Song of the Earth Understanding Geology and Why It Matters

A loving portrayal of our precious planet that offers easy-to-grasp discussions of scientific concepts and detailed examinations of Earth's tectonic, biological, and paleontological forces...

Did you know that the history of Earth can be revealed by examining everything on it? From the esoteric science of minerals to the interactions between humans and their environment, our planet provides answers to every question we could ask about its history and what lies ahead. As climate change impacts everything we do on our planet, now is the time to take a closer look at what messages Earth has for us: what does it mean when the wind blows or the ground shifts? In this book, geologist Elisabeth Ervin-Blankenheim reveals the history of our planet through a geologic lens and explains why everyone should care about it.

Song of the Earth is a thrilling biography of our planet that equips readers with the scientific, historical, and philosophical symbiosis between humans and Earth. Ervin-Blankenheim explores geologic principles of deep time, plate tectonics, and change in life forms in plain English. The book is illustrated with striking maps, diagrams, and pictures, allowing her to dissect everything from how a roiling, molten planet cooled to how the first cyanobacteria began to oxygenate the atmosphere to how the atmosphere has changed over time.

Ervin-Blankenheim journeys through the science with ease and provides narrative sections about pioneering geologists and their groundbreaking discoveries. In viewing the planet as the integrated ecosystem it is, Ervin-Blankenheim showcases how land, water, life, and the atmosphere maintain an elegant yet delicate balance--one that, based on the author's evidence of current trends in the context of past planetary cataclysm, appears to be under imminent threat. At times both gripping and lovingly poetic, Song of the Earth shows not only how Earth has influenced life, but also how life has distinctly shaped our planet.

Elisabeth Ervin-Blankenheim is a licensed professional geologist and geology instructor at Front Range Community College in Colorado. She was hydrologist and geologist for the U.S. Geological Survey for many years before pursuing a PhD in science education and geologic literacy at St. Francis Xavier
University.

Acknowledgments
Introduction

Geology Emerges as a Science
Chapter 1: European Roots
Chapter 2: On the Other Side of the Pond

Geologic Time
Chapter 3: From an Early Geologic Timescale
Chapter 4: Measuring Time and the Nature of Deep Time

Plate Tectonics
Chapter 5: History of the Revolution in Earth Sciences
Chapter 6: Oceans, Continents, Plates, and How They Interact

Life on the Earth
Chapter 7: Evolution, Extinctions, and Biodiversity

The Biography of the Earth
Chapter 8: Precambrian Story
Chapter 9: Paleozoic Era
Chapter 10: Mesozoic Era
Chapter 11: Cenozoic Era

Chapter 12: The Earth's Impact on Life and Life's Impact on the Earth

Glossary
Notes
Bibliography
Index