Rock physics encompasses practically all aspects of solid and fluid state physics. This book provides a unified presentation of the underlying physical principles of rock physics, covering elements of mineral physics, petrology and rock mechanics. After a short introduction on rocks and minerals, the subsequent chapters cover rock density, porosity, stress and strain relationships, permeability, poroelasticity, acoustics, conductivity, polarizability, magnetism, thermal properties and natural radioactivity. Each chapter includes problem sets and focus boxes with in-depth explanations of the physical and mathematical aspects of underlying processes. The book is also supplemented by online MATLAB exercises to help students apply their knowledge to numerically solve rock physics problems. Covering laboratory and field-based measurement methods, as well as theoretical models, this textbook is ideal for upper-level undergraduate and graduate courses in rock physics. It will also make a useful reference for researchers and professional scientists working in geoscience and petroleum engineering.

Explore Earth's natural treasures, from their primeval origins to traditional uses and modern-day appeal with this illustrated guide to rocks, minerals, crystals, gems and more! Featuring sparkling crystals, vibrant gemstones, and other precious materials often prized for their beauty, such as amber, coral, and fossils, this illustrated guide is sure to captivate every rockhound and budding gemmologist. Learn how to identify more than 450 rock and mineral specimens through beautiful photographs and key characteristics. Discover more about rocks and minerals through folklore and historical artefacts, and find out the fascinating stories behind some of the amazing natural treasures, including the Hope Diamond and the Great Mogul emerald. Plus there is information on polishing and displaying your finds to further equip you with all the knowledge needed to become a rock and mineral collector. Dive deep into this riveting book on rocks and minerals to further discover: - Comprehensive coverage of more than 450 specimens of rocks, minerals, crystals, gems and fossils. - Expert text and high-quality images combine to make this an indispensable reference tool for every rockhound and budding gemmologist. - Detailed reference panels provide key at-a-glance information for identifying specimens. - Feature panels on folklore, historical artefacts, and famous gems tell the fascinating stories of rocks and minerals. - Includes information on collecting and showing rocks and minerals Practical advice on cutting, polishing, and displaying your finds further equips you with all the knowledge needed to delve into the arena of rock and mineral collecting.

Dive into the fascinating world of coastal wildlife with this holiday pocket guide. Featuring 40 beautifully illustrated pebbles, shells, crabs, small sea creatures and more, discover more about life between the tides with The Little Guide to Shorelines. Each entry has been delicately illustrated by printmaker Tom Frost to capture its individual characteristics, and is accompanied by associated facts and fables. There is also an interactive spotter's guide at the back, where you can check off what you find. This informative, practical and beautiful guide is part of a new nature series designed to encourage creativity through exploring the outdoors. An activity for adults and children alike, enjoy The Little Guide to Shorelines on your next trip to the sea.

A profound meditation on climate change and the Anthropocene and an urgent search for the fossils-industrial, chemical, geological-that humans are leaving behind A Times Book of the Year * A Daily Telegraph Book of the Year What will the world look like ten thousand or ten million years from now? In Footprints, David Farrier explores what traces we will leave for the very deep future. From long-lived materials like plastic and nuclear waste, to the 50 million kilometres of roads spanning the planet, in modern times we have created numerous objects and landscapes with the potential to endure through deep time. Our carbon could linger in the atmosphere for 100,000 years, and the remains of our cities will still exist millions of years from now as a layer in the rock. These future fossils have the potential to tell remarkable stories about how we lived in the twenty-first century. Through literature, art, and science, Footprints invites us to think about how we will be remembered in the myths, stories, and languages of our distant descendants. Travelling from the Baltic Sea to the Great Barrier Reef, and from an ice core laboratory in Tasmania to Shanghai, one of the world's biggest cities, David Farrier tells a story of a world that is changing rapidly, and with long-term consequences. Footprints will not only alter how you think about the future, it will change how you see the world today.

For 150 million years, dinosaurs were the undisputed rulers of the Earth. Today, these great lizards still fire our imaginations. Dinosaurs profiles the creatures who lived during the great Age of Reptiles, the real-life giants and monsters such as the Tyrannosaurus Rex and Stegosaurus who once dominated our planet. Also featured are many of the prehistoric world's other most fearsome and awe-inspiring creatures, from huge birds of prey to ferocious sabre-toothed cats. The entries are grouped chronologically, with examples drawn mainly from the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods. Each dinosaur or other prehistoric creature is illustrated with a stunning, full-colour artwork. For easy reference, each entry also includes a table of information containing key data such as size, weight, diet, meaning of name, armour, hunting techniques and distribution of fossil remains. Engaging accessible text provides an introduction to each dinosaur's behaviour, habits and other key information.

Unearth a treasure trove of knowledge of over 130 gemstones from around the world. Learn how gemstones are formed and how to recognise them by their unique qualities and colours. A wonderful book for beginners, students, and gemstone-enthusiasts that includes the latest scientific research and gemstone classification. Gemstones is filled with all you need to know about these fascinating minerals - cut and uncut stones, organic gemstones, and precious metals. Inside you'll find: - Fast facts for quick reference, including chemical composition, hardness, gravity, lustre, and reflective value - Photo close-ups of key details and highlights of distinguishing features - Illustrations of faceting and shapes popular for each gemstone - A detailed introduction to everything a beginner gemologist needs to know including how gemstones form, the different properties, crystal shapes, faceting, and the history of gems Delve into the one-of-a-kind characteristics, colours, and attributes of more than 130 gemstones with this compact visual guide. For easy classification, each stone's entry includes annotated photographs to highlight distinguishing features and concise details about the attributes of gems. Designed for beginners and experienced collectors alike, this gemology book explores what gemstones are, how they are classified, and how to identify them by their physical and optical properties. It also shows you how they were fashioned and imitated throughout history. Learn the differences between varieties of cut and uncut stones, organic gemstones, and precious metals. It includes a glossary for many more technical and scientific terms and over 800 high-quality photos of gems. It's the ideal gift for any budding gemologist The DK Handbook series is an incredible collection of titles that fascinate curious minds. Other books include Rocks and Minerals, Dinosaurs, and Prehistoric Life, and Stars and Planets.

This is the story of plant life on Earth, uniquely retold through a remarkable record of spectacular fossils. Palaeobotanist Paul Kenrick explains the importance of each fossil and how it marks a crucial inflection point in plant evolution. Each discovery is illustrated with special photography featuring many original specimens from the Natural History Museum, London. Beginning with the origins of plant life in the sea, when photosynthesis first evolved in bacteria, Paul Kenrick traces the evolution of plants, through ancient forests and grasslands to familiar flowering plants. From petrified tree trunks to grains of pollen, the breadth of the geological record of plants is quite extraordinary and what emerges are forms that are at first puzzling yet frequently striking and beautiful. The story of each specimen is interwoven with impressions of the Earth's landscapes and environments at various periods of geological time, revealing the dynamic feedback between plants and animals as well as large-scale planetary processes.

Our understanding of the British Palaeolithic and Mesolithic has changed dramatically over the last three decades, and yet not since H. J. Fleure's A Natural History of Man in Britain (1951) has the New Naturalist Library included a volume focused on the study of early humans and their environment. In this long overdue new book, distinguished archaeologist Nick Ashton uncovers the most recent findings, following the remarkable survival and discovery of bones, stone tools and footprints which allow us to paint a picture of the first human visitors to this remote peninsula of north-west Europe. As part of the Ancient Human Occupation of Britain project and subsequent research, Ashton is involved in an unrivalled collaborative effort involving archaeologists, palaeontologists, and earth scientists at different British institutes, including the Natural History Museum and the British Museum. Using an interdisciplinary approach, the book explores the latest discoveries such as footprints at Happisburgh, Norfolk that are thought to be nearly one million years old, flint artefacts at Pakefield in Suffolk and mammoth remains at West Runton, among others. These remarkable remnants help our quest to unravel the interactions between the changing environments and their ancient human occupants, as well as their lifestyles and migrations. Early humans colonised our remote corner of the European mainland time and again, despite being faced with ice age climates with far-reaching consequences. Setting the scene on the Norfolk coast almost a million years ago, Ashton tells the story of the fauna, flora and developing geography of Britain against the backdrop of an ever-changing climate. Above all, he explores how early people began as brief visitors to this wild remote land, but over time through better ways of acquiring food and developing new technologies, they began to tame, shape and dominate the countryside we see today.

Unearth the treasures from the prehistoric world beneath your feet. From glittering ammonites to razor-sharp dinosaur claws and delicate leaf impressions, uncover our world's primeval past through the incredible fossils left behind. Arranged into plants and animals, there are profiles of 50 key fossils, including well-loved favourites, such as Triceratops, and more curious remains, such as fossil fish teeth. Learn all about how fossils form, where they are found, and how ancient animals are reconstructed. Filled with facts and containing recently discovered species, this book will help even the biggest fossil fans learn something new. Stunning photographs can be studied in detail, while pronunciation guides help with tricky names, and a visual index provides a quick overview of all the key species in the book. My Book of Fossils is an engrossing children's book about fossils and dinosaurs, and is sure to be a hit with fact-obsessed young enthusiasts of all things prehistoric.

The first field guide that allows amateur rock enthusiasts to identify basic rocks and rock formations in a systematic way Many of us are fascinated by rocks-but identifying them can seem daunting. It's often tricky even for geologists, who rely on experience, intuition, and in-depth familiarity with rock-forming components. Rocks and Rock Formations allows everyone, amateur or professional, to successfully distinguish these amazing masses of minerals, using only careful observation, a magnifying glass, a pocket knife-and a bit of patience. Jurg Meyer provides a structured approach to the identification of all rocks within the three groups: sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic. Bringing together more than 530 diagrams and photographs to illustrate essential characteristics, Meyer highlights some basics on rocks-their mineral constituents, structures, textures, fossils, weathering patterns, and more-which are important for a determination. The main part of the book is a handy and thorough identification key, which takes into account all possible rock variations, mixtures, and structural differences. The concluding section of the guide delves into rock systematics. Assuming little prior experience or knowledge, Rocks and Rock Formations is an invaluable resource for rock enthusiasts everywhere. Suitable for beginners and amateurs Helpful, systematic identification key Exploration of all types of rocks More than 530 diagrams and photographs

The mechanisms of magma movement, chemical differentiation and physical development, are derived from the geochemistry of igneous rocks, and from studying exposures of deep magmatic systems that have since solidified and been uplifted and exposed at the Earth's surface. The Ferrar Magmatic System of the McMurdo Dry Valleys in Antarctica provides an unparalleled example of a complete magmatic-volcanic system exposed in unprecedented detail. This book provides a unique and usual three-dimensional detailed examination of this system, providing insight into many magmatic processes normally unobservable, in particular how basaltic magma moves upwards through the crust, how it entrains, carries and deposits loads of crystals from great depths, and how this all contributes to Earth's evolution. Providing an explanation of how magmatic systems operate and how igneous rocks form, this is an invaluable resource ideal for researchers and graduate students in magma physics, igneous petrology, volcanology, and geochemistry.

The Mesozoic era ranged from 240 million to 65 million years ago. In British Mesozoic Fossils 365 species from this period are classified and illustrated with accurate line drawings. This new edition has been fully revised and updated by Dr Andrew Smith, Merit Researcher in the Natural History Museum's Palaeontology Department, reflecting advances in our understanding of the fossil record over the past years. The book's 147-page identification section features those fossil animal and plant species that are most commonly found in Britain, from abundant gastropod and bivalve molluscs to those groups, including ammonites and brachiopods, which are now extinct or relatively rare. Each of the species is illustrated with at least one drawing, which is accompanied by details of where it can be found. There is also a brief introduction to the subject, stratigraphical tables that show British Mesozoic rock formations, and a colour map of the distribution of Mesozoic strata.

The two most fascinating questions about extraterrestrial life are where it is found and what it is like. In particular, from our Earth-based vantage point, we are keen to know where the closest life to us is, and how similar it might be to life on our home planet. This book deals with both of these key issues. It considers possible homes for life, with a focus on Earth-like exoplanets. And it examines the possibility that life elsewhere might be similar to life here, due to the existence of parallel environments, which may result in Darwinian selection producing parallel trees of life between one planet and another. Understanding Life in the Universe provides an engaging and myth-busting overview for any reader interested in the existence and nature of extraterrestrial life, and the realistic possibility of discovering credible evidence for it in the near future.

This three-volume handbook provides reliable, comprehensive data on the properties of rocks, minerals, and other related materials. The format is largely tabular and graphical, designed for ease of use in comparisons and referencing. The chapters are contributed by recognized experts from leading university, industrial, and governmental scientific establishments.

If you want to know how we know what we know about dinosaurs, read this book! Steve Brusatte

Startling new fossil finds are the lifeblood of modern palaeobiology. Giant sauropod dinosaur skeletons from Patagonia, dinosaurs with feathers from China, and even a tiny dinosaur tail in Burmese amber complete down to every detail of its filament-like feathers, skin, bones and mummified tail muscles inspire awe in a global audience enthralled by the idea of these great creatures walking the earth. Dinosaurs are of perennial interest to all ages, as illustrated by the huge range of dino-themed films, books and live attractions, from the enduring popularity of the Jurassic Park franchise to the success of London s immersive Dinosaurs in the Wild experience.

In the past twenty years, dinosaur study has changed from natural history to testable science. New technologies have revealed secrets locked in the bones in a way nobody predicted we can now work out the colour of dinosaurs, their bite forces, speeds and parental care as well as how they came to die out.This groundbreaking book illustrates how science has replaced speculation and how our understanding of dinosaurs and their world hascompletely changed. The subject has never been so vigorous, has never changed so fast, and has never been so attractive to so many.

Charles Darwin's voyage on the HMS Beagle was a journey that would revolutionise our understanding of the natural world and our place in it. The magisterial work it spawned, On the Origin of Species, is widely associated with the flora and fauna of the Galapagos Islands. Less well known is Darwin's passion for geology and how his fossil discoveries in South America - by demonstrating the relationship between extinct lifeforms and living species - shaped his theory of evolution. This is the story of those fossil-hunting adventures in the 1830s, the pioneering science behind the fossils he found, and how these remarkable discoveries played a crucial role in forging Darwin's revolutionary ideas.

Compiled from decades of visiting beaches along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts collecting fossils and conducting extensive research, A Beachcomber's Guide to Fossils is the definitive guide for amateur collectors and professionals interested in learning more about the deep history they tread on during their vacations. Authored by Bob, Pam, and Ashby Gale, this guide offers over twelve hundred high-quality color photographs and detailed descriptions of more than three hundred fossil specimens found on beaches from Texas, east to Florida, and north to New Jersey. The book includes descriptions and identifying information for the fossil remains of mammals, reptiles, birds, and fish. Because the tides provide a new beach to explore every day, and beachcombers need immediate comparison for identification, the Beachcomber's Guide is essential for quick and easy reference. And while the seemingly infinite varieties of shark teeth form much of what beachcombers find on their sandy strolls, this guide also illuminates the fossilized remains of species that walked in a different world. From glyptodonts (a giant, prehistoric armadillo) and giant sloths to the intricately patterned remains of the ancestors of manta rays and pufferfish, this book not only teaches its readers not only what treasures to look for but how to look for them.

Coastwise examines the coastline of the British Isles as a dynamic environment and offers you an understandable explanation of how the coastline functions as a single entity. It is supported by hundreds of stunning photos and illustrations. It begins by exploring how the forces of nature combine to create its physical features (and continue to do so). This is a multifaceted story that involves ancient geology and powerful ocean forces. It then turns to the living nature of the coast, covering the unique plants, animals and other organisms whose interdependence keeps the coast alive and healthy. These amazing creatures are described and displayed in full colour. The third part of the book looks at how humans have interacted with the coast, using it for defence, commerce and leisure. It explores these aspects from the earliest times to the present day. The final section shows, for each coastal region, where the features discussed in the book can be observed and enjoyed, giving you a practical way of exploring the elements described in the book. All aspects of the coast are covered, making it essential reading - or a wonderful gift - for all those who spend time on Britain's coast. As Countryfile presenter, Tom Heap, says in his Foreword: "These pages are a practical love letter to Britain's waterfront and no seaside holiday home should be without them."

Inspired by the lapidaries of the ancient world, this book is a beautifully designed collection of true stories about sixty different stones that have influenced our shared history The earliest scientists ground and processed minerals in a centuries-long quest for a mythic stone that would prolong human life. Michelangelo climbed mountains in Tuscany searching for the sugar-white marble that would yield his sculptures. Catherine the Great wore the wealth of Russia stitched in gemstones onto the front of her bodices. Through the realms of art, myth, geology, philosophy and power, the story of humanity can be told through the minerals and materials that have allowed us to evolve and create. From the Taiwanese national treasure known as the Meat-Shaped Stone to Malta's prehistoric "fat lady" temples carved in globigerina limestone to the amethyst crystals still believed to have healing powers, Lapidarium is a jewel box of sixty far-flung stones and the stories that accompany them. Together, they explore how human culture has formed stone, and the roles stone has played in forming human culture.