These were shown in the text without explanation or comment. I didn't know that chemical formulae could have decimal places in their subscripts. Similarly with the plates they are too small and not sufficiently clear in what they are trying to demonstrate. But they are all a bit basic and often need more explanation. The diagrams often made a difficult text description easier to understand. But I began to wish I had bought the Kindle version so I could easily look up new words.įrustrating too are the diagrams and plates. I bought this in paperback because I expected plates and drawings, which the Kindle usually doesn't handle too well. It get laborious moving from one to the other trying to get a definition. Trouble is some words are missing and there's also an appendix with rock names. This certainly covers all these and more but it's as if the author is talking to a peer rather than a beginner.Ī big source of frustration is that there is a constant stream of, to me, new words that have sent me scuttling back to the Glossary and the Index. I was inspired by the BBC series "Earth Story" on DVD with its descriptions of volcanoes, subduction zones, tectonic plates etc. For me, as a casual reader with no knowledge of geology or chemistry it's real hard going. I'd say it's probably suited to degree students. It's billed as a "A Comprehensive Introduction" but the author doesn't define his audience. First off let me say he clearly knows his stuff and this appears to be quite comprehensive.
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