Description:

Aimed at B.Sc. students of geology, this introductory text develops a basic understanding of the Earth as a complex, evolving system of geological processes. This book will also be of immense use to those postgraduate students of geology who opt for this stream after graduating in disciplines other than geology.

Geology as a science has recently gained increasing importance because of the current developments in oil and mineral exploration and also because of recent occurrences of earthquakes and tsunamis.

This book covers the entire spectrum of the geologic concepts and relates them to the main processes of geomorphology, earthquakes and volcanoes. Important types of the three categories of rocks—igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic—that form the crust of the Earth are described with their characteristic mineralogy. Major structures that are born of tectonic activities are discussed. Palaeontological descriptions cover not only the plant and animal groups but also other evidences of life in the geological record and evolution. An important feature of the text is that modern stratigraphic methods of classification are outlined clearly, and the latest geologic time scale with numerical ages as approved in 2004 by the International Commission on Stratigrahy of the International Union of Geological Sciences is incorporated.