An illustrated, concise reference to the Earth's mountains. This comprehensive and compact resource begins with an exploration of the powerful geological and other natural forces that create and shape mountains. Environmental sensitivity and unique weather conditions like snow and ice, avalanches and glaciers have lasting effects on mountains, and many diverse societies and economies exist in mountainous regions. This easy-to-use guidebook features an atlas of the world's major mountain regions that shows topography with detailed descriptions and informative tables of key facts and figures. Guide to Mountains is an ideal and handy quick-reference book that naturalists, mountain climbers, skiers, hikers, and travelers of all ages will enjoy and find useful.

The Lake Superior region is nationally known as a rock hound’s paradise, and agates are its most cherished treasures. This field guide spotlights each type of agate and provides you with the information you need for locating and identifying them. The easy-to-use format and full-color photos make this a must-have for rock collectors.

A multilayered tale arranged in an organic succession of set pieces, flashbacks, biographical sketches, and human and lithic histories, explores North American geology, plate tectonics, and geologic time.

From one of our finest and most popular science writers, the best-selling author of Your Inner Fish, comes the answer to a scientific mystery story as big as the world itself: How have astronomical events that took place millions of years ago created the unique qualities of the human species? In his last book, Neil Shubin delved into the amazing connections between human anatomy—our hands, our jaws—and the structures in the fish that first took over land 375 million years ago. Now, with his trademark clarity and exuberance, he takes an even more expansive approach to the question of why we are the way we are. Starting once again with fossils, Shubin turns his gaze skyward. He shows how the entirety of the universe's 14-billion-year history can be seen in our bodies. From our very molecular composition (a result of stellar events at the origin of our solar system), he makes clear, through the working of our eyes, how the evolution of the cosmos has had profound effects on the development of human life on earth.

"Put your mittens on; you'll freeze to death!" admonish the world's grandmothers as the temperature plummets. No doubt the Arctic explorers--today in their GORE-TEX, historically in their woolens--needed no such instruction. Icy climes bring with them the dangers of frostbite, but also the poetic beauty of glaciers and ice shelves, of ice palaces and aurora borealis. Karal Ann Marling explores these topics and more as she considers the history of "hard, cold water." What better place to start than with dessert? The pleasure of ice cream on a hot day has been known since the sixteenth century, although it wasn't until a few hundred years later that reliable refrigeration made the treat readily available. Marling expands her icy explorations to the realm of fiction--the ice crossing in Uncle Tom's Cabin, the frozen wasteland of Frankenstein--and to the movies and Broadway. Cities vie for tourists by building shimmering ice palaces to celebrate winter; explorers compete to reach the poles, and not all live to tell the story. The study of ice by a true aficionado yields fascinating insights and may just inspire readers to embrace winter-or to make their way to the nearest ice cream shop. Karal Ann Marling is a professor emerita of art history and American studies at the University of Minnesota. She is the author, most recently, of Merry Christmas!: Celebrating America's Greatest Holiday and Illusions of Eden: Visions of the American Heartland.

"Lavishly illustrated, Gems of the World is intended for anyone who has ever been fascinated by crystals, jewelry, and gems, from general readers to seasoned professionals. It is a fine addition to general collections." --Booklist, on the previous edition Gems of the World is a practical and comprehensive guide to the identification and properties of precious and semiprecious gems, novelty stones, agates and crystals. This edition has been revised and thoroughly updated. Changes and new features include updated maps of recently established diamond bourses and geographical country changes, plus new gem varieties and localities where they are found, new techniques for producing synthetic gemstones and simulants, and much more. There is comprehensive information on gems: - gem formation - mining - the diamond industry - conflict diamonds - ethical sourcing - crystal structure (diagrams and cuts) - optical and physical properties - fashioning and cutting (properties and uses) - gemstone cuts for diamonds - buying a diamond - buying colored gemstones - imitation and synthetic gemstones - gemstone enhancement - history of gems - famous diamonds - caring for gemstones and jewelry - a color key of 139 gemstones. The text describes the world's diamond cutting and trading centers, the "diamond pipeline" that flows from mine to retail, and information on the gemstone industry, ethical mining, conflict diamonds and the emergence of new diamond centers. The description directory of gemstones is organized by their chemical composition. The 139 profiles describe each gem's geology, chemistry, properties (such as color, refractive index, and luster), cultural use in history and its value in jewelry. Photographs show the gem as a raw crystal, in common cuts, polished for use, and in some cases, also in a piece of jewelry. Gems of the World is an ideal reference for gemologists, collectors and general readers.

Get this popular guide and start identifying all of those rocks seen on the beaches and shores of Lake Superior. Included are color illustrations of each type of rock, a description, tips for recognizing it and where to go to find it.

In this brilliant exploration of our cosmic environment, the renowned particle physicist andNew York Times bestselling author of Warped Passages and Knocking on Heaven’s Dooruses her research into dark matter to illuminate the startling connections between the furthest reaches of space and life here on Earth. Sixty-six million years ago, an object the size of a city descended from space to crash into Earth, creating a devastating cataclysm that killed off the dinosaurs, along with three-quarters of the other species on the planet. What was its origin? InDark Matter and the Dinosaurs, Lisa Randall proposes it was a comet that was dislodged from its orbit as the Solar System passed through a disk of dark matter embedded in the Milky Way. In a sense, it might have been dark matter that killed the dinosaurs. Working through the background and consequences of this proposal, Randall shares with us the latest findings—established and speculative—regarding the nature and role of dark matter and the origin of the Universe, our galaxy, our Solar System, and life, along with the process by which scientists explore new concepts. In Dark Matter and the Dinosaurs, Randall tells a breathtaking story that weaves together the cosmos’ history and our own, illuminating the deep relationships that are critical to our world and the astonishing beauty inherent in the most familiar things.

A history of the role of rivers in shaping American politics, economics, and society draws on experts from diverse backgrounds to explore how the natural and human transformations of rivers have made a significant impact on the nation.

In 1793, a canal digger named William Smith made a startling discovery. He found that by tracing the placement of fossils, which he uncovered in his excavations, one could follow layers of rocks as they dipped and rose and fell—clear across England and, indeed, clear across the world—making it possible, for the first time ever, to draw a chart of the hidden underside of the earth. Smith spent twenty-two years piecing together the fragments of this unseen universe to create an epochal and remarkably beautiful hand-painted map. But instead of receiving accolades and honors, he ended up in debtors' prison, the victim of plagiarism, and virtually homeless for ten years more. The Map That Changed the World is a very human tale of endurance and achievement, of one man's dedication in the face of ruin. With a keen eye and thoughtful detail, Simon Winchester unfolds the poignant sacrifice behind this world-changing discovery.