The Precambrian Earth: Tempos and Events

by P.G. Eriksson (Editor), Wladyslaw Altermann (Editor), D.R. Nelson (Editor), W.U. Mueller (Editor), O. Catuneanu (Editor)

Overview

In this book the editors strive to cover all primary (i.e. non-applied) topics in Precambrian geology in a non-partisan way, by using a large team of international authors to present their datasets and highly divergent viewpoints.

The chapters address: celestial origins of Earth and succeeding extraterrestrial impact events; generation of continental crust and the greenstone-granite debate; the interaction of mantle plumes and plate tectonics over Precambrian time; Precambrian volcanism, emphasising komatiite research; evolution and models for Earth's hydrosphere and atmosphere; evolution of life and its influence on Precambrian ocean chemistry and chemical sedimentation; sedimentation through Precambrian time; the application of sequence stratigraphy to the Precambrian rock record. Each topic is introduced and a non-partisan closing commentary provided at the end of each chapter. The final chapter blends the major geological events and rates at which important processes occurred into a synthesis, which postulates a number of "event clusters" in the Precambrian when significant changes occurred in many natural systems and geological environments.

Also available in paperback, ISBN: 0-444-51509-7

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780080542591
Publisher:	Elsevier Science
Publication date:	03/04/2004
Series:	Developments in Precambrian Geology , #12
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	966
File size:	34 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Octavian Catuneanu is a Professor in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Alberta, with PhD degrees from the University of Toronto and the University of Bucharest. He is the recipient of several distinctions in the field of Geology, including the W.W. Hutchison Medal of the Geological Association of Canada for exceptional advances in earth science research, and best paper awards from the European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers, the Geological Society of America, and the Romanian Academy of Sciences. Octavian Catuneanu served as the Editor-in-Chief of the journal of Marine and Petroleum Geology, Chair of the Task Group on Sequence Stratigraphy of the International Subcommission on Stratigraphic Classification, Chair of the North American Commission on Stratigraphic Nomenclature, and member of the editorial board of several journals in North America, Europe, and Africa. He is the editor of several books and special issues, author of numerous publications in the fields of sedimentology, stratigraphy, and basin analysis, and instructor of sequence stratigraphy and related disciplines for universities, conferences, and companies worldwide. The first edition of his “Principles of Sequence Stratigraphy” textbook (Elsevier, 2006) received the 2007 “Outstanding Academic Title” Choice Award from the American Library Association and remains a best-selling title.

Table of Contents

1. The Early Earth.
2. Generation of Continental Crust.
3. Tectonism and Mantle Plumes through Time.
4. Precambrian Volcanism: an independent Variable through Time.
5. Evolution of the Hydrosphere and Atmosphere.
6. Evolution of Life and Precambrian Bio-Geology.
7. Sedimentation through Time.
8. Sequence Stratigraphy and the Precambrian.
9. Synthesis.

Editorial Reviews

"I highly recommend this book to anybody who is interested in the Precambrian, and certainly every general science and earth and planetary sciences library should have a copy." —THE EGGS, 2004

"This book is an excellent comprehensive entity of Precambrian earth, and in every sense, indeed! A number of renowned and active researchers have contributed sections/chapters. The organization of the book is very good and the connecting links between the chapters are well focused...The most positive approach of the editors, which-I believe-readers will equally well appreciate, is their sincere support and encouragement to express the existing diversity of opinions throughout the book!" —Rajat Mazumder, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Munich University, JOURNAL OF SEDIMENTARY RESEARCH

From the Publisher