific understanding of ice ages since the introduction of the term by Louis Agassiz

in the 1830s

Includes possible causes of ice ages with reference to Milankovitch cycles and reconstructing past climates

using ice core evidence

This book outlines the evolution of plants through

geological time and their effect on the Earth’s atmosphere

and biosphere

It explains how fossil plants can be used to reconstruct climates and the gaseous

composition of the atmosphere back through

geological time

If you think plants are not that exciting or significant, this book will seriously change

your views for ever

This book uses coral as a vehicle to explore a variety

of scientific themes and issues in a readable and

informative manner

Includes reference to evolution, symbiosis, atoll

formation, atomic bomb tests, climate change and

fluctuating sea levels

This book outlines the quest to find evidence for

life in the rocks before the Cambrian Explosion

A fascinating account of early life including reference to trace fossils, the Ediacaran

Fauna and the Burgess Shale

New evidence from the rocks of Siberia to Outer Mongolia

reveal details of early life Darwin only theorized about

The story of the greatest and most catastrophic

volcanic eruption of the 20th Century

Mount Pelee on the island of

Martinique erupted on May 8th 1902

The town of Saint-Pierre was wiped out by a

pyroclastic flow which killed almost all of the

27,000 inhabitants

The story of the quest to accurately determine the

absolute age of planet Earth

The age was constantly revised upwards from 4004

BC to 4,567 Million years

The man who finally established the true

age of the Earth was Arthur Holmes

This book examines the extraordinary story of mankind’s quest to uncover the

history of the Earth

It examines the contributions of

important geologists that have paved the

way to our current understanding of Earth

system processes

The story of James Hutton and his discovery of the

concept of ‘deep time’ and the formulation of his ‘Theory of the Earth’

Hutton’s simple observations led him to a conclusion that gave Darwin the spark to fully develop his own theory

of Evolution

Ted Nield tells the story of how the world has been made and re-made over the last four billion years

It explains the evidence for the supercontinent cycle and describes the

formation and break up of the Earth’s major supercontinents through

geological time

This book examines the importance of the Northern Scottish Highlands in our understanding of

geological processes and landforms

It focuses on the rocks, the important localities, the famous researchers

and the theories that have been inspired by

the Highlands

An account of the 1993 eruption of

Galeras in Columbia

Author Stanley Williams was almost killed by the

unexpected eruption

Williams returned after recovering to do more

research on the volcano

A tale of intrigue and deception, burning ambition

and failed dreams

Documents the bitter clashes between the men who dominated

19th Century Geology

Includes reference to Mary Anning, Gideon Mantell,

William Buckland, Thomas Huxley and Charles Darwin

Story of the discovery and interpretation of

Archaeopteryx a fossil that has both avian and reptilian characteristics

One of Darwin’s missing links or an elaborate

fake?

An amazing account of rivalry, jealousy and

skullduggery –just like a good crime novel

The story of the A.D. 79 eruption

of Mount Vesuvius

Told through the eyes of Marius Attilius Primus, an engineer in charge of

a large aqueduct that supplies Pompeii and

eight other cities nearby

Powerful, chilling and convincing in every detail

An account of the impact of James Hutton’s

revolutionary concept of deep time and his

Theory of the Earth

Baxter, a leading science writer, employs his

storytelling skills to lucid effect in a highly readable biography of a fascinating,

neglected figure

An account of the eruption of Krakatoa, West of Java

on 27th August 1883

Includes anecdotes, eyewitness accounts and an interesting cast of characters

Also looks at the much wider global impact of the

event

An insight into the work of volcanologists by

former Time magazine correspondent Dick

Thompson

Examines in detail the events of Mount St.

Helens, Mount Pinatubo and Nevado Del Ruiz

volcanoes from the notes of field geologists

An account of the many possible causes of the

greatest mass extinction of all time

251 million years ago at the end of the Permian 95% of all life died out

Mike Benton of Bristol University combines a

good story with valuable reference material

Jan Zalasiewicz of Leicester University ponders what

the Earth will be like in 100 million years from now

What record will be left in the rocks of man’s

existence on planet Earth? Will there be any evidence

of our urban stratum?

Original, thought-provoking and challenging

The story of canal engineer William Smith and his quest to publish the first geological map of England and Wales

An exciting tale of success against the odds and one that all students

of Geology seriously need to read

Detailed account of the importance of the Burgess Shale in British Columbia

Dated at 530 million years old it is one of the oldest

lagerstatten found to date

Gould explains its evolutionary importance in a highly readable and

informative manner

A comprehensive guide to the causes of mass

extinctions throughout Earth’s history

Hallam focuses on the ‘Big Five’ mass extinctions

Includes reference to extra-terrestrial impacts,

flood basalt eruptions, ocean anoxia and sea

level changes

An account of the history of planet Earth over its 12

billion year life history

Explains clearly the processes that account for why Earth is as it is today

Projects forward to the end of the planet when the sun turns into a red giant

and how the Earth will change as time elapses

An account of the 1906 earthquake in San

Francisco, California

A detailed analysis of the causes and

consequences of the magnitude 7.9 event

An illuminating analysis of how western cities

cope (or not) with geological hazards

Geological Hazards such as meteorite impacts,

flood basalts, glaciations, tsunamis and hurricanes

threaten planet Earth

Bill McGuire guides us through the latest approaches being

researched to prevent global catastrophes or at

least minimise their effects

Another book on the importance of the Burgess Shale in British Columbia

Morris paints a vivid picture of the critical period which saw the

diversification of all the major animal groups and

takes a controversial stance on current

evolutionary theories

Nick Lane reconstructs the history of life by

describing the ten greatest inventions of evolution

He considers how DNA, photosynthesis, sex, sight, movement, hot blood and

other inventions have transformed life and

planet Earth itself

The questions that need addressing with respect

to future climate change

Global warming, carbon dioxide emissions, sea level

rises, melting ice sheets, extinction rates

Can we cope with the consequences ? Is there

political will to act before it is too late?

Bill Mc Guire outlines a variety of possible causes

of mass extinctions

Meteorite impacts, global warming, glaciations, flood basalt eruptions,

megaquakes and tsunamis

The frequency and magnitude of each event

is assessed and their impact on the Earth is estimated

An account of the importance and effect

that oxygen has had on the evolution of life

How and why oxygen levels have varied

through geological time

Lane employs a multi-disciplinary approach to

explain the complex roles of this unique gas

The story of human evolution from 6 to 7

million years ago to the present day

The main fossil sites are described as are the key discoveries and the basic facts about each species

Physique, diet, tools, cave paintings and

geographical dispersal

Detailed account of the asteroid impact on Earth

65 million years ago

Evidence is presented from the Chixulub crater itself, the iridium rich K-T boundary layer, tektites

and tsunami deposits

The impact wiped out the dinosaurs around

70% of all life on Earth l

Climate change during the medieval period

Between the 16th and 19th centuries the Earth’s

climate was considerably cooler than today

This book examines the possible causes of the

Little Ice Age and outlines its impact on the

environment and society

Palaeontological mystery story that provides an

overview of the evidence for and against a range of hypotheses to explain the greatest mass extinction

on the Earth to date

Told from the point of a

forensic scientist trying to piece together a

quarter of a billion year old crime scene

The rocks of the UK contain the story of

distant geological events

Richard Fortey travels throughout the British

Isles examining the rocks to deuce past landforms,

climates and oceans in chronological order from the Precambrian up to

the present day

Geologist and creationist Caldwell attempts to

put geological features and events into context with what is written in

the bible

A short but interesting read, however the

author fails to convince on every level

Gripping account of the Great Lisbon Earthquake of 1755, the largest and most notable in history

3 main tremors occurred with the magnitudes being

estimated at 8.75 to 9.0, intensities of IX to XI were given based on eyewitness observation of the damage

15 minutes later the city of Lisbon lay in ruins

Novel centred around a couple’s holiday to

Sorrento

Mount Vesuvius erupts during their vacation and

results in the most remarkable holiday that

they have ever had

As the death toll mounts, the holiday couple are

given the opportunity to help in the crisis

Account of the possible events leading to the

extinction of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago

Nemesis is the companion star to our sun which

comes close enough to the sun every 26 million years

to bombard our solar system with millions or even billions of comets

The story of the closure of the Tethys Ocean

Tethys stretched across four-fifths of the Earth

Tethys teemed with life but also experienced

devastating extinctions

Existed from100 million years ago to 5.5 million

years ago

A scientific whodunnit to find the cause of the

mass extinction that occurred at the end of the Cretaceous period

Asteroid impact, flood basalt eruptions or a

combination of the two?

The story of Elizabeth Philpot and Mary Anning,

two very important female palaeontologists

Set in the early 19th century in Lyme Regis it is a combination of historical novel and science writing

Chevalier’s chief aim of this book was to make the

study of fossils sexy!

25 separate chapters with each one devoted

to an important episode in the making of Geology

The stories move from documentary accounts to fictional recreations

of historical events

Based on the geological highlights of Yorkshire

The unexpected story of how one creature’s

journey out of the water made the human body

what it is today!

Why is it that fish teeth are similar to human breasts?

Why do we hiccup? The answer is in the way

that fish breathe

Author Jerry Coyne outlines what evolution is and the claims that

it makes, and draws together the

astonishing range of modern evidence that

supports the theory

An important update on Darwin’s original ideas presented in a highly

readable style

Humans share around 98% of their DNA

with chimpanzees

What is it about the 2% difference in DNA that

sets us so far apart?

Why have humans evolved so rapidly in the last 160,00 years whilst the apes have remained more or less the same?

A guide to the scientific exploration of the oceans

Explains the origin and role of the oceans in terms of plate tectonics, climate and evolution through the work of oceanographers

both past and present

A valuable insight into the background behind

the key concepts we use in geology today

Outlines the historical contexts in which ideas such as catastrophism, plutonism, neptunism,

creationism and uniformitarianism

were developed

A comprehensive yet clearly focused account of the history and philosophy

of the periodic table

Essential background reading for all students with serious interests in

both mineralogy and geochemistry

The story of Nicolaus Steno, probably the

world’s first geologist!

In the 17th Century he claimed the Earth’s past

was documented in its layers of rock

and questioned the authority of the bible

Amazingly he ended his life as a Catholic bishop!

A novel based on the world’s biggest

earthquake since 1755

Seismologists had predicted the disaster but no one had listened

The quake at 8.9 on the Richter scale hits New

Madrid in Missouri

Using a pebble of slate from a beach in Wales Jan

Zalasiewicz attempts to unlock the Earth ‘s unique

geological history

Long dead stars, vanished continents, extinct

creatures and quiet ocean beds feature in this amazing story of an

apparently simple pebble

A novel set in Italy at the beginning

of the 20th Century

An earthquake strikes in the mountains and devastates a

remote village

Strange things happened in the week before

the earthquake!

The debate over the age of the Earth has been going on

for over 2000 years

This book investigates the many novel ideas used in the search for

the true age of the Earth over the past 350

years

The first biography of one of the most

important scientists of the 20th Century

The story of Charles Richter, the scientist

responsible for developing the

magnitude scale for measuring earthquakes

That’s All Folks!