The Oxford Companion to the Earth

About this book

Here is a wealth of information on planet Earth ranging from the heights of the ionsphere down to the red-hot molten core. Written by some 200 expert contributors and illustrated with over 600 pictures including 16 pages of color plates The Oxford Companion to the Earth offers 900 alphabetically arranged entries that cover everything from deserts and wetlands to mountains caves glaciers and coral reefs. There are articles on natural phenomena such as tornadoes and tsunamis volcanoes and earthquakes jet streams and weather fronts; on the history of Earth including the origin of life Burgess Shale fauna dinosaurs and the Ice Ages; on key figures such as Agassiz Cuvier Darwin and Lamarck; and on such important ecological concerns as acid rain the ozone layer industrial waste disposal and the greenhouse effect. The Companion also examines the great sources of wealth to be found in the Earth from coal and oil to gold silver and diamonds and many curious land formations from sinkholes and fiords to yardangs and quicksand. There are brief entries on rock types from amber to travertine and extensive essays on cutting-edge aspects of the earth sciences such as seismology and marine geology. The Companion includes extensive cross-references suggested further reading an index and many useful appendices with a geological timescale facts and figures about the Earth and a table of chemical elements. The Oxford Companion to the Earth is a unique reference work offering unrivaled coverage of our home planet. Generously illustrated and vividly written it is a treasure house of information for all lovers of natural history geology and ecology whether professional or amateur.