Shows how Earth's ecosystem has developed over time, and how events in the past can help us deal with present and future changes. Key themes and concepts are examined and a range of examples given, from the extinction of the dinosaurs to drilling off the shore of New Jersey, to demonstrate real - world examples of Earth system history in action.
PART I: MATERIALS, PROCESSES, AND PRINCIPLES Earth as a System Rock-Forming Minerals and Rocks The Diversity of Life Environments and Life Sedimentary Environments Correlation and Dating of the Rock Record Evolution and the Fossil Record The Theory of Plate Tectonics Continental Tectonics and Mountain Chains Major Chemical Cycles PART II: THE STORY OF EARTH The Hadean and Archean Eons of Precambrian Time The Proterozoic Eon of Precambrian Time The Early Paleozoic World The Middle Paleozoic World The Late Paleozoic World The Early Mesozoic World The Cretaceous World The Paleogene World The Neogene World The Holocene
STEVEN M. STANLEY, John Hopkins University, USA.