New technologies has given us many different ways to examine the Earth. For example, we can penetrate deep into the interior of our planet and effectively X-ray its internal structure. With this technology comes an increased awareness of how our planet is continually changing and a fresh awareness of how fragile it is. Designed for the introductory Physical Geology course found in Geology, Earth Science, Geography, or Physical Science departments, Dynamic Earth: An Introduction to Physical Geology clearly presents Earth's dynamic geologic systems with their many interdependent and interconnected components. It provides comprehensive coverage of the two major energy systems of Earth: the plate tectonic system and the hydrologic cycle. The text fulfills the needs of professors by offering current content and a striking illustration package, while exposing students to the global view of Earth and teaching them to view the world as geologists.

The web site hosts a variety of review materials, including maps, images, photographs, and links to external sources of geological data and images. The CD-ROM inc;udes high quality images, videos, animations, narrated "Chalk Talks", and identification modules.

For generations, the ground beneath the feet of our ancestors seemed solid and unchanging. Around 30 years ago, two things happened that were to revolutionize the understanding of our home planet. First, geologists realized that the continents themselves were drifting across the surface of the globe and that oceans were being created and destroyed. Secondly, pictures of the entire planet were returned from space. As the astronomer Fred Hoyle had predicted, this 'let loose an idea as powerful as any in history'. Suddenly, the Earth began to be viewed as a single entity; a dynamic, interacting whole, controlled by complex processes we scarcely understood. It began to seem less solid. As one astronaut put it, 'a blue jewel on black velvet; small, fragile and touchingly alone'. Geologists at last were able to see the whole as well as the detail; the wood as well as the trees. This book brings their account up to date with the latest understanding of the processes that govern our planet. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Addressed to the undergraduate and postgraduate students pursuing studies in the broad interdisciplinary field of Earth Science, this thoroughly revised book, in its Fourth Edition, is aimed at facilitating the comprehension between the pre-planetary history and the subsequent geological processes of the Earth system. This is done keeping in mind the current interest in exoplanets and the evolution of the life supporting crustal composition of the Earth, much different from that of the other planets, in terms of the Earth's internal heat, density distribution and the strong magnetic field due to the dominant presence of metallic Fe in its core. The new edition draws the attention of the reader to the different surface gravity features and the internal compositional structures of the Earth, Moon and the Sun acquired during the Hadean. Examples of lithospheric movements, rifting, subduction and the continued mantle-crust interaction from Indian and Southeast Asian geology would bring the readers close to interlinking these tectonic processes to the genesis of igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks as well as to the episodes of mineralizations. Emphasizing these dynamic processes, the text focuses on the constitution of oceans, the causes of mass extinctions and the evolution of life forms, the biogeochemical cycles of elements, and also, on the life protecting ozone layer of the stratosphere, all unique to the Earth System. The student is sensitized towards the natural hazards of frequent volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, and climate change besides explicating the threats posed by global warming, atmospheric and hydrosphere pollution, caused by the industrial emanations and indiscrete waste disposal. KEY FEATURES • Each chapter is replete with examples, illustrations, tables and figures to make reading more fruitful and enriching. • Chapter-end summary helps in recapitulation of the concepts discussed. • Additional Reading provided at the end of each chapter directs the readers to the vast source of information. NEW TO THE FOURTH EDITION Considering the growing global interest in locating a habitable exoplanet like the Earth, and in exploring the Moon and the Mars, the present edition thoroughly updates the information about • the geochemical processes, unique to the Earth System, that gave rise to the life supportive crust, oceans and the atmosphere. • the role played by plate tectonics in forming the igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks, mineral deposits, and also, in the evolution of life. • the geo-environmental hazards of volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, droughts and desertification. • the growing adoption of solar, hydro, wind and nuclear energy in power generation, and in management of clean environment. TARGET AUDIENCE • M.Sc. (Geology, Applied Geology, Geoinformatics, Geophysics, Geochemistry, Geography, Earth Science, and Environmental Science) • B.Sc. (Geology, Applied Geology)

At last, an undergraduate textbook integrating the geophysics, geochemistry, and petrology of the Earth to explain plate tectonics and geodynamics.