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

The eight volumes are divided into four subsets that address the major subdisciplines of Earth science: Earth’s Surface and History (two vols., edited by David K. Elliott), Earth’s Materials and Resources (two vols., edited by Steven I. Dutch), Earth’s Weather, Water, and Atmosphere (two vols., edited by Margaret Boorstein), and Physics and Chemistry of the Earth (two vols., edited by Joseph Spradley). Overall, the original 400-plus essays will be updated, re-edited, and/or replaced as necessary, and roughly 120 new topics will be added to make this core reference work essential in every library as the
go to
resource to consult on the
basics
in every area of Earth science-from Earth’s structure to Metamorphic Rocks to Oceans, Rivers, Volcanoes, Wind Power, and Xenoliths.

SCOPE AND COVERAGE

Earth Science, comprising over 500 lengthy essays on basic topics in geology, geophysics, atmospheric sciences, oceanography, environmental science, palaeontology and planetology, is designed to provide an introduction to our latest understanding of the Earth’s physical features and dynamic processes, as well as those of the solar system in which it resides.

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.