Essentials of Geology

Good course book, just be sure you need it for the class. Some professors don't require you to have it, so if you can save the money, by all means...DO IT!

Had to buy this for a class I was auditing. GREAT diagrams and pictures. Figure 19.22 on page 460, "The evolution of life through geologic time" has literally changed my life. It finalized my view on how life came to be. It shows the fossilized progression of life from the first cyanobacteria 3.8 billion years to the evolution of the genus Homo. I'm convinced Darwin was right. Since that metamorphic moment, I have done little (I'm retired) other than read about evolution and its battle for acceptance in the non-scientific world. Excellent book - well written too.

The book has a wealth of information, I have enjoyed reading it, and using it in my class.

This book is intended as a text for the collegiate course in physical geology. The course encompasses a general overview of the physical processes by which the Earth continues to develop, both gradually and by sudden events of great magnitude. Plate tectonics, volcanism, erosion, mountain building and shaping, mineralogy, mass wasting, the impact of man, glaciation, and all other manner of things are clearly discussed in nineteen separate chapters. The color photography and diagrams are remarkably good, and closely follow the text, which is a real boon, especially to a student who is hard-pressed for time. The coverage is up-to-date and accurate in all respects. Many of the photographs, such as the those of the eruptions at Montserrat, are very current. Given the fact that physical geology is the first of six courses required for any geology degree, and that any well-informed person should have no trouble understanding the contents of this book, I would recommend it to any reader interested in earth science, student or not.