This text provides an exploration of our planet and beyond. The opening chapters lay bare the structure of the Earth from the surface down to the core - the white-heat engine that powers our world. Next, the great forces of nature - volcanoes, earthquakes, tornadoes and other destructive phenomena - are dramatically brought to life with illustrations. Life itself has also transformed our planet and this eventful study is recounted from the first stirrings of single-cell organisms to the impact of humans at the beginning of the new millennium. The central section of the book takes a closer look at the oceans revealing the amazing undersea landscape and the creatures that live there. It also examines people's enduring fascination with the sea, from intrepid early explorers to the artists who have been inspired by its mystery and power. The final section of the "Kingfisher Book of the Universe" breaks free from Earth's gravity and embarks on a tour of the solar system and then into the vastness of space. It explores a changing, sometimes violent, Universe in which stars are born and die, galaxies collide and black holes devour huge clouds of gas and stars. Along the way, reader's discover what happened in the first few seconds after the Big Bang and find out how the Universe may end. This book should be useful for anyone who has ever been curious about the nature of our amazing planet and the Universe of which the Earth is but a tiny part.

 

This book is part of a book series called Kingfisher Books Of .

There are 224 pages in this book. This book was published 2000 by Pan Macmillan .

Joanne Jessop is a writer and editor of children's educational books, and is the author of several Natural History books. David Lambert is a freelance writer and has written more than sixty titles, mainly on Earth Science and Natural History.

This book has the following chapters: Part 1 Dynamic planet: birth of the Earth; spaceship Earth; sky and sea; mantle mysteries; changing continents; under the sea; Earth revealed; the living core. Part 2 The restless Earth: eruption!; anatomy of a volcano; hot spots; blowing its top; volcanoes and people; earthquake!; earthquakes and people; prediction and prevention; mountains. Part 3 Air and water: the wind; the weather; weird weather; the climate; climate threat; water power; floods and droughts; lands of ice. Part 4 Life story: changing times; the dawn of life; wonderful life; the fossil sky; invasion of the land; the real Jurassic park; kingdom of the giants; extinction; the birds and the bees; creatures of the ice; our ancestors. Part 5 People and the planet: fuel from the Earth; metals from the Earth; gems from the deep; human creators; human destroyers; the end of the Earth. Part 6 Changing oceans: planet ocean; the invisible landscape; tides; waves. Part 7 Ocean life: fish; sea mammals; coral reefs; life in the depths; rocky shores; sand and pebbles. Part 8 People and the oceans: early ocean explorers; the age of exploration; advances in navigation; the sea and the arts; food from the sea; hidden dangers; future prospets. Part 9 Exploring space: a place in the cosmos; looking up; looking out; rise of the rocket; race to the moon; the space shuttle; living in space; using space; Earthwatch. Part 10 The solar system: the solar system; Mercury; Venus; the Moon; Mars; mission to Mars; asteroids and meteors; Jupiter; Jupiter's moons; Saturn; Saturn's moons; Uranus; Neptune; Pluto; comets. Part 11 Stars: the active sun; outside the sun; star birth; star life; star death; black hole!. Part 12 Out in space, back in time: the Milky Way; our local group; expanding universe; the galactic zoo; violent galaxies; echoes of creation; the Big Bang; the great unknown. Part 13 Cosmic questions: beyond time; the search for ET; impossible questions.