Global Tectonics

by Philip Kearey, Frederick Vine

Warmly praised in its first edition, particularly for its careful balance between geology and geophysics, Global Tectonics is an even better textbook in its second edition.
Responding to reviews, comments from instructors and developments in the subject, the authors have significantly extended the book's breadth and restructured some sections. Expanded sections include those on the formation of oceanic crust, the variety of passive continental margins and the nature of convection in the mantle, and a new chapter draws together the material on continental rifts and sedimentary basins.

Genres: Geology, Academic, Science, Nonfiction, Textbooks, Reference

333 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

Reviews

[Steve Van Slyke · Rating 3 out of 5]

First I must qualify my rating. If I were a geology professor or graduate student it is conceivable that I might give it another star or even two. But as someone who minored in geology back in the 'dim' ages and who reads a fair amount of geology related books and articles (e.g. Earth: An Intimate History), this was a bit too technical and stodgy for me. So perhaps some would say my rating is unfair. But I am rating it for readers like me.

It would have been relatively easy to make this book more accessible to a wider audience. An appendix of geologic terms and explanations of notational methods used would have helped immensely and wouldn't have slowed down the professional reader.

Some of the diagrams and illustrations are so reduced that it required a magnifying glass to read the text and interpret them.

Still, if one is already generally familiar with plate tectonics (as I was), and is willing to slog through some fairly hefty math, physics and chemistry in order to gain a deeper understanding of what's going on beneath our feet--or our swim fins--then this book is worth the trouble.

If anyone has a suggestion for a better work on advanced plate tectonics, please comment or send a PM.