Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface to the second edition
- Preface to the first edition
- Preface to the English edition
- 1 Heat from within
- 2 At the time of the Earth’s birth
- 3 Formation of the layered structure of the Earth
- 4 Time scale of the Earth’s evolution
- 5 Plate tectonics revolution
- 6 Evolution of the mantle
- 7 Origin of the atmosphere and oceans
- 8 Isotopes as DNA of nature
- 9 The Earth’s magnetism
- 10 The Moon
- 11 The past and future of the evolving Earth
- References
- Index
Preface to the first edition
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 May 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface to the second edition
- Preface to the first edition
- Preface to the English edition
- 1 Heat from within
- 2 At the time of the Earth’s birth
- 3 Formation of the layered structure of the Earth
- 4 Time scale of the Earth’s evolution
- 5 Plate tectonics revolution
- 6 Evolution of the mantle
- 7 Origin of the atmosphere and oceans
- 8 Isotopes as DNA of nature
- 9 The Earth’s magnetism
- 10 The Moon
- 11 The past and future of the evolving Earth
- References
- Index
Summary
Preface to the first edition
It is thought that the Earth was born as a planet about 4500 million years ago. Throughout the long years since then it has continually evolved, and has undergone a transformation into its present form.
Tracing the evolution of the Earth is a central topic in Earth science, and has been dealt with by many writers. However, most previous histories of the Earth have been concerned with the past 600 million years, since fossils have been found in abundance from this period, and only touch very briefly on the Precambrian period, which is equivalent to roughly seven-eighths of the Earth’s history. But those basic qualities of the Earth with which we are so well acquainted – the magnetic field, the layered structure of the core and mantle, the atmosphere and oceans, were all formed in the very early stages of the Earth’s history.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The EarthIts Birth and Growth, pp. xi - xiiPublisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2012