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 second 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 second edition
A few years ago, Professor David Hilton of the University of California, San Diego mentioned to me that he was still using my book, The Earth: Its Birth and Growth, as suggested reading in his class. The book was published in 1979 by Cambridge University Press. Amazed by its longevity, I became curious about how this seemingly plain small book could have survived in the recent swarm of the media world, in which there are a flood of books on astounding findings in Earth and planetary sciences with colorful pictures and illustrations. I read the book once again, and I was convinced that it was worth revising it by incorporating recent developments.
The new edition has therefore attempted to keep the original style of the first edition: that is, to maintain readability without sacrificing scientific rigor. The concise style of the book is important so that readers can see the big picture without being drowned by a formidable amount of information. Obviously many of the materials in the first edition needed to be updated. Also, given recent developments, I wanted to emphasize in the new edition the importance of integrating a vast range of geophysical and geochemical data to develop a coherent view of Earth’s evolution.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The EarthIts Birth and Growth, pp. ix - xPublisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2012