The Earth After Us: What Legacy Will Humans Leave in the Rocks? - Couverture rigide

Zalasiewicz, Jan

 
9780199214976: The Earth After Us: What Legacy Will Humans Leave in the Rocks?
Couverture rigide
ISBN 10 : 0199214972 ISBN 13 : 9780199214976
Editeur : Oxford University Press, 2008

Synopsis

Geologist Jan Zalasiewicz takes the reader one hundred million years into the future, long after the human race became extinct, to explore what will remain of humanity's brief but dramatic sojourn on planet Earth. He tells how geologists in the far future - perhaps an alien species re-discovering Earth - might piece together the history of the planet, and slowly decipher the fact of humanity's existence, activities, and ultimate extinction from the traces we will leave impressed in the rock strata. The Earth After Us takes this novel approach to show how geologists unravel the information in the rocks. As the alien scientists start investigating the strata, what story will they tell of us? What kind of fossils will humans leave behind? What will happen to cities, cars, and plastic cups? How thick a layer will the 'human stratum' be? And will it be obvious which species dominated the planet? It reveals a story of an environmental crisis similar in scale to even earlier mass extinction events, yet puzzlingly different: a crisis where extinctions were accompanied by a bizarre global merry-go-round of organisms and by sharp perturbations of climate.The trail leads finally to the bones of the inhabitants of petrified cities that have lain deep underground for many millions of years. As thought-provoking as it is engaging, this book simultaneously explains both the geological mechanisms that shape our planet, and also offers a perspective on humanity and its actions that may prove to be more objective than any other. For our final legacy, Zalasiewicz argues, will provide the ultimate verdict on our species and on our relationship to planet Earth.

Les informations fournies dans la section « Synopsis » peuvent faire référence à une autre édition de ce titre.

Présentation de l'éditeur

Geologist Jan Zalasiewicz takes the reader one hundred million years into the future, long after the human race became extinct, to explore what will remain of humanity's brief but dramatic sojourn on planet Earth. He tells how geologists in the far future - perhaps an alien species re-discovering Earth - might piece together the history of the planet, and slowly decipher the fact of humanity's existence, activities, and ultimate extinction from the traces we will leave impressed in the rock strata. The Earth After Us takes this novel approach to show how geologists unravel the information in the rocks. As the alien scientists start investigating the strata, what story will they tell of us? What kind of fossils will humans leave behind? What will happen to cities, cars, and plastic cups? How thick a layer will the 'human stratum' be? And will it be obvious which species dominated the planet? It reveals a story of an environmental crisis similar in scale to even earlier mass extinction events, yet puzzlingly different: a crisis where extinctions were accompanied by a bizarre global merry-go-round of organisms and by sharp perturbations of climate. The trail leads finally to the bones of the inhabitants of petrified cities that have lain deep underground for many millions of years. As thought-provoking as it is engaging, this book simultaneously explains both the geological mechanisms that shape our planet, and also offers a perspective on humanity and its actions that may prove to be more objective than any other. For our final legacy, Zalasiewicz argues, will provide the ultimate verdict on our species and on our relationship to planet Earth.

Revue de presse

A fascinating and thought provoking read. (Adventure Travel)

A wonderfully thought-provoking and fascinating look at the impression we're leaving on our planet. Zalasiewicz...does a fantastic job. (Chris Turney, www.Nature.com)

'The Earth After Us' is a thoroughly inspirational book. (Chris Turney, www.nature.com)

A fantastic introduction to the world around us taken from a highly original angle. (Chris Turney, www.Nature.com)

Zalasiewicz presents an elegant and authoritative primer on the earth sciences....this book is beautifully written. (Times Higher Education Supplement.)

This is a wonderful, elegant, short book. (Michael Benton, Times Higher Education Supplement)

A delightful retelling of how Earth's geoscientists reconstructed its history. (Nature Geoscience.)

I highly recommend this book for geoscientists in general. (William R Ruddiman. Nature Geoscience.)

Elegantly written book, one of the best of recent geology popularisations. (New Scientist.)

Les informations fournies dans la section « A propos du livre » peuvent faire référence à une autre édition de ce titre.

Éditeur
Oxford University Press
Date d'édition
2008
Langue
anglais
ISBN 10 
0199214972
ISBN 13 
9780199214976
Reliure
Relié
Nombre de pages
272
Coordonnées du fabricant
non disponible
Personne responsable
Messaggerie Libri
ufficio.anagrafiche@meli.it

Via Verdi, 8
Assago Milano
Italie

Autres éditions populaires du même titre

9780199214983: EARTH AFTER US:WHAT LEGACY WILL HUMANS LEAVE IN THE ROCKS? PAPER: What Legacy Will Humans Leave in the Rocks?

Edition présentée

ISBN 10 :  0199214980 ISBN 13 :  9780199214983
Editeur : Oxford University Press, 2009
Couverture souple