This leading dictionary--now in its third edition--offers wide-ranging and authoritative coverage of the earth sciences and related topics. In more than 6,250 clear and accessible entries, it covers geology, oceanography, paleontology, mineralogy, volcanology, and planetary science as well as climatology, geochemistry, and petrology. The third edition is fully updated and includes additional coverage of process geomorphology and physical geography, plus more than 50 new line drawings to accompany descriptions of forms and processes. The new edition also features web links accessed via a companion website, featuring additional information that is regularly updated to ensure that it stays fresh. Finally, the book has a revised bibliography and a number of appendices that include a revised geological time scale, stratigraphic units, lunar and Martian time scales, wind-strength scales, and SI units. It is an essential reference for students of geography, geology, and earth sciences and in related disciplines.


"I marvel at how the editors have compressed so much so clearly"--Nature (review for previous edition)
"Can really claim to offer comprehensive coverage of the earth sciences"--Times Educational Supplement (review for previous edition)



Michael Allaby has written over 80 books on the environment, climatology, meteorology, and geography. He is also the editor of the Oxford Dictionaries of Ecology, Zoology, and Plant Sciences.

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Distributor: Oxford University Press USA
Publication Date: 04-07-2008
Pages: 672
Measurements: 5.000in X 7.700in X 1.300in X 1.063lb