Resources of the Earth: Origin, Use, and Environmental Impact (3rd Edition) [Hardcover]

James R. Craig (Author), David J. Vaughan (Author), Brian J. Skinner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 8, 2001 | ISBN-10: 0130834106 | ISBN-13: 978-0130834102 | Edition: 3

Extensively illustrated, balanced, broad–based, and up–to–date, this book explores the nature and critical issues of all major types of earth resources--energy, metallic, nonmetallic, water, soil--and the impacts that resource usage has on the earth environment. It provides geologic background of resource formation and occurrence of most of the various types of resources; offers an international perspective; discusses resources not only from the scientific point of view, but also from the point of economic, political, historical considerations; and considers how the extraction and use of the resources creates impacts--local or global, immediate or delayed, visible or invisible, singular or cumulative. Minerals: The Foundations of Society. Plate Tectonics and The Origins of Mineral Resources. Earth's Resources Through History. Environmental Impacts of Resource Exploitation and Use. Energy from Fossil Fuels. Nuclear Power and Alternative Energy Sources. Abundant Metals. The Geochemically Scare Metals. Fertilizer and Chemical Minerals. Building Materials and Other Industrial Minerals. Water Resources. Soil as a Resource. Future Resources. For anyone interested in earth resources.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

A balanced, broad–based, up–to–date presentation of the occurrence, availability, and usage of Earth's mineral resources. Completely updated and expanded, this revision includes greater emphasis on the environment. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

From the Back Cover

Key Benefit: This balanced, broad–based, up–to–date presentation of the occurrence, availability, and usage of Earth's mineral resources does not require extensive scientific background. Key Topics: Completely updated and expanded, this revision includes greater emphasis on the environment including coverage of all important types of resources (energy, metallic, nonmetallic, water, soil). Discusses the environmental impact of resource exploitation and usage. Contains "special interest boxes" on acid rain, the dust bowl, synthetic diamonds, etc. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 520 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 3 edition (January 8, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0130834106
• ISBN-13: 978-0130834102
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #718,203 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Readable text- odd images, October 28, 2006

By 

ArchiFitz (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Resources of the Earth: Origin, Use, and Environmental Impact (3rd Edition) (Hardcover)

I enjoyed reading about natural resources in this textbook format, and have gone back to re-read chapters repeatedly. I found this text's approach much more enjoyable and enlightening than my prep school or college geology studies. However, the page layout of the images seemed amateurish:some photographs images were distored to fit the page.

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything practical you should know, February 11, 2011

By 

ashley - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Resources of the Earth: Origin, Use, and Environmental Impact (3rd Edition) (Hardcover)

This book is great. It covers things that are often considered more "applied" or practical" and are often left out of college curriculum. I remember diagrams of nuclear power plants, examples of types of mining, discussion of landfills, and all that sort of real-world stuff. All of this is backed up with actual science/theory too. This was the most rewarding textbook I read in college. Interesting enough to just read for no reason.