Stephen Marshak is Professor of Geology and Head of the Department of Geology at the University of Illinois,
Urbana-Champaign. He holds a Ph.D. from Columbia University, an M.S. from the University of Arizona, and a B.A.
from Cornell University. He has served as Chair of the Division of Structural Geology and Tectonics of the Geological
Society of America. Dr. Marshak has written numerous research articles on topics in structural geology and tectonics,
and has authored or co-authored three other books: Basic Methods of Structural Geology; Earth Structure: An Introduction
to Structural Geology and Tectonics; and Essentials of Geology.
Summary
This new edition will only enhance its success. It has been thoroughly
revised to ensure current coverage of all major topics, especially
earthquakes (including the disaster in Haiti in 2010), volcanoes, and
climate change. The drawn art represents the state of the art and is
both pedagogically innovative and a feast for the eyes. The Google
Earth exercises provide virtual field trips to the entire world.
Table of Contents
Preface
Prelude And Just What Is Geology?
PART I Our Island in Space
Chapter 1 Cosmology and the Birth of Earth
Chapter 2 Journey to the Center of the Earth
Chapter 3 Drifting Continents and Spreading Seas
Chapter 4 The Way the Earth Works: Plate Tectonics
PART II Earth Materials
Chapter 5 Patterns in Nature: Minerals
Interlude A Rock Groups
Chapter 6 Up from the Inferno: Magma and Igneous Rocks
Interlude B A Surface Veneer: Sediments and Soils
Chapter 7 Pages of Earth's Past: Sedimentary Rocks
Chapter 8 Metamorphism: A Process of Change
Interlude C The Rock Cycle
PART III Tectonic Activity of a Dynamic Planet
Chapter 9 The Wrath of Vulcan: Volcanic Eruptions
Chapter 10 A Violent Pulse: Earthquakes
Interlude D The Earth's Interior-Revisited: Seismic Layering, the Magnetic Field, and Gravity
Chapter 11 Crags, Cracks, and Crumples: Crustal Deformation and Mountain Building
PART IV History before History
Interlude E Memories of Past Life: Fossils and Evolution
Chapter 12 Deep Time: How Old Is Old?
Chapter 13 A Biography of Earth
PART V Earth Resources
Chapter 14 Squeezing Power from a Stone: Energy Resources
Chapter 15 Riches in Rock: Mineral Resources
PART V Processes and Problems at the Earth's Surface
Interlude F Ever-Changing Landscapes and the Hydrologic Cycle
Chapter 16 Unsafe Ground: Landslides and Other Mass Movements
Chapter 17 Streams and Floods: The Geology of Running Water
Chapter 18 Restless Realm: Oceans and Coasts
Chapter 19 A Hidden Reserve: Groundwater
Chapter 20 An Envelope of Gas: Earth's Atmosphere and Climate
Chapter 21 Dry Regions: The Geology of Deserts
Chapter 22 Amazing Ice: Glaciers and Ice Ages
Chapter 23 Global Change in the Earth System
