Author Description

The Earth's massive internal energy means that the surface is constantly moving and changing. Mountains are being forced up and then worn away, continents are drifting apart, glaciers are sculpting the landscape, and molten rock from inside the Earth is always erupting through the surface. This book explores and explains this dynamic world by concentrating on the earth's crust, and using this to examine the powerful forces that formed our planet and shaped it to look like it does today. Full-colour maps allow readers to locate the features they may have heard about, learned about at school or seen on the news. A drought in the Sahara or a flooding river delta, an earthquake tremor or an erupting volcano - all these features can be found and explained on the pages of this book. Why do stalagtites form in caves? Why does a river change its course? Why are fossils found in rocks? These questions and many more are answered.