Geologie für Dummies

by Alecia M. Spooner

Eiszeiten, Vulkanismus, Erosion, Meteoriteneinschläge - unser Planet hat in seiner Geschichte schon einiges mitgemacht. Und so vielgestaltig die Erde aussieht, so umfangreich und komplex ist auch das Thema Geologie. Aber keine Sorge, Alecia Spooner erklärt Ihnen leicht verständlich alles Wichtige, was es zum Thema Geologie zu wissen gibt: von den chemischen Grundlagen und der Bedeutung von Wind und Wasser für die Geowissenschaften bis zur Bildung und Bestimmung von Gesteinen. Sie erfahren alles Wissenswerte zu Konvektion, Plattentektonik, Mineralien, Fossilien, Erdbeben, Oberflächenprozessen, den geologischen Zeitaltern und vieles mehr.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Geology, Reference, Earth Sciences, Unfinished, Geography

432 pages, Paperback

First published June 20, 2011

Reviews

[Carmen Tracey · Rating 3 out of 5]

About what you would expect from a Dummies series book.

Pros:
- Clear, accessible style
- Well-researched and accurate
- Fairly comprehensive
- Built on previous knowledge throughout, allowing for step-by-step learning and enhanced comprehension of more complex topics as the text progessed

Cons:
- Sections on evolution, extinction, and various prehistoric organisms were unnecessarily long, felt padded, and were not related back to geology in a meaningful way
- Lacking some information on formation of certain land features such as plateaus, hills, lakes, etc.
- Electronic version did not contain full-color photography section, referred to in the text throughout, which was disappointing

Definitely a good primer if you're looking for an introduction on the topic, but I would feel free to skip sections of the book that are not relevant to your area of study.

[Jana · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a nice summary of geology for someone who really had no background in the subject.

[LM Swearingen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for research purposes. Easy to understand without having a science background

[Francine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written and enjoyable. Have always been fascinated by those streaks and striations, mountains and caves. Will soon be moving to Pangaea. Madagascar III examples Continental drift. Geology is everywhere!

[Michael L Hutchinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit dry.... lol. Too much about evolution, plants, fungi and "climate change." Not enough about minerals and rocks that would have to do with mining. But some good basics, thus for "dummies." Was interesting though to read something modern about the scientific method and current theories about the earth and its history. Some has changed since I first learned about metamorphic rock back in 3rd grade. Looking forward to reading: Mineral Exploration and Mining Essentials!

[Haroun04 · Rating 3 out of 5]

a really good introduction to geology, i didnt care much for geology before... so this book gave me a good idea about its basic concepts (specially plate tectonics theory).

what i did not like:

- the book could have used more illustrations and specially examples of real life.

- sometimes i felt the author went into too much details...

[Victoria Peters · Rating 4 out of 5]

I surprised myself by how much I enjoyed reading this book. Each day I read one chapter. I discovered I remember a lot more about chemistry (There was a chapter on the basics of chemistry.) and geology then I thought I knew. I found this a good way to begin building a geological understanding and vocabulary about places that I visit.

[Chris Jaffe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I went on a big road trip this summer out west & was especially impressed with various rock formations I saw (the Badlands, Devil's Tower, Big Horn Mountains, Grand Tetons, etc). So I thought I'd look into geology to see if my interest in the beauty of the rocks carried over.

Nah. It didn't. Not very much.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fine refresher on basic geology. Good to review before I dive into the more advanced and detailed working of the earth of which I am interested in. Recommend to anyone who wants a basic introduction or, like me, a refresher.

[earthshattering · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good overview of geological topics. I now feel that I have a solid enough foundation to do some exploration into different facets of geology, and a better context for learning about recent geological studies. I am most interested in the Cambrian explosion of life and the Paleozoic era, these both seem like interesting times in Earth's history. The book is very readable.

[John Jannuzzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good exploratory text of many aspects of geology. Interesting and simple explanations. It was a great refresher to my college geology class eons ago. It will be a good reference to keep on hand.

[Theri Rowen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This will help you pass geology with flying colors. They have great study tips

[Carl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Teaching Company DVD "How the Earth Works" was great. Used this book as back-up. It's very good, clear, and to the point

[Boone Bolinder · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really long sections about topics that were not related back to the topic of geology. Clear and concise in spots, but otherwise felt about 100 pages longer than was necessary.

[Note · Rating 1 out of 5]

Called me a dummy am very smart

[Bikerider99 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding introduction to the topic and as a reference book.

[Jun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very comprehensive and interesting book with everything you'd want to know about geology.
Excellent stuff!

[Christian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good Explanation for basic Geology, the chapter can be read independently, so skipping parts is vailable. The Pictures and graphs were also very good and easy to understand. In case you don't know much (or anything) about Geology but want to, this is a good start!

[David Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book I read to research this post was Geology For Dummies by Alecia M Spooner which is an excellent book which I bought from kindle. I learned quite a lot from this book which might be surprising because some years ago I did the first year of an A level course. It tells you all about the history of the Earth how it was formed and also the different phases of life and how this is ongoing. Oceanic crust which is the rock layer that separates the oceans from the next layer the magma, is only 5 miles thick. Continental crust and also the mountainous form is much thicker at upto 43.5 miles for the latter type. At one time there was one supercontinent initially called Rodentia which was then added to and eventually became Pangeae. This then split in 2 and the north part became Laurentasia & the southern part became Gondwona. Gradually this fragmented and interestingly at one stage India was a separate landmass. Of course as India collided with Asia the Hymalayas were formed. The study of these plates of rock that float on magma and move about causing volcanoes and earthquakes is called Plate Tectonics. Earthquakes are measured on the Richter scale named after Charles Richter who devised it and each time a whole number is increased it means the earthquake is increased by a factor of 10. Hence a category 2 earthquake is 10 times greater than a category 3 one and a hundred times greater than a category 4 one. In the Ice Ages there were many large mammals even including giant marsupials and the reason was they are more efficient at staying warm much like the polar bears we have in the arctic nowadays.

[Cade · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first Dummies book I've read, and I liked it more than I expected. The content is educational and the style is matter-of-fact. It really does try to cover something approaching the full scope of geology including mineral types, rock types, processes in the rock cycle, transport and deposition of sediments, plate tectonics, and even paleontology. Because the scope was so broad, the depth was intrinsically relatively shallow. There were several subjects I was not very interested in (e.g. I've already read much more deeply in paleontology and wasn't looking for a high level primer as provided in this book), and there were other subjects where this book presents the "what" but left me wishing to better understand the "why."

The main thing I wanted to get out of this book was a better understanding of the classification of minerals and rocks. Unfortunately, this subject is complex, so I still don't understand it very well. However, this book did at least help me understand why I find it so confusing. The scheme used to classify rocks is not exactly consistent or systematic. Some rock types refer to mineral content, some to particle sizes, some to formation type, and some even to location (e.g. above or below the surface). Therefore, you can't just line up all rocks along some spectrum and classify them by one particular characteristic.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not know much about geology before I read geology for dummies. I thought geology might be dry and boring to read about. I thought oh, its all about rocks. I was wrong. There is so much that is interesting about geology.

Geology talks about the layers earth's core, mantle and crust. It also talks about the ways that rocks and glaciers are formed. I am trying to think about what else I liked about the book. Its been awhile since I have read it. Oh, it also talked about the 3 different kinds of volcano's and much more. I think it even talks a little about astrogeology.

From Geology for dummies I learned that geology is not a dry boring subject. I also learned that Geology is not only about rocks.

If you are interested in learning more about geology I think you will find Geology for dummies will be worth reading.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

No pictures, too long.

No pictures, no color drawing, graphs. Not enough explanations in plain, non-technical, language. Good introductory summary in first chapter. Not a fascinating presentation.

[Bre Mckae · Rating 4 out of 5]

RESEARCH!I read this book for writing research! I do enjoy these “for dummies” books for a general overview on topics to help you find a basic starting point for further research in whatever area you need.

[Delilah Trenaman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was very informative and easy to understand.

[Mikel Rhodes · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book.

A very interesting & informative book that should be mandatory reading for our children & uninformed adults. I highly recommend for anyone searching for knowledge.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

After I thought I could study Anatomy in college but realized that was a fluke, Geology was the next subject of my fancy. Also, not my style but I learned a lot. 3 stars.

[KarenO · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent intro to the subject.

[Kristin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted an overview that would explain how to identify rocks and minerals. This was more than I was bargaining for. It read like Cliff notes.

[Isabelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

comprehensive

[Katherine]

Not rating because I didn't finish this book. I found it boring.