Complete with vivid, dramatic photographs, this book presents an oasis of information on the world's starkest deserts. Journey from Death Valley, the lowest point in North America, to the Libyan desert, the hottest on Earth, where temperatures can reach 136°F, to Antarctica’s vast polar deserts, which have not had ice cover for thousands of years. From trade wind and rainshadow deserts to interior and coastal deserts, Deserts, Revised Edition spotlights 10 superlative examples and reveals why these astonishing landforms are never static but always changing.

This book takes readers on a globe-spanning tour of dramatic mountain formations, from block mountains to volcanic sea mountains to high-altitude-landform "sky islands." The direct text invites attention to the complexity of these peaks, their changing nature, and related environmental issues. Enhanced with resources for further investigation, Mountains, Revised Edition also includes a collection of vivid photographs and line illustrations.

Ocean Ridges and Trenches, Revised Edition immerses readers in the mysteries of the world's sea floors, from the surprising creatures of the Galapagos Rift to the devastating tsunamis of the Java Trench. This book reveals how 10 undersea mountain ranges and valleys came to be, how and why it has changed over the span of geologic time, and its contributions to the environment. The ridges and trenches covered span the Mariana Trench, the deepest point in the ocean, and the San Andreas Fault, site of many of California’s earthquakes. Each chapter provides illuminating material on...