Two volumes from Salem’s series, Earth Science, Earth Materials & Resources is an encyclopaedic review of the material world in which we live and the uses to which those materials can be put. And the full content of the set is available online, free.

Everything from gold to hazardous waste is described and put in the context of humans’ life on earth. Water, soil, minerals, radioactive substances, oil and gas, and an array of substances present on earth and mined from it are described in depth. In every case, the science behind the use of the resource is examined in full.

Designed to meet the needs of students in Earth science at the high school and undergraduate levels, these two volumes represent a focused, revised and heavily updated edition from Salem Press’s five-volume Earth Science of 2001. Now more than ten years later, the updated editions (available as an eight-volume series or individually in two-volume sets) will provide students with clearly explained information on the most important and widely discussed issues relating to Earth science.

SCOPE AND COVERAGE

Earth Science: Earth Materials & Resources, comprising over 125 lengthy essays on basic topics, is designed to provide an introduction to our latest understanding of the Earth.

ORGANISATION AND FORMAT

All of the essays begin with ready-reference top matter, including a summary statement in which the contributing author explains why the topic is important to the study of the Earth. A listing of principal terms and their definitions helps to orient the reader to the essay. The text itself is broken by informative subheadings that guide the readers to areas of particular interest. An annotated and updated bibliography close each essay referring the reader to external sources for further study that are of use to both students and non specialists. Finally, a host of cross-references directs the reader to other essays that offer information on related topics.

SPECIAL FEATURES

At the end of every volume, several appendices are designed to assist in the retrieval of information. As mentioned above, the alphabetical list of contents lists all essays alphabetically by title, followed by page numbers. The categorised list of contents, more detailed than the general table of contents breaks the essays into useful categories to offer readers access to related essays. The set also includes more than 1,000 illustrations-tables, charts, drawings, and photographs-that display basic principles, phenomena and geological features of our world and the solar system.