Modern earth science / William L. Ramsey and Raymond A. Burckley. --

Includes glossary and index.

Preface v -- Unit 1 The earth in the universe 1 -- 1.The earth and the universe 2 -- 2. The sun 21 -- 3. The solar system 33 -- 4. the moon 53 -- 5. Space travel 68 -- Unit 2 The earth and its motions 85 -- 6. The planet earth 86 -- 7. Location 98 -- 8. Time 110 -- 9. maps and map reading 126 -- Unit 3 The materials of the earth's surface 143 -- 10. Earth chemistry 144 -- 11. Minerals 160 -- 12. Rocks 196 -- Unit 4 The forces that shape the earth's surface 219 -- 13. Diastrophism 220 -- 14. mountains 252 -- 15. Plains and plateaus 266 -- 16. Volcanism 282 -- Unit 5 The forces that sculpture the earth's surface 305 -- 17. Weathering and erosion 306 -- 18. Running water 325 -- 19. Glacial ice 348 -- 20. Wind and waves 370 -- Unit 6 The record of earth history 387 -- 21. The rock record 388 -- 22. Geologic time 405 -- 23. The fossil record 431 -- Unit 7 The earth's envelope of water 469 -- 24. The earths' water supply 470 -- 25. The oceans 492 -- 26. Waves, tides and currents 507 -- Unit 8 The earth's atmosphere 523 -- 27. The air 524 -- 28. The winds 541 -- 29. Water in the atmosphere 551 -- 30. Weather changes 567 -- 31. Weather prediction 583 -- Unit 9 The climates of the earth 599 -- 32. Elements of climate 600 -- 33. Climatic regions 611 -- Appendix, Identification of minerals 629 -- Glossary 643 -- Index 654 --

"We live in a time when growth in scientific discovery is almost explosive. in each branch of science the body of factual information increases rapidly and understanding deepens. This growth has put a difficult burden on the science student and teacher alike. The most elementary understanding of the scope of modern science requires familiarity with facts and concepts from every area of scientific thought. A strong element in basic science education must be the study of the earth sciences. The earth and its immediate neighborhood in space form the laboratory in which all scientific experimentation must be carried on. It is the purpose of this text to provide students with a basic understanding of their home planet and its position in the universe. The plan of the book is first to establish the position of the earth in the known universe through an introductory unit on astronomy. This is followed by a consideration of the general nature of the earth as a planet. Before the detailed study of surface features and the forces that the shape them. a unit is given to consideration of the substances known to make up the earth's crust. The student is helped to recognize the role of chemistry in the earth sciences by the inclusion in this unit of a chapter on basic chemistry. Following the two units dealing with the major landforms and their origins, a unit is devoted to the earth's history as revealed by the fossil record. The concluding units deal with the liquid and gaseous portions of the earth- the water supply and the atmosphere. A final unit is concerned with a brief study of the causes and distribution of the world's climates, which are of such importance in regulating the lives of the earth's inhabitants." Preface --