Earth: An Introduction to Physical Geology (Textbook Binding)

~ Edward J. Tarbuck (Author), Frederick K. Lutgens (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Provides the most interactive learning experience you can have without a personal tutor. Features animations, interactive activities (including labeling diagrams, locating earthquake epicenters, identifying rocks & minerals), & enhanced text art to reinforce key geologic concepts. Brings difficult-to-visualize geologic processes to life. Paper. CD-ROM included. DLC: Physical geology.

From the Publisher

Acclaimed through four previous editions, Earth: An Introduction to Physical Geology, Fifth Edition presents a timely, informative, and accessible survey of the basic topics of physical geology. Clearly written in straightforward, non-technical language, this text will be easily understood by students with little or no college-level science experience. The text provides a sense of the observational techniques and reasoning processes, which foster a basic understanding of physical geology. A cornerstone of Earth has been its exceptional art program. The Fifth Edition includes a thoroughly revised, expanded, and dynamic selection of high quality color photographs and line art, including more than 200 new or redrawn illustrations by Dennis Tasa and Tasa Graphics, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Textbook Binding: 638 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 6th edition (July 30, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0139741224
• ISBN-13: 978-0139741227
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 8.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #840,054 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An outstanding introductory textbook in physical geology, May 22, 2000

By	Mark Brandriss (Northampton, Massachusetts, USA) - See all my reviews

Despite the proliferation of introductory physical geology textbooks in recent years, none have surpassed the quality of Tarbuck and Lutgens' "Earth". The text is accurate, up-to-date, well-organized, and exceptionally lucid. The writing flows nicely and presents complex topics and ideas in a way that is easy for non-scientists to understand, while at the same time resisting the trend toward "dumbing-down" that has recently affected many introductory textbooks in Earth sciences. The book is also illustrated wonderfully with diagrams that are effectively designed, beautifully executed, and perfectly matched to the accompanying text. The photographs are likewise outstanding in subject and quality, with great efforts obviously having been made to find excellent pictures that complement the text and clearly illustrate the features and processes being described. The overall quality of the photographs is far better than in most other textbooks of this kind. Substantial improvements have been made for the sixth edition, including the addition of helpful illustrations to the glossary and the addition of many new photographs throughout the book (for example, compare the 5th and 6th edition pictures of drumlins, moraines, igneous rock textures, tsunamis, sinkholes, etc.). After examining many textbooks, I have decided to use this one in the undergraduate course I will teach next year.

41 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Earth - an average introductory textbook, January 26, 2000

By	Jeffrey P. Schaffer (Napa, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Earth: An Introduction to Physical Geology (Hardcover)

This book has dozens of errors, but in its defense, I must say that every introductory textbook I've used or reviewed has similar errors. For example, thermal expansion due to daily temperature fluctuations does NOT fracture rocks. Fire fractures rocks, and local fires can occur in many deserts. The photo of a rock split is actually due to ice (not frost) wedging. Deserts can be freezing. The book does not address the importance of past climates. Most of North America's landforms were formed under wet, warm climates, not today's. The hydrologic cycle should be expanded to the geohydrologic cycle, which incorporates plate tectonics. Plate tectonics, as presented, is rather primitive. We're in, I'd say, 3rd generation plate tectonics, but it is not being taught. Mountain glacial landscapes are entirely misinterpreted, based on a false paradigm originating in the 1840s. Yosemite Valley is far more a relict tropical landscape than a glaciated one, and Bridalveil Falls has existed for 10s of millions of years before glaciation. Evolution of desert landscapes is equally as bad. The authors don't understand pediments, which are exhumed weathering fronts (as in Joshua Tree National Park) or exhumed detachments (as in the Mojave Desert). Etc., etc.

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lots of fun for rocks!, October 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Earth: An Introduction to Physical Geology (Hardcover)

This book is an excellent introductory text, with a wide scoop and a clear and descriptive style. The pictures are gorgeous and informative, and the side notes (Boxes) are powerful examples of the topics being discussed, as well as fascinating sources of trivia (do you know what Bingham Canyon is?) that add flavor to the book! My only complaint was that there are no chapter summaries, but as the material was clear and concise, I had no need for them!