Essentials of Geology

Since 1960, there have been two major theoretical advances in the Earth sciences: the theory of plate tectonics and the advent of Earth systems science, Stephen Marshak's beautifully written and illustrated new text is the first to be informed by these two intellectual revolutions. This abridged version of the best-selling Earth: Portrait of a Planet covers all the topics of a traditional physical geology course, but it also includes such topics as historical geology, environmental geology, the Earth's resources, the oceans and atmosphere, cosmology, and global change.