Earth Science Today, Media Edition / With Earth Systems Today CD

Covering all traditional topics in comfortable depth, this text presents a process-oriented approach to understanding how Earth systems work. Emphasis is placed upon understanding fundamental principles and concepts over memorizing terminology. The authors' vision of Earth as a "planet in process" reinforces throughout the text the dynamic properties of Earth's systems.

Benefits:

• Process-oriented approach to systems integration.
• The latest news and research articles online?updated daily and spanning four years! InfoTrac College Edition is automatically packaged with every new student copy of this text. You and your students will have 4-month's free access to an easy-to-use online database of reliable, full-length articles (not abstracts) from hundreds of top academic journals and popular sources. Contact your Brooks?Cole/Thomson Learning representative for more information. Available to North American college and university students only. Journals subject to change.
• Extensive end-of-chapter material includes key terms and concepts, review questions, study questions, InfoTrac College Edition links, WWW activities and exercises.
• NEW! Media Edition: A significant updating to provide students with up-to-date information and innovative, compelling supplements package. The Media Edition features new content and support for every chapter. Bundled for free with Samson's Earth Systems Today CD/Web site, the text is augmented with new end-of-chapter exercises correlated specifically to the Samson CD. Additional Web links, new InfoTrac College Edition questions and a new suite of exercises and quizzes are also available on the Web site for additional student quizzing and practice. Finally, general updating of content will also be available on the Web site for currency.
• NEW! The text maintains its process-oriented approach to understanding how Earth systems work. Emphasis is placed upon understanding fundamental principles and concepts over memorizing terminology. The authors' vision of Earth as a planet in process reinforces throughout the text the dynamic properties of Earth's systems.
• Unique part-ending visual summaries-a visual overview of Earth systems in relation to the part's material illustrates rocesses in action and allows students to make connections between concepts.
• Thematic icons highlight the interconnection between the five Earth systems: geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, astronomy, and biosphere.
• Clear and engaging writing style tells the story of Earth science through inspired analogies, applications, and examples.
• Consistent use and presentation of the scientific method demonstrates that science is a way of knowing, not a finite body of knowledge.
• Living on Earth boxes that highlight environmental issues.
• Dig In boxes supply more detailed, quantitative material.
• Integration and use of CD-ROM and Web technology. Samson Earth Systems Today CD-ROM packaged with every copy of the text.
• Strong topical coverage includes the latest in scientific discoveries.

PREFACE

1. INTRODUCTION

Earth and Its Environment
Earth Science: A Study of Earth Systems
A Revolution in the Earth Sciences
Earth Science and the Scientific Method
Earth Science and Society
Goals for the Rest of the Book

PART I: FOUNDATIONS AND THE SOLID EARTH

2. EARTH MATERIALS: MINERALS AND ROCKS

Chapter Overview
Minerals
Rocks
Revisiting the Rocks Cycle
Chapter Summary
Key Terms and Concepts
Review Questions
Study Questions

3. GEOLOGIC TIME AND THE AGE OF THE EARTH

Chapter Overview
The Vastness of Geologic Time
A Short History of Geologic Time
Relative Dating
Relative Time and the Geologic Time Scale
How Old Is the Earth?: The Quest for an Absolute Age
Radiometric Dating
Absolute Time and the Geologic Time Scale
A Sense of Time
Chapter Summary
Key Terms and Concepts
Review Questions
Study Questions

4. PLATE TECTONICS: DEVELOPMENT OF A THEORY

Chapter Overview
Continental Drift
Paleomagnetism and Sea Floor Spreading
Subduction: Where Does the Old Ocean Crust Go?
Plate Tectonics
Chapter Summary
Key Terms and Concepts
Review Questions
Study Questions

5. PLATE TECTONICS: PLATES AND PLATE BOUNDARIES

Chapter Overview
Moving Plates
The Structure of Plates
Buoyancy and the Principle of Isostasy
Plate Boundaries
Plate Driving Mechanisms
Chapter Summary
Key Terms and Concepts
Review Questions
Study Questions

6. MOUNTAINS AND VOLCANOES

Chapter Overview
Introduction
Mountains at Divergent Margins
Mountains with Oceanic Plates
Mountains Produced By Subduction
Mountains Produced by Collision
Mountains Produced along Transform Faults
Mountains in the Past
Mountain Building and Deformation of Rocks
Mountain Building and Geologic Maps
Chapter Summary
Key Terms and Concepts
Review Questions
Study Questions

7. THE EARTH'S INTERIOR

Chapter Overview
Introduction
Clues from Heat and Density
Earthquake Waves
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Circulation in the Earth's Interior
Chapter Summary
Key Terms and Concepts
Review Questions
Study Questions

PART II: THE HYDROSPHERE: THE ORIGIN AND MOTION OF WATER ON OUR PLANET

8. OCEAN WATER

Chapter Overview
Introduction
The Water Molecule
The Hydrologic Cycle
Sea Level
Ocean Basins and Plate Tectonics
Composition of Ocean Water
Why Is Ocean Water Salty? The Relationship between Composition and Source Region
The Origin of Ocean Waters
Chapter Summary
Key Terms and Concepts
Review Questions
Study Questions

9. CIRCULATION OF OCEAN WATER

Chapter Overview
Introduction
Waves
Coastal Regions
Tides
A General Overview of Ocean Water Circulation
Vertical Profiles of Ocean Water
Ocean Currents
Putting it All Together: El Nio
Chapter Summary
Key Terms and Concepts
Review Questions
Study Questions

10. FRESH WATER

Chapter Overview
Introduction
The Hydrologic Cycle and the Water Budget
Global Precipitation Patterns
Groundwater
Surface Water
Human Exploitation of Fresh Water
Chapter Summary
Key Terms and Concepts
Review Questions
Study Questions

PART III: THE ATMOSPHERE: THE AIR WE BREATHE

11. THE ATMOSPHERE

Chapter Overview
Introduction: The Composition of the Atmosphere
Interaction between Water and Air
The Layers of the Atmosphere
Weather and Climate
Chapter Summary
Key Terms and Concepts
Review Questions
Study Questions

12. CIRCULATION OF THE ATMOSPHERE

Chapter Overview
Atmosphere Circulation
Storms
Persistent Global Atmospheric Circulation Patterns
Chapter Summary
Key Terms and Concepts
Review Questions
Study Questions

PART IV: THE EVOLUTION OF THE EARTH SYSTEMS AND THE BIOSPHERE

13. EVOLUTION OF THE EARTH SYSTEMS I: THE PRECAMBRIAN

Chapter Overview
Introduction
Principles in the Earth's Evolution
Earth Systems in the Hadean and Archean
Earth Systems in the Proterozoic
Chapter Summary
Key Terms and Concepts
Review Questions
Study Questions

14. EVOLUTION OF THE EARTH SYSTEMS II: THE PHANEROZOIC

Chapter Overview
Introduction: Geologic Time Scale Revisited
Earth Systems in the Paleozoic Era (545 to 245 Million Years Ago)
Late Paleozoic Extinctions: The Ed of an Era
Earth Systems in the Mesozoic Era (245 to 66 Million Years Ago): The Age of Reptiles
The Life and Death of the Dinosaurs
Earth Systems in the Cenozoic Era (66 Million Years Ago to Recent)
The Ice Age: Sculpturing the Modern Landscape
Chapter Summary
Key Terms and Concepts
Review Questions
Study Questions

PART V: ASTRONOMY

15. THE PLANETS

Chapter Overview
Introduction
Development of Fundamental Concepts
The Origin and Early Evolution of the Solar System
The Origin of the Earth and Moon
The Terrestrial Planets and Their Satellites
Comparison of the Terrestrial Planets
The Jovian Planets and Their Satellites
Asteroids, Comets, and Meteoroids
Chapter Summary
Key Concepts
Review Questions
Study Questions

16. THE SUN AND THE STARS

Chapter Overview
Introduction
The Sun's Energy and Composition
From the Sun to the Earth
Beyond the Solar System
Stars, Constellations, and Galaxies
Life Cycle of the Stars
Origin of the Chemical Elements
Origin of the Universe: The Big Bang Theory
Chapter Summary
Key Terms and Concepts
Review Questions
Study Questions

PART VI: NATURAL RESOURCES

17. MINERAL RESOURCES

Chapter Overview
What are Metals and Industrial Minerals?
Distribution and Uses of Mineral Resources: Some Facts and Figures
Metallic Minerals
Nonmetallic or Industrial Minerals
What Makes a Mineral Deposit?
Mineral Deposits in Igneous Rocks
Mineral Deposits in Sedimentary Rocks
Mineral Deposits in Metamorphic Rocks
Plate Tectonics and Mineral Deposits
Mineral Exploration
What the Future Holds
Chapter Summary
Key Terms and Concepts
Review Questions
Study Questions

18. ENERGY RESOURCES

Chapter Overview
Energy Supply and Demand
Energy in the Solid Earth: Fossil Fuels
Energy in the Solid Earth: Alternative Sources
Energy in a Hydrosphere
Energy in the Atmosphere
Energy in the Biosphere
Energy Outlook for the Future
Chapter Summary
Key Terms and Concepts
Review Questions
Study Questions

PART VII: EARTH SCIENCE AND THE ENVIRONMENT

19. BIOGEOCHEMISTRY: INTERACTION BETWEEN THE EARTH'S RESERVOIRS

Chapter Overview
Introduction
The Food Chain
Soil Profiles
The Odyssey of a Single Carbon Atom
Biogeochemistry: An Interdisciplinary Science
The Carbon Cycle
The Nitrogen Cycle
The Phosphorous Cycle
Chapter Summary
Key Terms and Concepts
Review Questions
Study Questions

20. OUR FRAGILE ATMOSPHERE

Chapter Overview
Introduction
The Ozone Layer
Formation of Ozone
Mechanisms and Implications of Ozone Depletion
The Greenhouse Effect: A Matter of Balance
Understanding the Greenhouse Effect
A Recent Perspective
The Recent Past: Variations in Solar Output
Earth-Sun Geometry: Global Temperatures over the Past One Million Years
From the Sun to the Earth
Feedback Systems and the Gaia Hypothesis
The Role of Calcium and Carbon Dioxide in the Feedback Cycle
Predictable Temperature Swings for at Least One Billion Years
Putting It All Together: Greenhouse Effect and Global Warmth
Conclusion
Chapter Summary
Key Terms and Concepts
Review Questions
Study Questions

AFTERWORD: THE FATE OF PLANET EARTH
APPENDICES
GLOSSARY
CREDITS
INDEX