Geology and the Pioneers of Earth Science

Momentous changes, particularly in the 1960’s, transformed ‘geology’ into ‘earth science’. These developments and the scientists behind them have been neglected until now and are the subject of this book.

Momentous changes in geology came about in the early 1960s. These were partly the result of the application of discoveries in the basic sciences (physics, chemistry) over the previous six decades but also technological innovations made during and after World War II.

The background to the origin of such changes –  the efforts of the ‘pioneers’ who changed geology to earth science – has been neglected by historians of science and is the subject of this book. It analyses how the modern subject was able to evolve. Traditional geology is overwhelmingly historical while earth science has something extra to offer. This is the practice of  what Lord Rayleigh memorably referred to as ‘outdoor physics’ (and by extension, chemistry), applied directly to the earth.

• | Author: Mike Leeder
• | Publisher: Liverpool University Press
• | Publication Date: Sep 27, 2024
• | Number of Pages:
• | Language:
• | Binding: Hardback
• | ISBN-13: 9781780461069
• | ISBN-10: 1780461062