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Elementaire Deeltjes #1
De aarde
Vijftig jaar geleden ontdekten geologen dat de continenten over het oppervlak van de aarde drijven. Ook kregen we de eerste foto's vanuit de ruimte te zien. Nu kunnen we eindelijk de aarde als geheel én in detail waarnemen: het bos én de bomen.
128 pages, Paperback
First published June 26, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
May 29, 2021
A Very Short Introduction To A Wonderful Planet
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.
Robin Friedman
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.
Robin Friedman
May 24, 2012
I was a bit disappointed with this Very Short Introduction. I was hoping for a primer on geology. What I found out instead was that the term geology is a little out-of-date. "Geology" has morphed into "modern Earth sciences". This is interesting in itself, but earth sciences is a wider subject than what I was looking for. Not only that, as an introduction to that wider subject, this book skims so lightly that it is not of much interest.
So, the only useful knowledge I can remember taking away from this book is that earth sciences began to be used about three decades ago, as the science of plate tectonics was getting underway, and as it came to be realized that oceans and continents have been, and are still being, created and destroyed.
As Redfern says (on page 2!),
So, the only useful knowledge I can remember taking away from this book is that earth sciences began to be used about three decades ago, as the science of plate tectonics was getting underway, and as it came to be realized that oceans and continents have been, and are still being, created and destroyed.
As Redfern says (on page 2!),
Today, most university departments and research groups use the term 'Earth sciences' rather than geology, recognizing a broadening of the discipline beyond the study of rocks. The term 'Earth systems' is becoming widespread, recognizing the inter-related, dynamic nature of processes that include not only the solid, rocky Earth but its oceans, the fragile veil of its atmosphere, and the thin film of life on its surface as well.Nice to know, from a historical perspective. This certainly is what NASA, for example, is doing with its wonderful Earth Observing System (EOS) program. But after consuming this tasty hors d'oeuvre, I could have skipped the remainder of the dinner.
November 21, 2021
21/11/2021
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dutch
Ik weet niet precies wat ik verwacht had, maar dit boekje viel me best wel tegen. Volgens mij had het al heel veel geholpen als het in chronologische volgorde geschreven was. In plaats daarvan lag de focus een soort van op de verschillende geologische uitvindingen en conclusies. Het was ontzettend droge kost en er werden veel moeilijke termen en nietszeggende getallen gebruikt. Wel heb ik in heel weinig tekst super veel geleerd, wat ik heel leuk vond. het concept bevalt me dus heel goed, maar de uitwerking was wat minder.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
English
I don't know what exactly it was that I expected, but this book was a little bit of a letdown. I do think it would already have helped a lot when it was in chronological order. Instead of chronological order this book now focussed on geological inventions and conclusions. It was very dry written and a lot of difficult words and random numbers where used. I did learn a lot in very few words, which I really enjoyed. The concept is really fun, but the outcome was a bit of a disappointment.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dutch
Ik weet niet precies wat ik verwacht had, maar dit boekje viel me best wel tegen. Volgens mij had het al heel veel geholpen als het in chronologische volgorde geschreven was. In plaats daarvan lag de focus een soort van op de verschillende geologische uitvindingen en conclusies. Het was ontzettend droge kost en er werden veel moeilijke termen en nietszeggende getallen gebruikt. Wel heb ik in heel weinig tekst super veel geleerd, wat ik heel leuk vond. het concept bevalt me dus heel goed, maar de uitwerking was wat minder.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
English
I don't know what exactly it was that I expected, but this book was a little bit of a letdown. I do think it would already have helped a lot when it was in chronological order. Instead of chronological order this book now focussed on geological inventions and conclusions. It was very dry written and a lot of difficult words and random numbers where used. I did learn a lot in very few words, which I really enjoyed. The concept is really fun, but the outcome was a bit of a disappointment.
April 8, 2016
From the first chapter, I felt like the author was trying to describe a forest by telling us about some interesting trees he'd seen. I never really shook that feeling. There is a lot of interesting information in the book, but I have no idea how comprehensive it is. Certainly a lot of the details are skipped. However, it is a fine introduction to the big picture of how the continents formed and change over time.
March 14, 2017
A short history of the Earth requires an integrated systems-understanding of outer space, the atmosphere, the ocean, soil, crust and planetary Interior. The author keeps these ideas to separate chapters and never shows their important interrelationships. This short book would have benefited by sticking to a strictly historical development of the scientific conceptions of Planet Earth.
June 2, 2024
Read more than half but didn't finish. I think it might be inevitable with a work trying to cover something as chaotic as the systems that make up the Earth, but in any case the book felt like a bombardment of facts and figures. Numbers that are hard to relate to reality, facts that are sometimes interesting but don't really cohere.
It's all cool science but I think it tries to cover too much.
Oh also, it is very casual about climate change in way that has aged poorly. True in the context of earth's history anthropogenic climate change isn't a huge swing, but it is for the amount of time it's happened in, and it will have a profound detrimental effect on the lives of the billions on earth. In a couple of moments it mentions climate change but seems to downplay it.
It's all cool science but I think it tries to cover too much.
Oh also, it is very casual about climate change in way that has aged poorly. True in the context of earth's history anthropogenic climate change isn't a huge swing, but it is for the amount of time it's happened in, and it will have a profound detrimental effect on the lives of the billions on earth. In a couple of moments it mentions climate change but seems to downplay it.
July 8, 2018
Livrinho fascinante sobre um planeta fascinante. Uma introdução muito interessante, objetiva e cativante à geologia e à geofísica, para ficar com vontade de se aprofundar mais.
April 3, 2020
2015.11.04–2015.11.05
Contents
Redfern M (2003) (04:08) Earth, The - A Very Short Introduction
List of illustrations
• 01. Planet Earth, as seen from Apollo 17
• 02. The Earth's magnetic envelope
• 03. The carbon cycle
• 04. 'Onion' layers in a radial section of Earth
• 05. The main divisions of geological time
• 06. Circulation in the Earth's mantle
• 07. Possible model for the generation of Earth's magnetic field
• 08. The ocean drilling ship JOIDES Resolution
• 09. The global system of ocean ridges
• 10. Stripes of magnetization in ocean floor volcanic rocks
• 11. The principal components of a mid-ocean ridge
• 12. How ocean lithosphere subducts beneath a continent
• 13. The major tectonic plates
• 14. How the continents have changed over the last 200 million years
• 15. Tectonic map of Southeast Asia
• 16. Seismic reflection profile of layers within the Earth's crust
• 17. Types of volcano
• 18. Eruption of Mount St Helens
• 19. Features of an erupting composite volcano
• 20. Distribution of major earthquakes in the past 30 years
• 21. Ground movement in the Izmit earthquake in Turkey
• 22. Kobe City, Japan, after an earthquake
• 23. San Andreas fault system, California
1. Dynamic planet
• The view from above
• If rocks could talk
• Other worlds
• Signs of life
• Magnetic bubble
• The fragile veil
• Circles and cycles
• Solar cycles
• Hot air
• Sudden freeze
• Global greenhouse
• Climate change
• Web of life
• The carbon cycle
• Almost an onion
• Lava lamps
• The rock cycle
2. Deep time
• Flood and uniformity
• Dating creation
• The geological column
• Extinctions, unconformities, and catastrophes
• Threat from space
• The menace within
• Chaos reigns
• Deeper time
• Dawn of life
• Birth of Earth
• A chip off the block
3. Deep Earth
• Digging deep
• Messengers from the deep
• Slow flow
• A planetary body scan
• A diamond window on the mantle
• A double boiler?
• Message in a diamond
• The base of the mantle
• Super plumes
• How the Earth melts
• Free-fall
• The core
• The inner core
• Magnetic dynamo
• Taking the Earth's temperature
• Spinning core
4. Under the sea
• Hidden world
• Where did the water come from?
• Salty seas
• The living ocean
• Ocean margins
• The ocean floor
• Landslides and tsunamis
• Sea level
• Drilling the seas
• Messages in the mud
• Life underground
• The longest mountain chain on Earth
• Magnetic stripes
• Boundary of creation
• Black smokers
• Wealth from the sea
• Pushes, pulls, and plumes
• Where oceans go to die
• What's left on land
• Lost oceans
5. Drifting continents
• Scum of the Earth
• Drifting continents
• The Earth is not flat
• Frames of reference
• The continental waltz
• Continental pile-up
• The rise of Tibet
• Monsoon
• Swiss roll
• Cratons
• Profile of a continent
• The rise of granite
• Riches in the earth
• The search for lost continents
• Eternity in a grain of sand
• Super-continents of the future
6. Volcanoes
• How rocks melt
• Hawaii
• Plinean eruptions
• Ring of fire
• Mount St Helens
• Blasts from the past
• Anatomy of a volcano
• Volcanoes and people
7. When the ground shakes
• Earthquake magnitudes
• The most famous crack in the world
• Measuring the movement
• Mid-plate quakes
• The mystery of deep earthquakes
• Awaiting the inevitable
• Designing for earthquakes
• When the ground turns to liquid
• Fire
• Saving lives
• Chance and chaos
• Traditional signs
• Playing the odds
• Real time warnings
Epilogue
Further reading
Index
Contents
Redfern M (2003) (04:08) Earth, The - A Very Short Introduction
List of illustrations
• 01. Planet Earth, as seen from Apollo 17
• 02. The Earth's magnetic envelope
• 03. The carbon cycle
• 04. 'Onion' layers in a radial section of Earth
• 05. The main divisions of geological time
• 06. Circulation in the Earth's mantle
• 07. Possible model for the generation of Earth's magnetic field
• 08. The ocean drilling ship JOIDES Resolution
• 09. The global system of ocean ridges
• 10. Stripes of magnetization in ocean floor volcanic rocks
• 11. The principal components of a mid-ocean ridge
• 12. How ocean lithosphere subducts beneath a continent
• 13. The major tectonic plates
• 14. How the continents have changed over the last 200 million years
• 15. Tectonic map of Southeast Asia
• 16. Seismic reflection profile of layers within the Earth's crust
• 17. Types of volcano
• 18. Eruption of Mount St Helens
• 19. Features of an erupting composite volcano
• 20. Distribution of major earthquakes in the past 30 years
• 21. Ground movement in the Izmit earthquake in Turkey
• 22. Kobe City, Japan, after an earthquake
• 23. San Andreas fault system, California
1. Dynamic planet
• The view from above
• If rocks could talk
• Other worlds
• Signs of life
• Magnetic bubble
• The fragile veil
• Circles and cycles
• Solar cycles
• Hot air
• Sudden freeze
• Global greenhouse
• Climate change
• Web of life
• The carbon cycle
• Almost an onion
• Lava lamps
• The rock cycle
2. Deep time
• Flood and uniformity
• Dating creation
• The geological column
• Extinctions, unconformities, and catastrophes
• Threat from space
• The menace within
• Chaos reigns
• Deeper time
• Dawn of life
• Birth of Earth
• A chip off the block
3. Deep Earth
• Digging deep
• Messengers from the deep
• Slow flow
• A planetary body scan
• A diamond window on the mantle
• A double boiler?
• Message in a diamond
• The base of the mantle
• Super plumes
• How the Earth melts
• Free-fall
• The core
• The inner core
• Magnetic dynamo
• Taking the Earth's temperature
• Spinning core
4. Under the sea
• Hidden world
• Where did the water come from?
• Salty seas
• The living ocean
• Ocean margins
• The ocean floor
• Landslides and tsunamis
• Sea level
• Drilling the seas
• Messages in the mud
• Life underground
• The longest mountain chain on Earth
• Magnetic stripes
• Boundary of creation
• Black smokers
• Wealth from the sea
• Pushes, pulls, and plumes
• Where oceans go to die
• What's left on land
• Lost oceans
5. Drifting continents
• Scum of the Earth
• Drifting continents
• The Earth is not flat
• Frames of reference
• The continental waltz
• Continental pile-up
• The rise of Tibet
• Monsoon
• Swiss roll
• Cratons
• Profile of a continent
• The rise of granite
• Riches in the earth
• The search for lost continents
• Eternity in a grain of sand
• Super-continents of the future
6. Volcanoes
• How rocks melt
• Hawaii
• Plinean eruptions
• Ring of fire
• Mount St Helens
• Blasts from the past
• Anatomy of a volcano
• Volcanoes and people
7. When the ground shakes
• Earthquake magnitudes
• The most famous crack in the world
• Measuring the movement
• Mid-plate quakes
• The mystery of deep earthquakes
• Awaiting the inevitable
• Designing for earthquakes
• When the ground turns to liquid
• Fire
• Saving lives
• Chance and chaos
• Traditional signs
• Playing the odds
• Real time warnings
Epilogue
Further reading
Index
August 12, 2013
I’ve been reading these very short introductions for years, and I am still really impressed with the quality of writing and the insights that these small books provide. This introduction to the planet Earth is no exception. It is a book largely dedicated to Earth’s geology, but it also covers many other aspects of what makes this planet of ours so unique. The book is written in an accessible and easy to follow style. Some of the earlier chapters are suitable even for the bright middle school pupils. I was always particularly interested in the whole subject of plate tectonics, and this book provides a very interesting coverage of that topic. Plate tectonics is far more important for the possibility of life on Earth than most people realize. If our planet were much hotter (like Venus) or colder (Mars) the plate tectonics would not be possible, and without it neither would the complex life of which we are one part.
This is a very readable and interesting book that will kindle – or rekindle – your interest in the big picture of our planet. Highly recommended.
This is a very readable and interesting book that will kindle – or rekindle – your interest in the big picture of our planet. Highly recommended.
November 12, 2009
While this book was as informative as the rest of the Very Short Introductions series, I found the organization got in the way of the information. The book was organized by subject rather than chronology (of discovery or development) which I found made it more difficult to connect geological events of different types occurring at the same time.
December 28, 2022
A solid entry in the Very Short Introductions series that does something that not all of its companions do. It provides a compact, well-organized, and easy-to-follow introduction to the subject on its cover (rather than a meta-summary of approaches to that subject), which in this case is basically the geology and geological history of our planet. Its author does claim at the beginning that his book is about "earth sciences", and he goes some way to fulfilling this promise by starting with a bit of planetary science and mentioning plankton and weather here and there, but basically this is a book about chunks of rock, from samples up to tectonic plates. The approach in the early chapers took me a while to get used to - Redfern chooses to start close (rocks on the surface/the Anthropocene) and work back/down to much further away (the planet's core/the Precambrian), presumably because we can be much more confident in what we know about the former than the latter - but it works well enough for a reader with about my level of expertise (reasonable general knowledge rather than total ignorance). The later chapters on volcanoes and earthquakes feel a bit like an afterthought, but they are about rocks, and the book had to end somewhere, I suppose!
December 21, 2021
Another cute little book about Oxford's series on A Very Short Introduction. I can visualize a documentary film as reading through the book.
Space:
- We can form a vivid understanding of the earth like an onion.
- The magnetic field of the earth protects us from the solar wind.
- The core of the earth is iron.
Time:
- 4.5 billion years
- Everything changes: continents, ocean, volcanos, species. Many eras are signaled by the extinction of famous species.
- With all the development history of the earth (沧海桑田), I feel the changes of human society to be very natural and nothing too surprised about. Learn about the changes and embrace it. Do not panic.
Future:
- Atlantic will grow, Pacific will shrink, Australia will move north, etc.
Space:
- We can form a vivid understanding of the earth like an onion.
- The magnetic field of the earth protects us from the solar wind.
- The core of the earth is iron.
Time:
- 4.5 billion years
- Everything changes: continents, ocean, volcanos, species. Many eras are signaled by the extinction of famous species.
- With all the development history of the earth (沧海桑田), I feel the changes of human society to be very natural and nothing too surprised about. Learn about the changes and embrace it. Do not panic.
Future:
- Atlantic will grow, Pacific will shrink, Australia will move north, etc.
May 23, 2021
The Earth
A Very Short Introduction #90
Martin Redfern
A good introduction to our loved blue earth pebble in the universe;
It covers a lot of basic information about it which serves as a true intro to its past, present, and future.
It is informative a bit scientific and short.
A good book of the series.
A Very Short Introduction #90
Martin Redfern
A good introduction to our loved blue earth pebble in the universe;
It covers a lot of basic information about it which serves as a true intro to its past, present, and future.
It is informative a bit scientific and short.
A good book of the series.
September 23, 2018
Und wieder eines der hervorragenden Bücher aus der Serie "Very Short Introductions". Trotz des begrenzten Umfangs schafft es der Autor, sowohl gut lesbar als auch fachlich korrekt und aktuell zu schreiben.
September 22, 2023
Świetna książka opisująca jak powstała nasza planeta, jakie mechanizmy działają na naszej planecie, to nie tylko książka o geologii, ale również jest w niej trochę astronomii, fizyki, chemii, antropologii. Naprawde bardzo dobra pozycja.
March 4, 2018
Quite interesting.
May 28, 2019
As I continue to try and understand the physical workings of the globe we inhabit, the "Very Short Introduction" series proves itself to be a helpful, if not oddly poetic, read once again.
June 27, 2020
If you want to start on the path of Earth sciences then this has to be one of the first books you read, if not the first
July 2, 2022
De Nederlandse versie heeft typfouten, en de taal is niet heel makkelijk.
July 28, 2014
Do you think you are free?
You may think you are free, but in reality, you are very far from it. In all likelihood, you are restricted to a small proportion of the two-dimensional surface of one tiny little ball flying madly through empty space. Even if you manage to get a tiny distance off the surface of this ball, or get to new parts of its surface, you will be most likely be in an even more inhibited space, not to mention relying on the hard work and ingenuity of many generations of your predecessors. Even on the parts you inhabit regularly, your behaviour is heavily regulated by the laws and customs of your culture and society. You are not free.
Fortunately, on this small and manically reckless ball, there are a few pleasures to keep you distracted. One of these pleasures is Martin Redfern's book, The Earth: A Very Short Introduction, in which he lays out in bitesize chunks - seven short chapters, each divided in to sections, some of which are only a paragraph long - the basics of the known and hypothesized facts of the science of the planet called Earth.
Of course, one of the most intriguing things to have emerged from the swirling rock of Earth is that many-faced, brutal and beautiful, thing, the human race. Redfern does not go into them much: he is a scientist, not a humanist*. But one of the fascinating things about geology is that it is able to give us clues as to why it is this planet, and not another, that is capable of giving rise to any sort of life, let alone intelligent life. It has a neat combination of a watery surface with a molten core. Its atmosphere is not too thin, not too thick. It surface floats around, but not too quickly. It is dynamic, without being disastrous.
And this is only the beginning of everything to be learned.
---------------------------------------------
*Astute readers of this review will hopefully notice that I am trying to reclaim the word humanist for its original meaning as 'a student of the humanities', rather than as a euphemism for 'atheist'. I can safely say that I have learnt next to nothing about Redfern's religious beliefs from reading this book.
You may think you are free, but in reality, you are very far from it. In all likelihood, you are restricted to a small proportion of the two-dimensional surface of one tiny little ball flying madly through empty space. Even if you manage to get a tiny distance off the surface of this ball, or get to new parts of its surface, you will be most likely be in an even more inhibited space, not to mention relying on the hard work and ingenuity of many generations of your predecessors. Even on the parts you inhabit regularly, your behaviour is heavily regulated by the laws and customs of your culture and society. You are not free.
Fortunately, on this small and manically reckless ball, there are a few pleasures to keep you distracted. One of these pleasures is Martin Redfern's book, The Earth: A Very Short Introduction, in which he lays out in bitesize chunks - seven short chapters, each divided in to sections, some of which are only a paragraph long - the basics of the known and hypothesized facts of the science of the planet called Earth.
Of course, one of the most intriguing things to have emerged from the swirling rock of Earth is that many-faced, brutal and beautiful, thing, the human race. Redfern does not go into them much: he is a scientist, not a humanist*. But one of the fascinating things about geology is that it is able to give us clues as to why it is this planet, and not another, that is capable of giving rise to any sort of life, let alone intelligent life. It has a neat combination of a watery surface with a molten core. Its atmosphere is not too thin, not too thick. It surface floats around, but not too quickly. It is dynamic, without being disastrous.
And this is only the beginning of everything to be learned.
---------------------------------------------
*Astute readers of this review will hopefully notice that I am trying to reclaim the word humanist for its original meaning as 'a student of the humanities', rather than as a euphemism for 'atheist'. I can safely say that I have learnt next to nothing about Redfern's religious beliefs from reading this book.
July 16, 2013
The book I read to research this post was The Earth A Very Short Introduction by Martin Redfern which is an excellent book which I bought from kindle. This book is of particular to anyone studying anything like geology, astronomy or earth sciences. A lot of geologists are looking at other planets and stars to see what processes originally created the Earth. It's thought there have been many impacts by comets and meteors in the past although mostly in the early history of the Earth. Many bigger comet impacts bigger than the one that probably wiped out most of the dinosaurs. The seas and rivers were probably formed from the ice in these comets. In the earliest history the Earth didn't have an atmosphere that would protect it from most impacts. The Ozone layer which repels most radiation is only 3 millimetres thick hence you can see why it is so fragile and susceptible to attack from the chemicals in aerosols. If you are studying something like rock formation you have to study all the Earth's cycles not just the geological ones either. One thing astronomers want to do is put at least 4 or 5 infra red telescopes in space which would be as Jupiter to avoid the infra red radiation of Earth. These telescopes would be several times the size of Hubble and would look for planets like Earth in other solar systems. A minimum of 4-5 telescopes would be needed to triangulate the location of these planets. They would look for the free oxygen signature on these planets and we know for oxygen to be stable on a planet there must be cycles similiar to Earth's and life.
August 26, 2016
In the main an interesting book and it gave me an insight into the complexity of the different relations on a macro level of what the earth is and how many factors interact. I think that the introduction was the most rewarding where Redfern sets the method of earth science and the attempt att looking at the earth as a system. I lost a little interest when it came to the more detailed descriptions about rock formation and so on. I think the grade reflect more on the interest of this particular reader for those type of things than on the quality of the book perhaps.
September 16, 2025
Very short indeed.
February 10, 2016
It's a very short introduction to the Earth.
April 24, 2016
Informative, scientific, short and non-fiction.
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