The definitive guide to rocks and minerals, completely updated for the fifth edition, includes 385 color photographs showing rocks, minerals, and geologic formations. Hundreds of minerals are described, with details such as geographic formations. Hundreds of minerals are described, with details such as geographic distribution, physical properties, chemical composition, and crystalline structures.

The Grenville Province, covering much of upstate New York, southeastern Ontario, and southern Quebec, has been the source of many amazing mineral specimens. Its crystalline rocks are more than a billion years old, and unlike most mineralogical heritage sites, new discoveries are the rule rather than the exception.The province also contains deposits of commercially important minerals such as iron, zinc, talc, garnet, apatite, and mica. More than 400 photographs highlight specimens from the world-renowned collections of the Canadian Museum of Nature, the New York State Museum, and selected private collections. This pleasurable journey includes sections devoted to colorful gemstones and fluorescent minerals, and explains the mineralogical, geological, and historical significance of these minerals.

The Holy Cross Mountains of Poland yield an abundance of marine Devonian fossils that have been studied and described since the mid-nineteenth century. Reef-formers are a major part of the overall fauna, and the stromatoporoids and the rugose corals have already received full attention. This publication extends full descriptive cover to the third of the important reef-building groups, the tabulate corals.

Today, we know that a mammoth is an extinct type of elephant that was covered with long fur and lived in the north country during the ice ages. But how do you figure out what a mammoth is if you have no concept of extinction, ice ages, or fossils? Long after the last mammoth died and was no longer part of the human diet, it still played a role in human life. Cultures around the world interpreted the remains of mammoths through the lens of their own worldview and mythology. When the ancient Greeks saw deposits of giant fossils, they knew they had discovered the battle fields where the gods had vanquished the Titans. When the Chinese discovered buried ivory, they knew they had found dragons' teeth. But as the Age of Reason dawned, monsters and giants gave way to the scientific method. Yet the mystery of these mighty bones remained. How did Enlightenment thinkers overcome centuries of myth and misunderstanding to reconstruct an unknown animal? The journey to unravel that puzzle begins in the 1690s with the arrival of new type of ivory on the European market bearing the exotic name "mammoth." It ends during the Napoleonic Wars with the first recovery of a frozen mammoth. The path to figuring out the mammoth was traveled by merchants, diplomats, missionaries, cranky doctors, collectors of natural wonders, Swedish POWs, Peter the Great, Ben Franklin, the inventor of hot chocolate, and even one pirate. McKay brings together dozens of original documents and illustrations, some ignored for centuries, to show how this odd assortment of characters solved the mystery of the mammoth and, in doing so, created the science of paleontology.

Snowdonia has a great story to tell, of ancient oceans, mountains, volcanoes and climate change. The mountain landscape of Snowdonia is the result of everything that has happenend to it over geological time - the product of the ancient landscapes that went before it, fragments of which are preserved by rocks and landforms within the present landscape, providing clues of a forgotten past that can be read as you appreciate Snowdonia's wild beauty. The present landscape has also been shaped by the people that have worked the land and exploited its minerals.

More than 60 million members of the species "felis domesticus" - house cats - live in the United States alone. Welcomed into homes as part of the family and revered as gods by the ancient Egyptians, domestic cats are descendants of a proud lineage that includes the giant sabre-toothed tiger, the graceful cheetah of the African plains, and the powerful bobcat of the Americas.;Acclaimed artist Mauricio Anton and renowned paleontologist Alan Turner collaborate to produce the first book of its kind - a fascinating natural history linking extinct larger feline species with those still living, including lions, tigers, cougars and cheetahs. Using superb illustrations and photos to supplement lucidly written text, "The Big Cats and Their Fossil Relatives" chronicles 25 million years of evolution, revealing the common ancestry of today's familiar big cats.;In addition to a compelling account of the evolution and anatomy of big cats past and present, "The Big Cats and Their Fossil Relatives" also explores the behaviour of these magnificent creatures. Living species and fossil remains make possible the reconstruction of the cats' social and predatory behaviour, supplementing the reader's unde

Gems are objects of wealth, icons of beauty, and emblems of the very best of everything. They are kept as signs of prestige or power. Given as tokens of love and affection, they also come in a kaleidoscopic array of hues and can be either mineral or organic. Gems can command a person's gaze in the way they play with light and express rich color. And they can evoke feelings of passion, greed, mystery, and warmth.
For millennia, gems have played an important role in human culture: they have significant value, both financially and within folklore and mythology. But just what "are" gems, exactly? This lavishly illustrated volume--the most ambitious publication of its kind--provides a general introduction to gems and natural gemstones, conveying their timeless beauty and exploring similarities among different species and varieties. "Gems and Gemstones "features nearly 300 color images of the cut gems, precious and semiprecious stones, gem-quality mineral specimens, and fine jewelry to be unveiled in a new Grainger Hall of Gems at The Field Museum in Chicago this October. The book and exhibition's overarching theme will be the relationship between finished gems and their natural origin: while beautiful as faceted and polished pieces of jewelry, gems are often just as lovely--or even more so--as gemstones in their natural state. For example, an aquamarine or emerald as originally found in a mine with its natural crystal faces can be as stunning as any cut and polished gem prepared for a ring, bracelet, or charm.
Thoughtful of both ancient and modern times, "Gems and Gemstones" also includes fun-filled facts and anecdotes that broaden the historical portrait of each specimen. When Harry Winston, for instance, donated the Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian in 1958, he sent it through the U.S. mail wrapped in plain brown paper. And for anyone who has ever marveled at the innovations of top jewelry designers, "Gems and Gemstones" features a dazzling array of polished stones, gold objects, and creations from around the world. Diamonds, sapphires, rubies, amethysts, pearls, topaz, amber--every major gem gets its due in what will be an invaluable source on the subject for years to come.
"Gems and Gemstones" is the basis for the iPad app, available in the Apple iTunes App Store, "Gems and Jewels."

A richly illustrated collection of musings about fossils and fossil collecting from the author of "Fossil Collecting in the Mid-Atlantic States" (Johns Hopkins University Press), "Fossil Beach" (Pietas), "Virginia Through Time" (Pietas), "Exploring Fossils" (Virginia Museum of Natural History, 1998), "Trilobites: Common Trilobites of North America" (NatureGuide Books, 1999), and the illustrator of "Discovering Fossils" by Frank A. Garcia and Donald S. Miller (Stackpole Books, 1998). "Fossil Dreams" includes numerous black and white drawings and photographs of fossils to illustrate the author's anecdotes and reflections about fossils, fossil collecting, and time.

How do planetary scientists analyze and interpret data from laboratory, telescopic, and spacecraft observations of planetary surfaces? What elements, minerals, and volatiles are found on the surfaces of our Solar System's planets, moons, asteroids, and comets? This comprehensive volume answers these topical questions by providing an overview of the theory and techniques of remote compositional analysis of planetary surfaces. Bringing together eminent researchers in Solar System exploration, it describes state-of-the-art results from spectroscopic, mineralogical, and geochemical techniques used to analyze the surfaces of planets, moons, and small bodies. The book introduces the methodology and theoretical background of each technique, and presents the latest advances in space exploration, telescopic and laboratory instrumentation, and major new work in theoretical studies. This engaging volume provides a comprehensive reference on planetary surface composition and mineralogy for advanced students, researchers, and professional scientists.

Clays and clay minerals are the most abundant natural reactive solids on the Earth's surface. This comprehensive review considers clay science in the context of the Critical Zone - the Earth's permeable near-surface layer. Providing information on clays and clay minerals related to geological, biological and material sciences in the Critical Zone, it's well suited for graduate students and researchers interested in clay science, and environmental and soil mineralogy. The book starts with an introduction to clays and clay minerals, their historic background, and a review of how clay science impacts the Critical Zone. Examples and applications demonstrate how clays regulate habitats and determine the availability of other resources. These examples are supported by quantitative field data, including numerical and graphical depictions of clay and clay mineral occurrences. The book concludes by covering Critical Zone clay geochemistry and clay sequences, including the industrial, synthetic medical and extra-terrestrial world of clay science.

Everywhere in Yorkshire are clues to vanished worlds in the rocks, fossils and landforms. This accessible, well-illustrated book is a beautiful guide to the geology.

Step-by-step Q&As with detailed colour photographs for easy identification. The Firefly Guide to Minerals, Rocks & Gems is designed for easy and reliable identification of minerals, gems and rocks. Beginning with the stone's colour and any streak, and using a sequence of straightforward questions and answers - aided by 1,300 photographs and drawings - it's easy to narrow down the possibilities among 350 minerals, gems and rocks to the conclusive classification. The book organizes the rocks by colour: Blue, Red, Yellow, Brown, Green, Black, and White. Identification begins with noting the colour of the rock's streak (i.e., vein, line). Identification is then further narrowed down with respect to Colour, Crystal form, Hardness, Lustre, Density, Cleavage, Break and Tenacity. Each rock's main photograph shows the general or typical view, and identification tips about features are noted in the margins of the respective page. Similar stones are presented for comparison and tips are provided that can eliminate imposters. Drawings show the mineral's crystal shape. The chemical formula reveals the elements from which the mineral is composed. There is also information about where the stone is typically found and some of the ways that humans have utilized it. Packed with beautiful photographs of earth's many rocks, minerals and gems, The Firefly Guide to Minerals, Rocks & Gems is perfect for amateur mineralogists and collectors.

This valuable book provides information on fossils, fossil collecting, and price ranges for most specimens illustrated. The comprehensive text begins with the earliest fossil record of life from strata representative of "deep time," called the Precambrian by geologists. Foremost in this early record of life are stromatolites, structures formed by very primitive photosynthetic life forms. Attractive, color photographs illustrate this highly informative section of the book. Also discussed and illustrated are various problematic fossil-like objects found in very ancient rock strata and the different ways in which they have been interpreted. Paleontological puzzles, such as latest Precambrian vendozoans, are covered as well. Other chapters feature fossils of the Cambrian Period, when animal life became obvious. Fascinating color photographs show trilobites (prehistoric creatures second only to dinosaurs in popularity), plus other Cambrian fossils. Includes helpful glossary of terms.

The unique fossils featured in Caves of the Ape-Men were excavated at cave-sites which today are clustered within the first World Heritage Site to be proclaimed in South Africa under the auspices of UNESCO. This title includes excellent visuals of the area, a brief account of its history, and an accessible assessment of its importance for understanding the emergence of hominids – the early creatures transitional between the great apes and man – and, later, some of the earliest representatives of our own species. The publication is based on short text boxes interspersed with illustrations of key fossil specimens as old as four million years. Also included are reconstructions of how these hominids might have appeared and the dramatic landscapes within which they were discovered. Three scientific books on different aspects of the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site have appeared recently. As Sterkfontein is the richest single fossil hominid site in the world it deserves to be promoted as one of the foremost tourist attractions in Africa, along with half a dozen other local sites also immensely rich in fossil specimens. Together, these sites proclaim South Africa as one of the key areas which saw the emergence of human ancestors in the distant past. The Cradle of Humankind clearly meets the criterion of an internationally acclaimed destination to which justice should be accorded in a volume, containing high quality visuals while at the same time informing the visitor and providing an accurate account, which will be treasured forever.

Our lives are pretty stressful, from the mountains of work emails to the never-ending life admin, finding time to see friends and family whilst still getting in those gym workouts, and why does everyone on Instagram have all this figured out. Working with crystals is a way to slow that frenetic world down, realign your intentions and find the inner calm we all seek. Some say that crystals are magic, but they're more than just magic. They have the power to reveal your truest self, the version of you that's been waiting to be seen and acknowledged. The Crystal Code explains how to the harness the power of these awesome rocks, introducing us to seventy stones and their unique personalities. It will show you how to find the perfect crystals to empower and energize you and will teach you some easy rituals, meditations and crystallized self-care routines. Whether it's peacock ore to give you more confidence on that nerve-racking first date, white celestite to conquer anxiety or purple amethyst to you help you feel centred, this is the ultimate guide to regaining control of your life and to feeling happier, healthier and more grounded.

Mineral collecting by amateur “rockhounds” has never been more popular. Old quarries, road cuts, and exposed landscapes are being examined by new generations of minerals enthusiasts. Each needs a comprehensive guidebook with clear photographs and accurate data. This is it. In a thick but handy format, more than 700 different minerals and rocks are grouped by colour (for ease of location in the book) — blue, red, yellow, brown, green, white and black crystals; brown and grey sedimentary rocks; and meteorites for anyone lucky enough to find one. Each has a picture – four to a page—opposite detailed but clear data: Chemical formula; Hardness; Colour; Density; Lustre; Cleavage; Fracture; Tenacity; Crystal form; Similar minerals and where they are likely to occur. And many will have a diagram of its crystal form—up to four, for fluorite, for example. The Minerals Encyclopedia is unusual for the number of minerals it covers: more than 700 in 444 pages, with a useful glossary, an introduction to mineral collecting, and printed front and back flaps that offer quick reference in the field, and a measuring rule on the back cover. This is a superior reference for rockhounds, geology students and outdoors people with an interest in what’s under their feet.

After water and air, sand is the natural resource that we consume more than any other-even more than oil. Every concrete building and paved road on Earth, every computer screen and silicon chip, is made from sand. From Egypt's pyramids to the Hubble telescope, from the world's tallest skyscraper to the sidewalk below it, from Chartres' stained-glass windows to your iPhone, sand shelters us, empowers us, engages us, and inspires us. It's the ingredient that makes possible our cities, our science, our lives-and our future. And, incredibly, we're running out of it. The World in a Grain is the compelling true story of the hugely important and diminishing natural resource that grows more essential every day, and of the people who mine it, sell it, build with it-and sometimes, even kill for it. It's also a provocative examination of the serious human and environmental costs incurred by our dependence on sand, which has received little public attention. Not all sand is created equal- Some of the easiest sand to get to is the least useful. Award-winning journalist Vince Beiser delves deep into this world, taking readers on a journey across the globe, from the United States to remote corners of India, China, and Dubai to explain why sand is so crucial to modern life. Along the way, readers encounter world-changing innovators, island-building entrepreneurs, desert fighters, and murderous sand pirates. The result is an entertaining and eye-opening work, one that is both unexpected and involving, rippling with fascinating detail and filled with surprising characters.

A comprehensive pocket guide to dinosaurs and prehistoric animals and the world they inhabited millions of years ago. Packed with more than 700 full-colour illustrations, this definitive pocket guide paints a vivid portrait of extraordinary dinosaurs and prehistoric animals, and the ecosystems they lived in millions of years ago. Journey back in time and discover the incredible lives and habitats of dinosaurs, pterosaurs, marine reptiles, and prehistoric beasts. This fascinating guide explores every era of prehistoric life, from the Precambrian and Palaeozoic eras, when animals first began evolving to the Jurassic and Mesozoic era, which first saw the flourishing and then the eventual extinction of the dinosaurs. Learn more about prehistoric animals and the world they inhabited millions of years ago through detailed profiles of 200 dinosaurs and other ancestors of modern animals. These profiles are jargon-free and based on the latest science. This dinosaur encyclopedia is filled with crystal-clear artwork and photographs, fossils, and replica models showing the unique features of the different species. A Visual Guide to 200 Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals Part of the relaunched series of the popular DK Handbooks, this fact-filled book features a refreshed design and updated content. Packed with jaw-dropping images, fascinating dinosaur facts and straight-forward explanations, it's the perfect gift for budding palaeontologists of all ages or geology students. Inside the pages of this dinosaur encyclopedia from DK Books, you'll discover: - Maps indicating the location of where each animal's fossils have been found - Illustrations detailing the size of each animal in comparison to humans - Detailed, jargon-free profiles of 200 species with fun facts for quick reference