The Elements of Geology
Geology is a science of
such rapid growth that no apology is expected when from time to time a new
text-book is added to those already in the field. The present work, however, is
the outcome of the need of a text-book of very simple outline, in which causes
and their consequences should be knit together as closely as possible,—a need
long felt by the author in his teaching, and perhaps by other teachers also. The
author has ventured, therefore, to depart from the common usage which subdivides
geology into a number of departments,—dynamical, structural, physiographic, and
historical,—and to treat in immediate connection with each geological process
the land forms and the rock structures which it has produced. In arrangement,
the twofold division of the subject was chosen because of its simplicity and
effectiveness. The principles of physical geology come first; the several
chapters are arranged in what is believed to be a natural order, appropriate to
the greatest part of our country, so that from a simple beginning a logical
sequence of topics leads through the whole subject. The historical view of the
science comes second, with many specific illustrations of the physical processes
previously studied, but now set forth as part of the story of the earth, with
its many changes of aspect and its succession of inhabitants. Special attention
is here given to North America, and care is taken to avoid overloading with
details.
Author(s): William Harmon Norton
NA Pages