Around 30 years ago, geologists first realized that the continents were drifting across the surface of the globe and that oceans were being created and destroyed. At the same time, the first pictures of the planet were returned from space. Suddenly, the Earth began to be viewed as a single entity; a dynamic, interacting whole, controlled by complex processes we scarcely understood.
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Around 30 years ago, geologists first realized that the continents were drifting across the surface of the globe and that oceans were being created and destroyed. At the same time, the first pictures of the planet were returned from space. Suddenly, the Earth began to be viewed as a single entity; a dynamic, interacting whole, controlled by complex processes we scarcely understood.
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The Very Short Introductions series of Oxford University Press offers many opportunities for learning. I have read several volumes in the series on the broadly humanistic subjects, such as philosophy, history, or literature that are within the scope of most of my reading. More interestingly, I have used the series to expand my knowledge and to learn or revisit science -- which I haven't studied much for many years. Thus, I read M.J. Benton's "Very Short Introduction" to the "History of Life" which describes the evolution and the many forms of living things over the ages of geologic time. I followed-up with this related "Very Short Introduction" to "The Earth" by Martin Redfern. These two little books are complimentary in theme and taught me about the origins and growth of what Redfern aptly calls "a wonderful planet" and the forms of life together with the land and the oceans it has developed over millions of years. Redfern is the Senior Producer at the BBC Science Unit. With this background, he has learned to write about science succinctly and well for non-specialists. Redfern as written several introductory books on earth sciences, some of which are geared to children.
Written with flair and enthusiasm, Redfern's "very short introduction" manages to be both broad and detailed. The book is well-organized and illustrates the relationship of the many diverse subjects he discusses. Redfern describes the aim of his study as follows:
"I have tried to show how everything is interdependent. Without water, rocks would not be lubricated, granite might not form, and we would not have the great land masses of continents. Without water, there would be no clouds and no rain, just a wind-blown desert landscape with little possibility for life. Without liquid water, the chemistry of life could not function and life as we know it could not exist on Earth. Without life, there would not be the feedback mechanisms on atmospheric composition that have, so far at least, kept the climate bearable. Without life, the Earth might now be a snowball world or a super-heated greenhouse."
Redfern offers a "top-down" view of the Earth. He begins with the broad picture rather than a "bottom-up" view that begins, say, with the specificity of rocks, and works up. He examines the Earth's place in the solar system, beginning with matters such as the sun, atmosphere, rotation, and magnetism. He follows with a discussion of the breadth of geologic time. Redfern emphasizes the slow, uniformity of physical processes over the millions of years of geological time which is largely responsible for the development of the world as we know it and for its continued development and change. Uniformity is sometimes punctuated by large-scale individual events, such as the catastrophe of a large collision with an asteroid, or the mass extinctions that resulted in the end of the dinosaurs and that also occurred on other occasions. These individual catastrophic events also are to be understood in accordance with naturalistic principles.
Redfern then turns to take a specific look at the composition of the earth, from the crust to the inner core. He offers a substantial amount of complex detail, presented for the most part accessibly. This is followed by a fascinating discussion of the floor of the ocean and of how it has come to be studied. With this discussion of the earth and the oceans, Redfern examines the motion of tectonic plates and the formation and destruction of continents, mountains, and oceans. This leads to the explanations of volcanism and earthquakes that concludes the book.
I took away from this book a renewed understanding of and awe for physical process which accounts for the astonishing variety of the earth and of life. As was the case when reading the very short introduction to the "History of Life" I was moved by the sheer magnitude of geologic time. I came to have, in brief compass, a renewed interest in ways of understanding and knowing that I have not much pursued since college. I felt a need to integrate science more in what I have studied and thought about over the years.
This little book and its companions in the very short introductions series offer reminders of the breadth and scope of knowledge and of the delight and value in learning.
