Geology Reference
In-Depth Information
Throughout Earth history, the air, the seas, the land, and life have been shaped by Earth's
transformative powers: the power of sunlight and Earth's inner heat, the magic of water,
thechemicalpowerofcarbonandoxygen,andtheceaselessconvectionofthedeepinterior
andconsequentdisruptionsofthecrustthroughearthquakes,volcanoes,andtheincessantly
shifting continental plates. In the midst of these forces, our species has proven to be re-
silient, clever, and adaptable. We have learned technological tricks to shape our world to
our will: we mine and refine its metals, fertilize and cultivate its soils, divert and exploit
its rivers, extract and burn its fossil fuels. Our actions are not without consequences. Every
day, if we are attuned to the dynamic processes of our planetary home, we can experience
every facet of its intertwined creative forces. And we can then understand how devastat-
ingly changeable the world can be, and how utterly indifferent it is to our fleeting aspira-
tions.
