
The Story of the Earth in 25 Rocks
Tales of Important Geological Puzzles and the People Who Solved Them
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Narrated by:
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Tom Parks
About this listen
The Story of the Earth in 25 Rocks tells the fascinating stories behind the discoveries that shook the foundations of geology. In 25 chapters, Donald R. Prothero recounts the scientific detective work that shaped our understanding of geology, from the unearthing of exemplary specimens to tectonic shifts in how we view the inner workings of our planet.
Prothero follows in the footsteps of the scientists who asked - and answered - geology's biggest questions: How do we know how old the earth is? What happened to the supercontinent Pangea? How did ocean rocks end up at the top of Mount Everest? What can we learn about our planet from meteorites and moon rocks? He answers these questions through expertly chosen case studies, such as Pliny the Younger's firsthand account of the eruption of Vesuvius; the granite outcrops that led a Scottish scientist to theorize that the landscapes he witnessed were far older than Noah's Flood; the salt and gypsum deposits under the Mediterranean Sea that indicate that it was once a desert; and how trying to date the age of meteorites revealed the dangers of lead poisoning.
Each of these breakthroughs filled in a piece of the greater puzzle that is the earth, with scientific discoveries dovetailing with each other to offer an increasingly coherent image of the geologic past.
©2018 Donald R. Prothero (P)2020 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
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interesting, informative and well presented.
- By Steven Mark on 01-09-16
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Paradox
- The Nine Greatest Enigmas in Physics
- By: Jim Al-Khalili
- Narrated by: Matthew Waterson
- Length: 6 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Throughout history, scientists have come up with theories and ideas that just don't seem to make sense. These we call paradoxes. The paradoxes Al-Khalili offers are drawn chiefly from physics and astronomy and represent those that have stumped some of the finest minds. With elegant explanations that bring the listener inside the mind of those who've developed them, Al-Khalili helps us to see that, in fact, paradoxes can be solved if seen from the right angle.
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Almost Useless
- By Michael on 06-19-19
By: Jim Al-Khalili
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Reading the Rocks
- The Autobiography of the Earth
- By: Marcia Bjornerud
- Narrated by: Alma Cuervo
- Length: 8 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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To many of us, the Earth's crust is a relic of ancient, unknowable history. But to a geologist, stones are richly illustrated narratives, telling gothic tales of cataclysm and reincarnation. For more than four billion years, in beach sand, granite, and garnet schists, the planet has kept a rich and idiosyncratic journal of its past. Fulbright Scholar Marcia Bjornerud takes the listener along on an eye-opening tour of Deep Time, explaining in elegant prose what we see and feel beneath our feet.
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More like a whiny sermon.
- By Keith on 10-09-24
By: Marcia Bjornerud
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A Brief History of Earth
- Four Billion Years in Eight Chapters
- By: Andrew H. Knoll
- Narrated by: Tom Parks
- Length: 4 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Drawing on his decades of field research and up-to-the-minute understanding of the latest science, renowned geologist Andrew H. Knoll delivers a rigorous yet accessible biography of Earth, charting our home planet's epic 4.6 billion-year story. Placing 21st-century climate change in deep context, A Brief History of Earth is an indispensable look at where we’ve been and where we’re going.
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Very chilling and well thought out
- By Colin Bump on 05-21-21
By: Andrew H. Knoll
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Just Six Numbers
- The Deep Forces That Shape the Universe
- By: Martin J. Rees
- Narrated by: John Curless
- Length: 6 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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There are deep connections between stars and atoms, between the cosmos and the microworld. Just six numbers, imprinted in the "Big Bang", determine the essential features of our entire physical world. Moreover, cosmic evolution is astonishingly sensitive to the values of these numbers. If any one of them were "untuned", there could be no stars and no life. This realization offers a radically new perspective on our universe, our place in it, and the nature of physical laws.
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Old Fine-Tuning Book
- By Michael on 12-16-18
By: Martin J. Rees
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Basin and Range
- Annals of the Former World, Book 1
- By: John McPhee
- Narrated by: Nelson Runger
- Length: 7 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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To geologists, rocks are beautiful, roadcuts are windowpanes, and the earth is alive, a work in progress. The cataclysmic movement that gives birth to mountains and oceans is ongoing and can still be seen at certain places on our planet. One of these is the Basin and Range region centered in Nevada and Utah.
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Wow.
- By Julie on 10-12-04
By: John McPhee
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The Universe
- Leading Scientists Explore the Origin, Mysteries, and Future of the Cosmos
- By: John Brockman
- Narrated by: Antony Ferguson, Danny Campbell, Jo Anna Perrin
- Length: 12 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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In The Universe, today's most influential science writers explain the science behind our evolving understanding of The Universe and everything in it, including the cutting-edge research and discoveries that are shaping our knowledge. Lee Smolin reveals how math and cosmology are helping us create a theory of the whole universe. Neil Turok analyzes the fundamental laws of nature, what came before the big bang, and the possibility of a unified theory. And much more.
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Equivalant to reading 25 books
- By Gary on 10-05-14
By: John Brockman
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A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived
- The Human Story Retold Through Our Genes
- By: Adam Rutherford
- Narrated by: Adam Rutherford
- Length: 12 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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In our unique genomes, every one of us carries the story of our species - births, deaths, disease, war, famine, migration, and a lot of sex. But those stories have always been locked away - until now. Who are our ancestors? Where did they come from? Geneticists have suddenly become historians, and the hard evidence in our DNA has completely upended what we thought we knew about ourselves. Acclaimed science writer Adam Rutherford explains exactly how genomics is completely rewriting the human story - from 100,000 years ago to the present.
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I wish this book was in American high schools.
- By melody sheldon on 03-31-19
By: Adam Rutherford
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When Life Nearly Died
- The Greatest Mass Extinction of All Time
- By: Michael J. Benton
- Narrated by: Julian Elfer
- Length: 11 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Today it is common knowledge that the dinosaurs were wiped out by a meteorite impact 65 million years ago that killed half of all species then living. It is far less widely understood that a much greater catastrophe took place at the end of the Permian period 251 million years ago: at least 90 percent of life on earth was destroyed. When Life Nearly Died documents not only what happened during this gigantic mass extinction, but also the recent renewal of the idea of catastrophism.
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Obscurity to Enlightenment - A Mystery Revealed
- By Dipam on 03-18-21
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From Bacteria to Bach and Back
- The Evolution of Minds
- By: Daniel C. Dennett
- Narrated by: Tom Perkins
- Length: 15 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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What is human consciousness, and how is it possible? This question fascinates thinking people from poets and painters to physicists, psychologists, and philosophers. From Bacteria to Bach and Back is Daniel C. Dennett's brilliant answer, extending perspectives from his earlier work in surprising directions, exploring the deep interactions of evolution, brains, and human culture.
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The only other review was so bad that I wrote this
- By Adam on 02-13-17
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Conquering the Electron
- The Geniuses, Visionaries, Egomaniacs, and Scoundrels Who Built Our Electronic Age
- By: Derek Cheung, Eric Brach
- Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin
- Length: 14 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Want to know how AT&T's Bell Labs developed semiconductor technology - and how its leading scientists almost came to blows in the process? Want to understand how radio and television work - and why RCA drove their inventors to financial ruin and early graves? Conquering the Electron offers these stories and more, presenting each revolutionary technological advance right alongside blow-by-blow personal battles that all too often took place.
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Tech, science, engineering & the people behind it.
- By James S. on 05-29-20
By: Derek Cheung, and others
What listeners say about The Story of the Earth in 25 Rocks
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- Cameron Dyer
- 05-26-23
Amazing book
I Billy geology taking this is a great boat to jumpstart that it is engaging and easy read enjoyed it thoroughly cannot recommend it enough
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- The Wyoming Geezer
- 04-01-21
Fascinating Tour Through The Ages
Every chapter of this book tells a gripping story. There were so many geologic and human nature stories that I bought the hard copy to keep as a reference. If you like science, especially earth science, this book is for you.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Talynn
- 10-27-21
One of the best Evolution Scientist
His books fill anyone's mind with scientific fact. If you have any doubts about Evolutionary Theory (wich is a fact) read Protheros "Evolution" book. Donald teaches us Decades of his expertise.
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- Amazon Customer
- 07-11-21
Great for students or enthusiasts!
This book was thorough and very informative. Great for students or enthusiasts of geology, paleontology and biology. The Narration was done well and easy to listen to.
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- William Jordan
- 09-22-24
Main Title is Inadequate for Scope of Book
The subtitle says it all: this not a book just about rocks. It is a comprehensive, fascinating, well done history of modern geology. Highly recommended, even for those like myself who lived through and participated in this revolution.
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- PhD
- 08-25-20
Enthralling!
It _is_ a history of (geological) science and the story of those who made it happen. The full arc _is_ a history of our planet. If you keep this in mind, you will enjoy the book immensely.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Connor
- 03-20-21
Don’t hesitate
Loved this book! Parks narration was phenomenal and Prothero is so invested in understanding geology!
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- mary c gilbert
- 10-28-23
Very entertaining and educational
Well written and entertaining. California born and raised in the imperial valley it was interesting learning more about the movements of the pacific and North American plates.
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- gemg
- 03-04-25
Loved it!
I borrowed the audio book from Audible Plus, finished it in 3 days at higher speed, and enjoyed it so much I bought a hardbound book of it. The writer gives an interesting and concise history of geology which is fun to read. In fact, it explained so many missing gaps in my education as a high school science teacher that I was excited. The science overlapped into many other disciplines and explained the puzzles that scientists had to overcome to come up with a theory.
I enjoyed the book and the author so much I bought two more of his books and I would highly recommend him.
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- wbiro
- 06-26-22
Good History of the Field
And you will learn some geology, too. The book is the best up to date book out there, presenting recent findings not found in older books. The author put a lot of work into weaveimg in fascinating related history (the book begins with the account of Pliny the Elder and the Mt. Vesuvius eruption), lending entertainment and depth to the subject, as opposed to a dry lecture which would make a listener hate geology, and I've run into those, feelimg like I was scraping the bottom of the barrel on the subject. This book is the cream of the crop by comparison.
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2 people found this helpful