A Geognostical Essay on the Superposition of Rocks in Both He... by Alexander von Humboldt

He wrote a popular work in several volumes, Kosmos (1845-62), describing the structure of the Universe as it was then known.īiographical references: ABE: I 451, 44-124 II 975, 392-408 II 456, 110-124 III 307, 315-369. He spent the next 20 years in Paris writing up his results, returning later to Berlin, where he served at the Prussian court. He proved that the Amazon and Orinoco river systems are connected, and ascended to 5,877 m (19,280 ft) in the Andes, the highest ascent ever made at that time, researching the relation of temperature and altitude. Humboldt travelled in Central and South America (1799-1804) and wrote extensively on natural history, meteorology, and physical geography. Summarizing a wealth of information in an entertaining, approachable style, The Story of the Earth in 25 Rocks is essential reading for the armchair geologist, the rock hound, and all who are curious about the earth beneath their feet.( Born: Berlin, Germany, 14 September 1769 Died: Berlin, Germany, ) German explorer & scientist.

Each of these breakthroughs filled in a piece of the puzzle that is the earth, with scientific discoveries dovetailing with each other to offer increasingly solid evidence of the geologic past. Prothero follows in the footsteps of the scientists who asked-and answered-geology's biggest questions: How do we know how old the earth is? What happened to the supercontinent Pangea? How did ocean rocks end up at the top of Mount Everest? What can we learn about our planet from meteorites and moon rocks? The Story of the Earth in 25 Rocks answers these questions through expertly chosen case studies, such as Pliny the Elder's firsthand account of the eruption of Vesuvius the granite outcrops that led a Scottish scientist to theorize that the landscapes he witnessed were far older than Noah's Flood the gypsum deposits under the Mediterranean Sea that indicate that it was once a desert and how trying to date the age of meteorites revealed the dangers of lead poisoning. In twenty-five chapters-each about a particular rock, outcrop, or geologic phenomenon-Prothero recounts the scientific detective work that took us from the unearthing of exemplary specimens to tectonic shifts in how we view our planet and history.

Prothero tells the fascinating stories behind the discoveries that shook the foundations of geology. In The Story of the Earth in 25 Rocks, Donald R. Every rock is a tangible trace of the earth's past.

A Geognostical Essay on the Superposition of Rocks in Both He... by Alexander von Humboldt