Visualizing Earth Science

Visualizing Earth Science relies heavily on rich visuals to expand on concepts for students and solidify their understanding of them. This accessible format, coupled with the assumption that students have little knowledge of earth science, allows students to navigate through the material with greater ease – the goal being to help them understand the world around them and interpret what they see in a meaningful, accurate and exciting way.

Authors Zeeya Merali and Brian Skinner focus on visual learning in their debut of their first edition, Visualizing Earth Science. This text weaves illustrated timelines throughout to exemplify how concepts fit together and develop over time. Students will quickly learn difficult concepts with this innovative, visual approach.

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1 Introduction to Earth Science 2

2 Minerals: Earth’s Building Blocks 34

3 Rocks: Keepers of Earth’s History 62

4 Weathering, Soils, and Mass Wasting 98

5 Water On and Under the Ground 132

6 Extreme Climatic Regions: Deserts, Glaciers, and Ice Sheets 168

7 Plate Tectonics: Sculptor of Earth’s Ever-Changing Landscape 200

8 Earthquakes and Earth’s Interior 232

9 Volcanism and Other Igneous Processes 270

10 How Old is Old? The Rock Record and Deep Time 302

11 A Brief History of Life on Earth 334

12 The Oceans 370

13 Where Ocean Meets Land 394

14 The Atmosphere: Composition, Structure, and Clouds 424

15 Global Circulation and Weather Systems 456

16 Global Climates Past and Present 488

17 Earth’s Place in Space 516

Appendix

A Periodic Table of the Elements 553

B Units and Their Conversions 554

C Answers to Self-Tests 556

Glossary 557

Credits 563

Index 569

Dr. Brian J. Skinner is a Eugene Higgins Prof Geology at Yale University. His research intrests include the origin and distribution of mineral deposits.