Ancient Earth, Ancient Skies: The Age of Earth and its Cosmic Surroundings [Paperback]

G. Brent Dalrymple (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 8, 2004 | ISBN-10: 0804749337 | ISBN-13: 978-0804749336 | Edition: 1

How old is Earth? How old are the planets, the Moon, meteorites, stars, and the Universe itself? How do scientists know these things? If you’ve ever asked yourself some or all of these questions, then this book is for you.

Planet Earth and the other bodies of the Solar System are 4.5 billion years old. They reside in a galaxy (the Milky Way Galaxy) that is 12-14 billion years old, and are part of a universe that is 13-15 billion years old. G. Brent Dalrymple, a geologist and widely recognized expert on the age of Earth, reviews the evidence that has led scientists to these conclusions and describes the methods by which this evidence has been gathered.

The book is written in a highly accessible style, free of mathematics and complex graphs, and is intended for non-scientists who have an interest in the subject. People with scientific backgrounds who wish to have a thorough summary of the subject will also find the book useful.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“The book is a well-written and well-organized source for information about geochronology...”—The Leading Edge

“Ancient Earth, Ancient Skies is a much-needed contribution to scientific education....[Dalrymple] makes the search for earth’s age fun and interesting with his fast-paced style and superb integration of methodology and findings.”—National Center for Science Education Reports

From the Inside Flap

How old is Earth? How old are the planets, the Moon, meteorites, stars, and the Universe itself? How do scientists know these things? If you’ve ever asked yourself some or all of these questions, then this book is for you.
Planet Earth and the other bodies of the Solar System are 4.5 billion years old. They reside in a galaxy (the Milky Way Galaxy) that is 12-14 billion years old, and are part of a universe that is 13-15 billion years old. G. Brent Dalrymple, a geologist and widely recognized expert on the age of Earth, reviews the evidence that has led scientists to these conclusions and describes the methods by which this evidence has been gathered.
The book is written in a highly accessible style, free of mathematics and complex graphs, and is intended for non-scientists who have an interest in the subject. People with scientific backgrounds who wish to have a thorough summary of the subject will also find the book useful.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: Stanford University Press; 1 edition (June 8, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804749337
• ISBN-13: 978-0804749336
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #625,661 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #72 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Astronomy & Space Science > Comets, Meteors & Asteroids

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent explanation of radiometric dating and the implications for the age of the earth., August 24, 2009

By 

David C. Bossard "Challenger" (PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Ancient Earth, Ancient Skies: The Age of Earth and its Cosmic Surroundings (Paperback)

This book is a shorter, thoroughly revised update of his earlier book, The Age of the Earth, which has received a number of excellent reviews. It has a somewhat different focus, and is, I think the better for it -- although the earlier book has more technical details that the reader may find interesting. To a person who is relatively new to the area, I would suggest reading this first.

Ch. 4, "How Radiometric Dating Works" is excellent and readable. It explains how rock dating is done using multiple overlapping techniques. It describes the problem of intial contamination by daughter products, and what is done to address it. I appreciate this detail because the author anticipates the questions that an intelligent reader might ask. I find his answers well thought out.

The remainder of the book shows how these techniques apply to the dating of "Earth's Most Ancient Rocks" (Ch. 5), "Moon Rocks" (Ch. 6), "Meteorites" (Ch. 7), and to the "Formation History of Earth and Meteorites" (Ch. 9) and "Age of the Universe" (Ch. 10).

In my mind one of the most impressive applications of these dating methods is described in J. William Schopf Life's Origin: The Beginnings of Biological Evolution, in which the role of zircon crystals in lava flows is described. I found the immediacy of Schopf's treatment quite interesting, and would recommend his book as an excellent companion.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An accessible version of his main text book, May 14, 2011

By 

rossuk (London, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ancient Earth, Ancient Skies: The Age of Earth and its Cosmic Surroundings (Paperback)

This is an update to his earlier text book on The Age of the Earth published in 1991 and 474 pages. This book is shorter at 264 pages and a less technical synopsis of the main methods used to determine the age of the earth. It includes the age of the moon, meteorites, solar system and the age of the universe. There is a section on the nucleosynthesis of heavy elements in stars and supernovae. In short, this book is superb. Chapter headings are:

1. Sleuthing the Past
2. The Birth of the Universe, the Galaxy, the Solar System, and Earth
3. Early attempts.
4. Clocks in Rocks: How radiometric dating works.
5. Earth's most ancient rocks.
6. Moon Rocks: Samples from our nearest neighbor.
7. Meteorites: Ancient wanderers of the Solar System.
8. Lead isotopes: Hourglass of the Solar System.
9. The formation history of Earth and Meteorites: Sorting out the details.
10. The ages of the Universe, the Galaxy, and the Elements.
11. Summing up and looking ahead.

Plus. Recommended reading, references, glossary, and index.