Linda Elkins-Tanton – författare

The Moon is the only body in the solar system outside of the Earth that has been visited by humans. More than 440 pounds of lunar material are brought by NASA and Soviet space missions to Earth for study. The information gleaned about the Moon from this relatively small pile of rocks is mind-boggling and stands as the greatest proof that Martian planetary science would be greatly enhanced by returning samples to Earth. Compositional studies of lunar rocks show that the Moon and the Earth are made of similar material, and because lunar material has not been reworked through erosion and plate tectonics, it sheds light on the early formation of the Moon and its internal evolution.

Jupiter and Saturn are the two largest planets in the solar system and the first two gas giant planets encountered when moving away from the Sun. They are both immensely complicated systems not unlike miniature solar systems on their own: Jupiter has 63 known moons and its own ring system, whereas Saturn is famous for its rings and 62 known moons. Astronomers are finding with some regularity new, distant moons orbiting each of these planets, so their number of known satellites continues to grow.

Mars exploration has never been more active, and our understanding of the planet is advancing rapidly. New discoveries reveal gullies carved by recent groundwater flow, thick ice deposits protected by rocks and soil even at the equator, and new evidence for lakes and seas in Mars' past. The Martian surface has some of the oldest planetary crust in the solar system, containing clues to conditions in early planets that cannot be obtained elsewhere.

Covering a key connection between geological processes and life on Earth, this multidisciplinary volume describes the effects of volcanism on the environment by combining present-day observations of volcanism and environmental changes with information from past eruptions preserved in the geologic record. The book discusses the origins, features and timing of volumetrically large volcanic eruptions; methods for assessing gas and tephra release in the modern day and the palaeo-record; and the impacts of volcanic gases and aerosols on the environment, from ozone depletion to mass extinctions. The significant advances that have been made in recent years in quantifying and understanding the impacts of present and past volcanic eruptions are presented and review chapters are included, making this a valuable book for academic researchers and graduate students in volcanology, climate science, palaeontology, atmospheric chemistry, and igneous petrology.