The Fallen Sky


Book Description

In this acclaimed volume, prizewinning poet and nature writer Christopher Cokinos takes us on an epic journey from Antarctica to outer space, weaving together natural history, memoir, and in-depth profiles of amateur researchers, rogue scientists, and stargazing dreamers to tell the riveting tale of how the study of meteorites became a modern science.




Granite Skyscrapers


Book Description

In this book, David Stevenson offers us a look at the evolution of planets as they move from balls of mixed molten rock to vibrant worlds capable of hosting life. Embedded in our everyday architecture and in the literal ground beneath our feet, granite and its kin lie at the heart of many features of the Earth that we take for granted. From volcanism and mountain building to shifting water levels and local weather patterns, these rocks are closely intertwined with the complex processes that continue to shape and reshape our world. This book serves as a wonderful primer for anybody interested in our planet’s geological past and that of other planets in our Solar System and beyond. It illustrates not only how our planet’s surface evolved, but also how granite played a pivotal role in the creation of complex, intelligent life on Earth. There has long been a missing element in popular astronomy, which Stevenson now aims to fill: how geological and biological evolution work in a complex partnership, and what our planet’s own diversity can teach us about other rocky worlds.




Oxygen in the Solar System


Book Description

Volume 68 of Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry reviews Oxygen in the Solar System, an element that is so critically important in so many ways to planetary science. The book is based on three open workshops: Oxygen in the Terrestrial Planets, held in Santa Fe, NM July 20-23, 2004; Oxygen in Asteroids and Meteorites, held in Flagstaff, AZ June 2-3, 2005; and Oxygen in Earliest Solar System Materials and Processes (and including the outer planets and comets), held in Gatlinburg, TN September 19-22, 2005. As a consequence of the cross-cutting approach, the final book spans a wide range of fields relating to oxygen, from the stellar nucleosynthesis of oxygen, to its occurrence in the interstellar medium, to the oxidation and isotopic record preserved in 4.56 Ga grains formed at the Solar System's birth, to its abundance and speciation in planets large and small, to its role in the petrologic and physical evolution of the terrestrial planets. Contents: Introduction Oxygen isotopes in the early Solar System - A historical perspective Abundance, notation, and fractionation of light stable isotopes Nucleosynthesis and chemical evolution of oxygen Oxygen in the interstellar medium Oxygen in the Sun Redox conditions in the solar nebula: observational, experimental, and theoretical constraints Oxygen isotopes of chondritic components Mass-independent oxygen isotope variation in the solar nebula Oxygen and other volatiles in the giant planets and their satellites Oxygen in comets and interplanetary dust particles Oxygen and asteroids Oxygen isotopes in asteroidal materials Oxygen isotopic composition and chemical correlations in meteorites and the terrestrial planets Record of low-temperature alteration in asteroids The oxygen cycle of the terrestrial planets: insights into the processing and history of oxygen in surface environments Redox conditions on small bodies, the Moon and Mars Terrestrial oxygen isotope variations and their implications for planetary lithospheres Basalts as probes of planetary interior redox state Rheological consequences of redox state




Turbulence and Self-Organization


Book Description

The book deals with the development of continual models of turbulent natural media. Such models serve as a ground for the statement and numerical evaluation of the key problems of the structure and evolution of the numerous astrophysical and geophysical objects. The processes of ordering (self-organization) in an originally chaotic turbulent medium are addressed and treated in detail with the use of irreversible thermodynamics and stochastic dynamics approaches which underlie the respective models. Different examples of ordering set up in the natural environment and outer space are brought and thoroughly discussed, the main focus being given to the protoplanetary discs formation and evolution.




Red Dwarfs


Book Description

This thought-provoking book looks at the nature of red dwarf systems as potential homes for life. Realistically, what are the prospects for life on these distant worlds? Could life evolve and survive there? How do these planetary surfaces and geologies evolve? How would life on a planet orbiting a red dwarf differ from life on Earth? And what are the implications for finding further habitable worlds in our galaxy? The author provides readers with insight into the habitability of planets and how this changes as time progresses and the central star evolves. Since the previous 2013 edition Under a Crimson Sun, there has been a rise in newly discovered planets orbiting red dwarfs, accompanied by controversial areas of research that test what we think we know about these systems. This revised edition delves into the wealth of new material uncovered since that date. It explains the often conflicting results and analyses put forward and clarifies our understanding of these exciting new worlds. The chapters explore the full width of relevant scientific discovery and speculation on the potential for red dwarf planets to host life. New content includes improved atmospheric models, new understandings of the impact of stellar radiation on the atmosphere of red dwarf worlds, tidal-locking, and comparisons with terrestrial geology and climate.




Treatise on Geochemistry


Book Description

This extensively updated new edition of the widely acclaimed Treatise on Geochemistry has increased its coverage beyond the wide range of geochemical subject areas in the first edition, with five new volumes which include: the history of the atmosphere, geochemistry of mineral deposits, archaeology and anthropology, organic geochemistry and analytical geochemistry. In addition, the original Volume 1 on "Meteorites, Comets, and Planets" was expanded into two separate volumes dealing with meteorites and planets, respectively. These additions increased the number of volumes in the Treatise from 9 to 15 with the index/appendices volume remaining as the last volume (Volume 16). Each of the original volumes was scrutinized by the appropriate volume editors, with respect to necessary revisions as well as additions and deletions. As a result, 27% were republished without major changes, 66% were revised and 126 new chapters were added. In a many-faceted field such as Geochemistry, explaining and understanding how one sub-field relates to another is key. Instructors will find the complete overviews with extensive cross-referencing useful additions to their course packs and students will benefit from the contextual organization of the subject matter Six new volumes added and 66% updated from 1st edition. The Editors of this work have taken every measure to include the many suggestions received from readers and ensure comprehensiveness of coverage and added value in this 2nd edition The esteemed Board of Volume Editors and Editors-in-Chief worked cohesively to ensure a uniform and consistent approach to the content, which is an amazing accomplishment for a 15-volume work (16 volumes including index volume)!







Annual Report


Book Description