This textbook details basic principles of planetary science that help to unify the study of the solar system. It is organized in a hierarchical manner so that every chapter builds upon preceding ones. Starting with historical perspectives on space exploration and the development of the scientific method, the book leads the reader through the solar system. Coverage explains that the origin and subsequent evolution of planets and their satellites can be explained by applications of certain basic principles of physics, chemistry, and celestial mechanics and that surface features of the solid bodies can be interpreted by principles of geology.
The origin of different kinds of igneous rocks can be understood in terms of their tectonic setting, and by way of the isotope compositions of strontium, neodymium, and lead. This book explains the petrogenesis of igneous rocks as a consequence of tectonic processes resulting from interactions between asthenopheric plumes and the overlying lithospheric mantle. The relevant principles of isotope geochemistry are explained in the first chapter, making it accessible for university students as well as professionals. The relevant isotopic data is presented in diagrammatic form. The book contains more than 400 original drawings.
This book presents a summary of the geology of the Transantarctic Mountains for Earth scientists who may want to work there or who need an overview of the geologic history of this region. In addition, the properties of the East Antarctic ice sheet and of the meteorites that accumulate on its surface are treated in separate chapters. The presentation ends with the Cenozoic glaciation of the Transantarctic Mountains including the limnology and geochemical evolution of the saline lakes in the ice-free valleys. • The subject matter in this book is presented in chronological order starting about 750 million years ago and continuing to the present time. • The chapters can be read selectively because the introduction to each chapter identifies the context that gives relevance to the subject matter to be discussed. • The text is richly illustrated with 330 original line drawings as well as with 182 color maps and photographs. • The book contains indexes of both subject matter and of authors’ names that allow it to be used as an encyclopedia of the Transantarctic Mountains and of the East Antarctic ice sheet. • Most of the chapters are supplemented by Appendices containing data tables, additional explanations of certain phenomena (e.g., the formation and seasonal destruction of stratospheric ozone), and illustrative calculations (e.g., 38Cl dates of meteorites). • The authors have spent a combined total of fourteen field seasons between 1964 and 1995 doing geological research in the Transantarctic Mountains with logistical support by the US Antarctic Program. • Although Antarctica is remote and inaccessible, tens of thousands of scientists of many nationalities and their assistants have worked there and even larger numbers of investigators will work there in the future.
The book presents the history of Estonia in easily readable form and with compassion for the people whose lives were affected by the events that occurred in the Baltic region. The prolonged occupation of the Baltic region by different European nations not only caused great hardships for the Estonian people, but it also integrated them into the western European cultural community. In that sense, the history of Estonia has had a happy ending. After seven centuries of domination by foreign powers, the people of Estonia are now free, they are well educated, they are creative, they are hard-working, and they are patriotic. The Republic of Estonia has earned the respect and admiration of the people of the world and deserves to be recognized as a modern and successful nation.
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