Geological Journeys: From Artifacts to Zircon

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Kimberley is famous for diamonds: where did the name come from? What are the Killer Lakes of Cameroon? How do we know which wine the Scorpion King of Ancient Egypt drank? Why was the world's first nuclear reactor sited in Central Africa? What are lightning stones and where are they found? Geological Journeys from Artifacts to Zircon takes us on a whirlwind tour of some of the ways in which geology and humans are linked, in forty-one chapters that range through space and time. Copiously illustrated with 143 maps and pictures, and with extensive references, it will entertain and suggest new fields of interest for the non-scientist and specialist alike. Since the beginnings of humankind, geology has affected everyone's daily life. Myths and legends give us clues to natural disasters such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions in the remote past: science helps us to avoid the worst effects of such disasters today. Primitive artists were the first exploiters of our mineral wealth, and the rise and fall of civilisations can often be linked to their location on the Earth's patchwork crust. The book also chronicles some important contributors to geological knowledge and others celebrated for their notoriety rather than their scholarship. It gives us fascinating geological insights into why certain battles were won, why criminals should fear flowers, and other quirky topics, taking us not only from artifacts to zircon, but from emeralds to earthquakes, and from Stonehenge to Captain Starlight, along the way.