Planet Earth

A Beginner's Guide

John R. Gribbin

• Publisher: Oneworld Publications
• Year: 2012
• eBook ISBN: 9781780740423
• Topic: Physical Sciences
• Subtopic: Astronomy & Astrophysics

A highly entertaining and accessible introduction to our planet from the bestselling author of In Search of Schrödinger's Cat, The Scientists, and In Search of the Multiverse

In this lively expedition into the origins, evolution, and workings of our planet, John Gribbin does what he does best: gathers 4.5 billion years of geological history and shares the best bits. Taking an astronomer's perspective, Gribbin follows Earth's development from its beginnings in cosmic gas and dust to the explosion of human life after the last ice age, combining stories of scientific discovery with gripping accounts of geological activity - earthquakes, volcanoes, and climate change. Along the journey we consider Lord Kelvin's time-scale for the life of the sun; the meteorologist who first championed the idea of continental drift; and an intriguing proposal that Earth has expanded substantially in recent millennia. Told in Gribbin's dynamic and beloved voice, this is the perfect introduction to geology and an essential guidebook for anyone wanting to better appreciate the wonders of our shared home.

Table of contents

• Cover
• A Beginner’s Guide
• Title page
• Copyright page
• Contents
• Foreword
• 1 A brief history of terrestrial time
• 2 Our place in space
• 3 Drifting continents and spreading seas
• 4 What goes up must come down
• 5 Inside and outside the Earth
• 6 The changing Earth
• 7 Fire on Earth
• 8 Our changing planet
• 9 Our changing climate
• 10 Life and Earth
• Appendix 1: The Earth in numbers
• Appendix 2: The timescales of planet Earth
• Further reading
• Acknowledgements
• Index