In this first full-scale attempt to reconstruct the chemical evolution of the Earth's atmosphere and oceans, Heinrich Holland assembles data from a wide spectrum of fields to trace the history of the ocean-atmosphere system. A pioneer in an increasingly important area of scholarship, he presents a comprehensive treatment of knowledge on this subject, provides an extensive bibliography, and outlines problems and approaches for further research.

The first four chapters deal with the turbulent first half billion years of Earth history. The next four chapters, devoted largely to the...

Readings from the Treatise on Geochemistry offers an interdisciplinary reference for scientists, researchers and upper undergraduate and graduate level geochemistry students that is more affordable than the full Treatise. For professionals, this volume will provide an overview of the field as a whole. For students, it will provide more in-depth introductory content than is found in broad-based geochemistry textbooks. Articles were selected from chapters across all volumes of the full Treatise, and include: The Origin and Earliest History of the Earth, Compositional Evolution of the...