Catastrophes and Lesser Calamities

The causes of mass extinctions

Tony Hallam (, Emeritus Professor of Geology, University of Birmingham)

$24.95

Paperback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

Oxford University Press
01 February 2006

Popular science; Solar system: the Sun & planets; Evolution; Palaeontology; Rocks, minerals & fossils

This is a book about the dramatic periods in the Earth's history called mass extinctions - short periods (by geological standards) when life nearly died out on Earth. The most famous is the mass extinction that happened about 65 million years ago, and that caused the death of the dinosaurs. But that was not the worst mass extinction: that honour goes to the extinction at the end of the Permian Period, about 250 million years ago, when over 90% of life is thought to have become extinct.

What caused these catastrophes? Was it the effects of a massive meteorite impact? There is evidence for such an impact about 65 million years ago. Or was it a period of massive volcanic activity? There is evidence in the rocks of huge lava flows at periods that match several of the mass extinctions. Was it something to do with climate change and sea level? Or was it a combination of some or all of these?

The question has been haunting geologists for a number of years, and it forms one of the most exciting areas of research in geology today. In this book, Tony Hallam, a distinguished geologist and writer, looks at all the different theories and also what the study of mass extinctions might tell us about the future. If climate change is a key factor, we may well, as some scientists have suggested, be in a period of mass extinction of our own making.

By: Tony Hallam ( Emeritus Professor of Geology University of Birmingham)
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 196mm, Width: 130mm, Spine: 13mm
Weight: 260g
ISBN: 9780192806680
ISBN 10: 0192806688
Pages: 240
Publication Date: 01 February 2006
Audience: General/trade , Professional and scholarly , ELT Advanced , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

1: In search of possible causes of mass extinctions 2: Historical background 3: Evidence for catastrophic organic changes in the geological record 4: Impact by comets and asteroids 5: Sea-level changes 6: Oxygen deficiency in the oceans 7: Climate change 8: Volcanic activity 9: Pulling the strands together 10: The evolutionary significance of mass extinctions 11: The influence of humans Notes and suggestions for further reading References Glossary Index 1: In search of possible causes of mass extinctions 2: Historical background 3: Evidence for catastrophic organic changes in the geological record 4: Impact by comets and asteroids 5: Sea-level changes 6: Oxygen deficiency in the oceans 7: Climate change 8: Volcanic activity 9: Pulling the strands together 10: The evolutionary significance of mass extinctions 11: The influence of humans Notes and suggestions for further reading References Glossary Index

Tony Hallam is Emeritus Professor of Geology at the University of Birmingham and the author of several books on geology.