Clear and concise, this book shows how Earth's ecosystem has developed over time, and how events in the past can help us deal with present and future changes. Key themes and concepts are examined and a range of examples given to demonstrate real-world examples of Earth system history in action.

PART I: MATERIALS, PROCESSES, AND PRINCIPLES
Earth as a System
Rock-Forming Minerals and Rocks
The Diversity of Life
Environments and Life
Sedimentary Environments
Correlation and Dating of the Rock Record
Evolution and the Fossil Record
The Theory of Plate Tectonics
Continental Tectonics and Mountain Chains
Major Chemical Cycles
PART II: THE STORY OF EARTH
The Hadean and Archean Eons of Precambrian Time
The Proterozoic Eon of Precambrian Time
The Early Paleozoic World
The Middle Paleozoic World
The Late Paleozoic World
The Early Mesozoic World
The Cretaceous World
The Paleogene World
The Neogene World
The Holocene

STEVEN M. STANLEY, John Hopkins University, USA.