Revolution in the Earth Sciences: Advances in the Past Half‐Century

Abstract

This volume is the proceedings of a symposium held at Carleton College to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its Department of Geology and to honor the founder of that department, Larry Gould, later the president of Carleton and long an internationally prominent figure in the area of polar research. The title of the volume may lead some to anticipate a more comprehensive treatment of the “revolution” than its articles provide. However, its stated purpose is to illuminate just how the substantial changes of recent decades came about in each of a wide variety of areas within earth science, in effect providing a set of case studies of the revolution. In this it succeeds admirably.The dramatic evolution of ideas in geotectonics is not directly treated here; indeed, it would be difficult to say much that is new in doing so. Instead, most of the 31 articles in this paperbound volume focus on developments in specific fields ranging from experimental rock deformation (considered by Tullis and Tullis) to the geology of Antarctica (by Rowley). A noteworthy and distinguishing feature of this collection is that the articles provide lucid reviews at a level accessible to undergraduates. Especially valuable for their concise treatment of major areas are papers on advances in high pressure experimentation (by Bishop), on the development of ideas about Archean tectonics (by Southwick), on current thinking about Precambrian crustal evolution (by Ernst) and on the application of radiogenic isotopic systems to geochronology and petrogenesis (by Bickford). Similarly, Hanor describes the development of thinking about subsurface sedimentary brines, Carson reviews ideas on sediment deposition and deformation at convergent margins, and Collier discusses the renaissance in invertebrate paleontology. Also present are excellent papers on aspects of geomorphology, hydrogeology, archaeological geology, venusian tectonics, and 11 articles on topics in economic geology and mineral and energy resources. Among the latter, all of which are very clearly written, a paper by Albers on the leadership role of the U.S. Geological Survey in meeting national mineral and energy needs is particularly recommended.