Best of
Geology

1998

The Big Score: Robert Friedland, INCO, And The Voisey's Bay Hustle


Jacquie McNish - 1998
    From the windswept Labrador coast, where the massive nickel deposit was discovered, to the boardrooms of Singapore, Toronto, and Vancouver where the giant poker game for Diamond Fields was played out, the story behind Voisey's Bay has enormous economic significance for Canada and international financial markets.One of the most intriguing elements was the takeover battle for Diamond Fields that pitted the conservative management team at the world's largest nickel company, Inco Ltd., against free-wheeling stock promoter Robert Friedland.Also playing key roles in the race for Voisey's Bay were managers from the Bronfman-controlled Edper group, prominent Wall Street and Bay Street investment houses, and leading mutual funds.

The Deep Hot Biosphere: The Myth of Fossil Fuels


Thomas Gold - 1998
    Second, it proposes that the inhabitants of this subterranean biosphere are not plants or animals as we know them, but heat-loving bacteria that survive on a diet consisting solely of hydrocarbons that is, natural gas and petroleum. And third and perhaps most heretically, the book advances the stunning idea that most hydrocarbons on Earth are not the byproduct of biological debris ("fossil fuels"), but were a common constituent of the materials from which the earth itself was formed some 4.5 billion years ago.The implications are astounding. The theory proposes answers to often-asked questions: Is the deep hot biosphere where life originated, and do Mars and other seemingly barren planets contain deep biospheres? Even more provocatively, is it possible that there is an enormous store of hydrocarbons upwelling from deep within the earth that can provide us with abundant supplies of gas and petroleum?However far-fetched these ideas seem, they are supported by a growing body of evidence, and by the indisputable stature and seriousness Gold brings to any scientific debate. In this book we see a brilliant and boldly original thinker, increasingly a rarity in modern science, as he develops potentially revolutionary ideas about how our world works.

Night Comes to the Cretaceous: Dinosaur Extinction and the Transformation of Modern Geology


James Lawrence Powell - 1998
    Then in 1980, a radical theory was proposed: 65 million years ago, an asteroid or comet as big as Mt. Everest, traveling at 100,000 miles per hour, struck the earth, throwing up a dust cloud that darkened the sky, caused the temperature to plummet, and killed the dinosaurs and 70 percent of all other species. Night Comes to the Cretaceous is the first comprehensive and objective account of how this fantastic theory changed the course of science. The author, Director of the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History tells the dramatic story of how Nobel Prize-winning physicist Luis Alvarez and his son Walter stumbled onto evidence suggesting that a single random event caused the extinction of the dinosaurs - a claim many scientists found unbelievable. After years of bitter debate and intense research, an astonishing discovery was made - an immense impact crater buried deep in the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico that was identified as Ground Zero. The unbelievable appeared to be true.

Rockhounding Colorado, 2nd


William A. Kappele - 1998
    Lively text, accurate maps, and clear site descriptions reveal great sources of rhodonite, alabaster, tourmaline, amethyst, blue barite, and much more.

Invertebrate Palaeontology and Evolution


Euan N. K. Clarkson - 1998
    This fully revised fourth edition includes a complete update of the sections on evolution and the fossil record, and the evolution of the early metazoans. New work on the classification of the major phyla (in particular brachiopods and molluscs) has been incorporated. The section on trace fossils is extensively rewritten. The author has taken care to involve specialists in the major groups, to ensure the taxonomy is as up-to-date and accurate as possible.

Rocks and Minerals (National Audubon Society First Field Guide)


Edward R. Ricciuti - 1998
    A valuable at-home reference and useful full-color field guide to over 150 rocks and minerals a beginner is most likely to find.

National Geographic Guide to the Lewis Clark Trail


Thomas Schmidt - 1998
    Now their journey is recreated is recreated in the bicentennial edition of the best-selling "National Geographic Guide to the Lewis & Clark Trail. Along with major television and film events, this book will feature prominently in National Geographic' s upcoming celebration of the expedition' s anniversary. This is the only full-color guide to Lewis and Clark' s America, and its lavishly illustrated photographs and maps are evocative of the landscapes, animals, and native people of an unspoiled America. Distinctive among guides, this book is organized practically for easy trip planning and details essential visitor information along with suggestions for excursions by foot, boat, and country road to help travelers capture the sense and spirit of the pioneers. Author Thomas Schmidt vividly describes Native American cultures and natural histories of the bioregions Lewis and Clark encountered, contrasting their past and present conditions. He puts the entire route into a compelling historical context, complete with biographical sketches of the legendary explorers, sidebars on everything from planning to weaponry, and treasured diary excerpts. No other guide so expertly brings to life the events, places, and people of Lewis and Clark' s extraordinary and unforgettable odyssey.

Greening of Gondwana: The 400 Million Year Story of Australia's Plants


Mary White - 1998
    

Earth Story: The Shaping Of Our World


Simon Lamb - 1998
    When and how was Earth formed? What is the link between earthquakes, volcanoes, and the creation of continents? How do mountains affect our climate? What triggers ice ages? Earth Story answers these and many other questions as it tells the amazing story of our planet and its constantly changing nature. Two centuries ago, scientists began to investigate the history of Earth by examining the rocks beneath its surface and began to formulate the astonishing concept of geological time. Using this discovery as their starting point, Simon Lamb and David Sington unravel the fascinating history of Earth from its earliest beginnings to the dawn of human civilization, using full-color illustrations, stunning photography, and the latest scientific thinking.

Tombstone, A. T.: A History Of Early Mining, Milling, And Mayhem


William B. Shillingberg - 1998
    

Groundwater in Geologic Processes


Steven E. Ingebritsen - 1998
    The opening section develops basic theory of groundwater motion, fluid-solid mechanical interaction, solute transport, and heat transport. The second section applies flow, hydromechanics, and transport theory in a generalized geologic context, and focuses on particular geologic processes and environments. A systematic presentation of theory and application coupled with problem sets to conclude each chapter make this text ideal for use by advanced undergraduate and graduate-level hydrogeologists and geologists. It also serves as an invaluable reference for professionals in the field.

Island and Rapids: A Geological Story of Hells Canyon


Tracy Vallier - 1998
    Born as islands in the Pacific Ocean, the rocks in Hells Canyon moved slowly northward with the North American continent after it broke loose from the Pangea supercontinent. Finally, the islands collided with the North American continent and were zippered to it. Bathed again by the sea, deeply eroded, and subsequently covered beneath a mile of lava flows, the entire area was lifted by, and along, large faults. In addition to telling the geologic history of the canyon, the book includes a mile-by-mile guide to the major features of Hells Canyon. A glossary and an annotated bibliography also complement the author's narrative along with his personal reminiscences and more than 100 photographs, many in full color.

Calcareous Nannofossil Biostratigraphy


Paul R. Bown - 1998
    Their abundant fossil record and world-wide distribution has led to their rapid acceptance as one of the most important index-fossil groups in stratigraphical research. The first two chapters of this book provide general information concerning calcareous nannofossils, including reviews of their biology and palaeobiology, and preparation and observation techniques. Chapters 3-9 are ordered stratigraphically, and present state-of-the-art summaries of calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphy for each time period, with comprehensive illustrations of all taxa within a standardised classification based on the latest research into structure and biomineralization. The practical application of these biostratigraphic schemes is discussed, including comments on zones biogeography, taxonomy and evolution. This information is internationally relevant, and global correlation is discussed. Calcareous Nannofossil Biostratigraphy is the most comprehensive atlas of this fossil group ever produced, containing 65 full page plates with over 2,000 individual photographs, together with comments concerning stratigraphic distribution and identification. Chapters on the Mesozoic contain electron microscope illustrations as well as light micrographs. The inclusion of much recent, previously unpublished, research provides a new level of biostratigraphic resolution for a number of time periods, making the book both a valuable synthesis and a significant step forward in biogeographical research. Calcareous Nannofossil Biostratigraphy is a comprehensive practical handbook for palaeontologists and organizations who use calcareous nannofossils in biostratigraphy, and provides a valuable practical reference work for earth scientists engaged in stratigraphic research, and those interested in palaeontology, palaeoceanography, stratigraphy and geochronology.