Earth Science and the Environment [Paperback]

Graham R. Thompson (Author), Jonathan Turk (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 18, 1998 | ISBN-10: 0030060486 | ISBN-13: 978-0030060489 | Edition: 2

This text fulfills a science requirement for non-majors and students who plan to teach in elementary or high schools. Offering a uniquely strong emphasis on earth systems and an increased emphasis on environmental topics, EARTH SCIENCE AND THE ENVIRONMENT, Second Edition stands out among other earth science books. Discussion of how the solid earth, the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, and living organisms interact, as well as the effects of these interactions, is presented throughout the text. This approach, supported with numerous discussions of modern research, makes the book up-to-date and relevant to students. This text provides a rich overview of all Earth-related disciplines, including geology, geography, oceanography, meteorology, and astronomy. EARTH SCIENCE AND THE ENVIRONMENT gives students a sense of how the Earth functions as a system and how the various spheres interact.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Gray Thompson is Professor of Geology at The University of Montana, where he teaches Introductory Geology, Mineralogy, Summer Field Mapping, and graduate courses in Clay Mineralogy and Shale Petrology. He has published more than twenty research papers in international journals, mostly co-authored with his students. He is also a mountaineer and professional guide with first ascents, many with Jon Turk, of peaks and routes in the Rocky authored Mountains, Alaska, the Yukon, Baffin Island, the Alps, the Karakoram, and the Himalayas. He has many articles published in international climbing magazines and journals, and has been the subject of other articles in these publications. Many of the photographs in this text were taken by Thompson and Turk on their climbing trips and expeditions over the past 15 years.

Product Details

• Paperback: 672 pages
• Publisher: Brooks Cole; 2 edition (August 18, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0030060486
• ISBN-13: 978-0030060489
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #910,278 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An OK textbook, but oddly organized., October 17, 2007

By 

J. Piatek (Connecticut, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Earth Science and the Environment (with CengageNOW Printed Access Card) (Hardcover)

As far as geology textbooks go, this one is pretty middle of the road. Most topics are covered in a reasonable amount of detail for an introductory class, but not too much. Many of the concepts are "re-presented" in later chapters as needed (the interior of the earth, for example), but in varying amounts of detail depending on the topic (so the interior of the Earth is described is less detail in the discussion of the geosphere and in more detail in the earthquakes chapter).

My problem is mostly with the organization: I find that many of the topics are not covered in the chapters I would expect (for example: hotspot volcano "traces" appear not in the plate tectonics chapter, but in the volcanoes and deep sea chapters instead). I don't really follow the logical flow of the text, and it's made teaching a course with the book much more difficult. I don't plan to use this particular textbook again.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Earth Science Teacher reviews a Good Book, May 9, 2000

By 

Rena Faye S. Norby - See all my reviews

This review is from: Earth Science and the Environment (Paperback)

I have used this book once for a course I teach for K-8 pre-service teachers called: Earth Science for Teachers. It is only 1 hour so I can't use all the content in the book, but, it is an excellent content reference for people who are expected to know and teach more and more content every year. Read this book for your own fun, or, use it as a reader friendly resource with excellent pictures and friendly assignments.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Earth Science, June 29, 2009

By 

dakwems (pittsburgh) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Earth Science and the Environment (with CengageNOW Printed Access Card) (Hardcover)

This textbook is very colorful, the graphics, pictures, and charts are easy to follow, and the text explains the subject well.