Great Geological Controversies

ISBN-13: 9780198582199 / Angielski / Miękka / 1990 / 256 str.

A. Hallam

Opis

Here is a new edition of a widely acclaimed account of the most celebrated controversies in the history of geology--a book that covers many of the most important ideas that have emerged since the birth of the science. Among the great debates described here are those involving catastrophe theory, uniformitarianism, the discovery of the Ice Age, speculation concerning the age of the earth, and the advent of new ideas on plate tectonics and continental drift. In presenting these key topics, the author opens the fascinating history of geology to a wide audience. Frequently citing original sources, the author gives readers a sense of the colorful and at times immensely entertaining language of scientific discourse. This edition includes a new chapter on the emergence of stratigraphy in the nineteenth century, focusing on controversies surrounding the Cambrian-Silurian and Devonian. Another new chapter reviews the mass extinction theory, which is still hotly debated. Other chapters have been revised to reflect recent developments and changes in the field. Authoritative and highly readable, this unique work will interest all readers interested in the history of science and especially the origin of the prevailing ideas in geology today.

Recenzje

'For Hallam's ... new chapter on "Mass extinctions", I have high praise. This is detailed and judicial. This is desirable reading ... for historians of geology and, indeed, for geologists at large.' W.A.S. Sarjeant, University of Saskatchewan, Geoscience Canada, Volume 19, Number 2, June 1992

Spis treści

Neptunists, vulcanists, and plutonists; Catastrophists and uniformitarians; The emergence of stratigraphy; The ice age; The age of the earth; Continental drift; Mass extinctions; General considerations; Index.