Graham Park - Böcker

Over the many millennia that the human race has inhabited our planet, a use has been found for almost everything that is to be found on it. However, since the Industrial Revolution, many of the resources that we have come to rely on are being depleted, some at an alarming rate. Misuse of others, such as fossil fuels, is causing such damage to the environment that measures are being taken at an international level to restrict their useIntroducing Natural Resources explains how the natural resources of the Earth originated, by outlining the astronomical and geological evolution of the planet in the early period of its existence. The genesis, mode of occurrence, and abundance of the various non-renewable mineral resources are described, together with the methods of extraction, extent of reserves, and any environmental problems. The use of renewable resources, such as solar energy, air, and water, are then discussed, together with plant and animal life, which are renewable resources only if properly managed. The book concludes with a summary of future issues in resource management.Copiously illustrated, this book is intended for those whose interest in natural resources has been stimulated, perhaps by media coverage of declining resources or environmental pollution, and who want to better understand the issues involved. Technical terms are kept to a minimum and are explained in a glossary.

'Outstanding Academic Title' Choice, magazine of the Association of College & Research Libraries, American Library Association.Most mountains on Earth occur within relatively well-defined, narrow belts separated by wide expanses of much lower-lying ground. Their distribution is not random but is caused by the now well-understood geological processes of plate tectonics. Some mountains mark the site of a former plate collision – where one continental plate has ridden up over another, resulting in a zone of highly deformed and elevated rocks. Others are essentially volcanic in origin.The most obvious mountain belts today – the Himalayas, the Alps and the Andes, for example - are situated at currently active plate boundaries. Others, such as the Caledonian mountains of the British Isles and Scandinavia, are the product of a plate collision that happened far in the geological past and have no present relationship to a plate boundary. These are much lower, with a generally gentler relief, worn down through millennia of erosion.The presently active mountain belts are arranged in three separate systems: the Alpine-Himalayan ranges, the circum-Pacific belt and the mid-ocean ridges. Much of the Alpine-Himalayan belt is relatively well known, but large parts of the circum-Pacific and ocean-ridge systems are not nearly as familiar, but contain equally impressive mountain ranges despite large parts being partly or wholly submerged.This book takes the reader along the active mountain systems explaining how plate tectonic processes have shaped them, then looks more briefly at some of the older mountain systems whose tectonic origins are more obscure. It is aimed at those with an interest in mountains and in developing an understanding of the geological processes that create them.

Our world is made of rock. Although much of the Earth’s surface is covered by vegetation, concrete or water, if one digs down far enough solid rock will always be found. Those who live in a landscape where rock outcrops are obvious will have wondered about the kind of rocks they are looking at and how they came to be where they are now.Graham Park’s introductory book has swiftly established itself as a key resource for those looking for a straightforward explanation of what geology tells us about the world. Many objects of great beauty and which excite our curiosity, such as crystals or fossils, are to be found by examining rocks. In particular fossils, whilst interesting in themselves, tell us from their context in geological time of biological evolution and these clues give an insight into the origins of life on earth.Copiously illustrated this book is intended for those whose interest in geology has been awakened, perhaps by media coverage of earthquakes or of dinosaurs, and want to know more. It has proved an ideal primer for those considering the study of earth sciences more formally. Technical terms are kept to a minimum and are explained in a glossary.

Introducing Tectonics, Rock Structures and Mountain Belts is written to explain the key concepts of tectonics and rock structures to students and to the interested non-specialist, especially those without a strong mathematical background. The study and understanding of geological structures has traditionally been guided by the rigorous application of mathematics and physics but, in this book, Graham Park has avoided mathematical equations altogether and has reduced the geometry to the minimum necessary. The application of plate tectonic theory has revolutionised structural geology by giving the study of rock structures a context in which they can be explained. Since the large-scale movements of the plates ultimately control smaller-scale structures, the study of tectonics is the key to understanding the latter. The reader is thus introduced to large-scale Earth structure and the theory of plate tectonics before dealing with geological structures such as faults and folds. Studies by structural geologists of the movement history of rock masses relative to each other, as revealed by the study of fault systems and shear zones, has helped to integrate rock structures with plate tectonics and this has been emphasised in the book. One of the most exciting aspects of geology is the study of the great mountain ranges, orogenic belts. The final three chapters of the book explain how knowledge of plate tectonic theory, geological structures and the processes of deformation may be employed to understand these orogenic belts. hilst excessive use of terminology is avoided, all technical terms are in a Glossary and, as with all books in this series, the text is illustrated profusely.

The first 2,500 million years of the geological history of Britain are stored in the gneisses of the Lewisian Complex of North West Scotland. This book explores the long journey of discovery in which this history has been gradually deciphered since the end of the 19th Century when these rocks were first investigated in detail. The usual tools of stratigraphic investigation were of no value in dealing with such a complex assemblage of highly deformed and metamorphosed rocks; there was no fossil evidence and few signs of recognisable sedimentary strata.This book charts the increasing sophistication of the geochronological and geochemical techniques used to decipher the complex. The first important breakthrough was the recognition that a set of intrusive metamorphosed dykes could be used, perhaps, to separate episodes of deformation and metamorphism that occurred before the dykes were intruded, from those that occurred subsequently.Geochronological dating methods evolved from the first relatively crude potassium-argon and uranium-lead dates in the 1950s to the present amazingly accurate lead isotope dates. Geochemical techniques have also advanced to the point when mafic igneous assemblages can be identified as having oceanic volcanic arc signatures or were the products of intra-continental magmatism. Thus, from a stratigraphy composed of three events, Scourian, dyke intrusion and Laxfordian, has grown a complex history covering many separate events of igneous, metamorphic and tectonic activity spanning 2,500 million years of Precambrian time.Much of the extensive literature on the Lewisian is highly specialised and not easily accessible to the general reader; this book is an attempt to distil the most important results of this research into a more user-friendly form. It will appeal to many geologists including students, geological visitors to the North West of Scotland and academics seeking a readable account of remarkable and significant advances in earth science.

A Tectonic History of the Earth provides a comprehensive exploration of the dynamic geological forces that have shaped our planet over the past 4,500 million years. At least four supercontinents have formed and subsequently dispersed during this time, each leaving a lasting imprint on the planet’s structure.Written for Earth science scholars and students, this book recounts the history of the tectonic and magmatic events that accompanied these changes in crustal architecture, and explains how they may be integrated into the world-wide system of convection currents responsible for the transfer of heat from the interior of the Earth to its periphery. The author also discusses how these processes may be connected to significant environmental events such as ice ages and mass extinctions, illustrating how Earth’s geology and its environment are intricately linked. Through a study of past tectonic patterns and their environmental consequences, certain predictions can be offered into Earth’s potential future.Graham Park is Emeritus Professor of Tectonic Geology at the University of Keele and has published numerous books and research papers on tectonic geology. He is the author of the best-selling Introducing Geology: A Guide to the World of Rocks, and the award-winning Mountains: The Origins of the Earth’s Mountain Systems.