From the Earth's hyer-compressed core to the places where the planet's energy bursts through its fragile crust, Naked Earth provides readers with new understanding of ancient mysteries and the latest in geophysical hypothesis. "Top-notch science journalism."--Publishers Weekly, satrred review. First serial to Earth.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Geophysics is undergoing a "whole-earth revolution," with changes at Earth's molten core increasingly linked to what is going on at its surface. Vogel, a former editor for Discover, brings a weighty subject vibrantly to life in this exciting report. It is common knowledge that the continents once formed a giant landmass, called Pangaea, 180 million years ago, yet many readers will be unfamiliar with the Supercontinent Cycle?the belief, now shared by many geophysicists, that the Pangaean supercontinent was a recurrent, not a one-time, phenomenon. Furthermore, the existence of Pangaea seems to be stored like a memory in inner Earth's rocks and may be dictating where enormous floods of magma (molten rock) erupt. These eruptions in turn have been linked to the reversal of Earth's magnetic poles, a flip-flop that supposedly has occurred 300 times in the last 200 million years. Vogel evokes a dynamic underworld of powerful currents of liquid rock; colliding tectonic plates; fossil volcanoes that have spewed out natural diamonds; and 30-foot-tall mineral chimneys soaring above the Pacific Ocean floor, natural warm-water vents for dispersing heat from Earth's core. This is top-notch science journalism.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
The earth as portrayed by Vogel is a dynamic and fascinating entity. Beginning with the advent of plate tectonics theory in 1960, Vogel chronicles subsequent advances in geophysics. Her experience in writing about science for Discover magazine is obvious in her use of a minimum of scientific terminology and excellent analogies to illustrate what is now known about the earth and its interior workings. Science becomes an active endeavor when seen through this account of how scientists have learned what they know. Naked Earth would have been strengthened by inclusion of references for the key publications of the scientists mentioned in the text; quotations are attributed to the authors but sources are not provided. Despite this shortcoming, Vogel has done an admirable job of making a highly technical field accessible to most readers. Recommended for most collections.
Jeanne Davidson, Oregon State Univ., Corvallis
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Jeanne Davidson, Oregon State Univ., Corvallis
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An fascinating overview of the field of Geophysics,
By A Customer
This review is from: Naked Earth : The New Geophysics (Hardcover)
I knew virtually nothing about Geophysics before I read this book. Having just finished the last page just a few minutes ago, I can now say I know the basis for perhaps even an introductory course in Geophysics. From this book I learned that the Earth is a living "heat engine", carefully dispensing heat through "plumes", supercontinental rifting and shifting, volcanic eruptions, hydrothermal venting, and lots more really cool stuff happening below our feet. The Earth may also be considered a "dynamo", creating a magnetic field that reverses quite mysteriously every some million years. Vogel's comprehensive overview also makes the point that it is often not possible to attribute events or features to a single cause, that not only is the Earth itself a system of amazing interior, exterior and atmospheric exchanges, but it is also part of the larger system of space...! It's a fun and easy to read, well-informed, well-researched and objective survey of the field of Geophysics today. Journalism at its best. I thank Shawna Vogel for my new understanding of this planet and its mysterious and awesome workings.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lucid and readable update on the Earth,
This review is from: Naked Earth ~ The New Geophysics (Mass Market Paperback)
Reading Shawna Vogel's Naked Earth reawakened my interest in geophysics - it's a great read, and the best overview I've seen on both the huge changes in the field recently and the arguments that have occurred. My only criticism is that some diagrams would have helped a lot, but Vogel's writing is clear enough to carry the story.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
I liked this book a lot,
By A Customer
This review is from: Naked Earth : The New Geophysics (Hardcover)
As an explanation of geophysics Naked Earth succeeds. Ms. Vogel brings the history, theories, personalities, conflicts and politics of geophysical science in to focus. It allows those unfamiliar with the world of science to observe the give and take, the wars, the collaborations and the pure luck required in the advancement toward the truth. She shows how the merging of traditional geologic principals along with more recent theories and discoveries reveals a violent past and predicts a future of certain geologic and atmospheric upheaval. However, I must add that the last few pages of the final chapter Ms. Vogal reveals herself as a typical contemporary journalist. Ms. Vogel couldn't resist commenting on that theory that human activity could lead to climatic catastrophe due to global warming. I was enjoying the book immensely until she threw that one in. I know we've all become desensitized to blatant editorializing from the media, but in a book on geophysics? If you want an enjoyable read on geophysics in general and about some of the latest discoveries, theories and personalities in that field definitely read this book.
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