'This book presents thought-provoking scenarios for formation and evolution of the proto-earth. Reading this book requires a more than casual familiarity with the subjects to appreciate the wealth of data and ideas that are dispersed throughout this book. The well-versed reader will get a good snapshot of our increasingly sophisticated knowledge of the origin of our own home.'
Frans J.M. Rietmeijer, Earth-Science Reviews, 33 (1992)
The earliest stages: the solar nebular and accretion of planetesimals; The giant impact and earth-moon relationships; Was there a terrestrial magma ocean?; Core formation; Formation of the continental crust; Evolution of the hydrosphere and the origin of life.
