Product Description

Within the geological science of palaeoclimatology, the earth's pre-Quaternary period - more than two million years ago - has been studied systematically since the 1960s, when geologists started to think seriously about the concept that the continents have changed position on the earth's surface. The study of pre-Quaternary palaeoclimatology has expanded greatly. A variety of methods have been developed to study pre-Quaternary climates. This text offers a sustained exploration of the methods that are the foundation of any interpretation of earth processes. Focusing primarily on the description and analysis of palaeoclimate indicators - signals of a particular climate - this work offers detailed explanations of biotic and lithological indicators in the marine and terrestrial realms and includes case histories of palaeoclimatic studies.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1098063 in Books
• Published on: 2001-06-19
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 348 pages

Review
"This is the only book of its kind at present. It will be an extremely useful reference text not just for paleoclimatologists, but for many others -- both researchers and students -- who would like to know how their data can be useful to the full extent." -- Jane Francis, University of Leeds, GSA Today "An excellent resource for researchers and a beginning point for graduate students in pre-Quaternary climatology." -- Northeastern Naturalist "A valuable sourcebook that describes how various indicators are used to interpret paleoclimate...This text is an excellent sourcebook for professors, students and researchers who want a basic grasp of pre-Quarternary climates." -- Nina L. Baghai, American Scientist

From the Author
What is this book about?
The first question that always comes up with scientific books is, What is the book really about?, and the second is, Who's the audience?

What is the book really about? The book is a compendium of paleoclimatic indicators used in the pre-Quaternary geologic record, ranging from foraminifera to reptiles, reefs to evaporites. I've often used a picture of the Table of Contents to illustrate how many kinds of information are available to us in the geologic record.

Who is the audience? Although I didn't set out to write a textbook, part of my motivation for tackling the job was that no textbook exists for the way I teach paleoclimatology at the University of Arizona. In writing the book, I assumed some knowledge of geology, especially sedimentary geology and paleontology, but tried to provide at least a few basics for each topic, so it can be used as a textbook in senior- and graduate-level classes.

My principal motivation, however, was to provide an entry for working geologists into the vast literature on pre-Quaternary paleoclimatology. As a compendium, the book does not treat each topic in great depth. However, the bibliography is copious, so the reader can easily gain access to more detail in the literature by using the references provided as a starting point.

Interested lay people may also find much in the book.

Why the pre-Quaternary? The Quaternary Period (roughly the last 2 million years) has been nicely addressed by R.S. Bradley in his book, Quaternary Paleoclimatology. The methods used to study climates in the Quaternary and pre-Quaternary records overlap, but there are also major differences. In addition, there are unique considerations for the study of pre-Quaternary climates, such as continental drift. Although there is much to learn from the Quaternary record, a deeper understanding of the Earth’s climate system must come from study of the older record as well. This is because different continental positions, higher sea levels, highly variable rates of volcanism, and very different vegetation patterns all forced the climate system in ways that have not been duplicated in the last 2 million years. Although it would be disingenuous to say that those changes, which occurred over very long time scales, can be direct analogs for changes that are possibly being forced by humans, documenting how the system behaves under extreme forcing at any time scale contributes to our overall understanding of its workings.

About the Author
Judith Totman Parrish is a professor of geosciences at the University of Arizona.

Customer Reviews

Synthesis of climate evidence
This book is such a useful reference. It integrates related areas of scientific study to produce a handy single volume account of ancient climates and supporting evidence. I find it invaluable background reading as an undergraduate and field researcher.