Early Earth Systems provides a complete history of the Earth
from its beginnings to the end of the Archaean. This journey
through the Earth’s early history begins with the Earth’s origin,
then examines the evolution of the mantle, the origin of the
continental crust, the origin and evolution of the Earth’s
atmosphere and oceans, and ends with the origin of life.
* Looks at the evidence for the Earth’s very early
differentiation into core, mantle, crust, atmosphere and oceans and
how this differentiation saw extreme interactions within the Earth
system.
* Discusses Archaean Earth processes within the framework of the
Earth System Science paradigm, providing a qualitative assessment
of the principal reservoirs and fluxes in the early Earth.
‘The book would be perfect for a graduate-level or upper
level undergraduate course on the early Earth. It will also serve
as a great starting point for researchers in solid-Earth
geochemistry who want to know more about the Earth’s early
atmosphere and biosphere, and vice versa for low temperature
geochemists who want to get a modern overview of the Earth’s
interior.’ Geological
Magazine, 2008
İçerik tablosu
1. The Earth System.
Introduction.
The Nature of the Early Geological Record.
Archaean Lithological Associations.
The Oldest Rocks.
How Much do we Really Know About the Early Earth?.
2. The Origin and Differentiation of the Earth.
The Origin and Early History of the Universe.
Star Formation.
The Condensation of the Solar System.
Earth Differentiation – the First Earth System.
3. The Evolution of the Earth’s Mantle.
Understanding the Mantle.
The Earth’s Earliest Mantle.
Mantle Models.
4. The Origin of the Continental Crust.
Modern Crust Formation – Models and Mechanisms.
First Order Constraints on the Origin of the Continental
Crust.
The Secular Evolution of the Earth’s Continental
Crust.
Crustal Growth During the Archaean.
Crust-Mantle Interactions: Reservoirs and Fluxes.
5. The Origin of the Earth’s Atmosphere and
Oceans.
The Volatile Budget of the Modern Earth.
The Origin of the Earth’s Atmosphere and Oceans.
The Nature of the Archaean Atmosphere.
The Nature of the Archaean Oceans.
6. The Origin of Life.
Setting the Scene for Life.
Geochemical Signals of Biological Activity.
The Geological Record of Life’s Origins.
The Microbial Record of Life’s Origins.
In the Beginning….
7. Postscript.
References.
Index
Yazar hakkında
Hugh Rollinson is Professor of Earth Sciences at Sultan Qaboos University.