When I was about 11, construction began of what would become my present day home. The construction site was a good distance away from my then current house, and I generally escaped to it after school or on holidays. I enjoyed watching the process, but also during this time I acquired a new hobby, collecting beautiful stones. This was natural, the whole area was under active construction and it was easy to set your eyes on an unusual looking rock. The hobby faltered after a summer or two, and became a distant memory, but I guess a part of that fascination lived on. So when I spotted Journeys from the Center of the Earth on my last trip to Crosswords, I could not resist buying it. And what a Gem of a book! The official topic is Geology and its effects on civilization. The author focuses on Mediterranean, but what he has to say is widely applicable. Descriptions are aided by wonderful, often full page, color photographs. So if you want to know
a) Why and how of Plate tectonics.
b) What is the difference between Basalt and Granite and how they differ from Limestone.
c) Who were the first people to build underwater.
d) How people measure atmospheric lead content over a period of thousands of years.
e) Why Greeks had wider 'Post-and-Lintel' structures than Egyptians.
among many other things, you should read this book. But let me give you some answers right away (writing this from memory). 'c' is 'Romans' and 'e' is that they used Marble instead of Limestone which has better tensile strength.
There is another area where this book can help, even if you don't give a damn about basalt/granite/limestone/whatever. I am talking about the need of an increased awareness of ecology and the dangers that loom ahead. Watching the earth evolve and seeing the extent of the impact of the slightest geological change on how people lived might go a long way in creating and nurturing that awareness. And I guess with Global Warming and stuff, we are better off with that awareness than without.
Highly Recommended!!
a) Why and how of Plate tectonics.
b) What is the difference between Basalt and Granite and how they differ from Limestone.
c) Who were the first people to build underwater.
d) How people measure atmospheric lead content over a period of thousands of years.
e) Why Greeks had wider 'Post-and-Lintel' structures than Egyptians.
among many other things, you should read this book. But let me give you some answers right away (writing this from memory). 'c' is 'Romans' and 'e' is that they used Marble instead of Limestone which has better tensile strength.
There is another area where this book can help, even if you don't give a damn about basalt/granite/limestone/whatever. I am talking about the need of an increased awareness of ecology and the dangers that loom ahead. Watching the earth evolve and seeing the extent of the impact of the slightest geological change on how people lived might go a long way in creating and nurturing that awareness. And I guess with Global Warming and stuff, we are better off with that awareness than without.
Highly Recommended!!
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