Historical Geology: Evolution of Earth and Life Through Time - Hardcover

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9780534392987: Historical Geology: Evolution of Earth and Life Through Time

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0534392989 ISBN 13: 9780534392987

Publisher: Thomson Brooks/Cole, 2004

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HISTORICAL GEOLOGY: EVOLUTION OF EARTH AND LIFE THROUGH TIME teaches students basic geologic principles as well as how scientists apply these principles to unravel Earth's history. Wicander and Monroe present a balanced overview of both the geological and biological history of Earth as a continuum of inter-related events. These events reflect the underlying principles and processes that have shaped our planet. The authors also explain the historical development of these basic principles and processes, and their importance in deciphering Earth history. Three major themes-time, evolutionary theory, and plate tectonics-are woven together throughout the book. These themes help students link essential material to enhance their understanding of historical geology.

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About the Author:

Reed Wicander is a geology professor at Central Michigan University, where he teaches Physical Geology, Historical Geology, Prehistoric Life, and Invertebrate Paleontology and was previously chair of the department. He obtained his B.A. at San Diego State University and his Ph.D. at UCLA. His main research interests involve various aspects of Paleozoic palynology, specifically the study of acritarchs, on which he has published numerous papers. He is a past president of the American Association of Stratigraphic Palynologists and currently a councilor of the International Federation of Palynological Societies and chair of the Acritarch Subcommission of the Commission Internationale de Microflore du Paleozoique. He has coauthored several geology textbooks with James S. Monroe.

James S. Monroe is Professor Emeritus of Geology at Central Michigan University, where he taught Physical Geology, Historical Geology, Prehistoric Life, and Stratigraphy and Sedimentology beginning in 1975 and served as chair of the Geology department. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Montana. He has coauthored several textbooks with Reed Wicander and has interests in Cenozoic geology and geologic education. Monroe now lives in Chico, California, where he remains active in geology by teaching courses to a large group of retirees.

Review:

"I would strongly consider adopting the Wicander text for next year because of its readability, abundant illustrations, its adherence to the central themes, and the subordination of unnecessary technical jargon." "...I think your text does a superlative job at teaching the basic concepts and is well-organized around the central themes."

"The text is very readable and students have told me that they really enjoyed reading it. They felt that it was at a good level so as not to be buried in the minutiae." "I really like the summary tables at the end of the Era chapters. Those are priceless and should be beneficial to the student."

"I particularly liked the time-line and tables in the chapters that showed the sequence and progression of events. It simplifies an otherwise confusing series of events that are explained separately in the text (such as orogenic events and glacial events and biological events) and ties them together, giving the student a better overall picture of what (and when) things were going on and how they may be related."

"The clear, simple, and easy-to-understand writing style is one reason why we have continued to use Wicander and Monroe in Historical Geology lectures for seven of the past eight years. During the sole year that we changed to another textbook (based on the perception that the other book had more extensive art and graphics), we discovered that our students had greater difficulty following the writing style of the Levin book."

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