Book description
This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the field of
geochemistry. The book first lays out the 'geochemical toolbox': the
basic principles and techniques of modern geochemistry, beginning with
a review of thermodynamics and kinetics as they apply to the Earth and
its environs. These basic concepts are then applied to understanding
processes in aqueous systems and the behavior of trace elements in
magmatic systems. Subsequent chapters introduce radiogenic and stable
isotope geochemistry and illustrate their application to such diverse
topics as determining geologic time, ancient climates, and the diets
of prehistoric peoples. The focus then broadens to the formation of
the solar system, the Earth, and the elements themselves. Then the
composition of the Earth itself becomes the topic, examining the
composition of the core, the mantle, and the crust and exploring how
this structure originated. A final chapter covers organic chemistry,
including the origin of fossil fuels and the carbon cycle's role in
controlling Earth's climate, both in the geologic past and the rapidly
changing present.
Geochemistry is essential reading for all earth science
students, as well as for researchers and applied scientists who
require an introduction to the essential theory of geochemistry, and a
survey of its applications in the earth and environmental sciences.
Additional resources can be found at: www. wiley. com/go/white/geochemistry
William White
teaches geochemistry as a Professor of earth and atmospheric sciences
at Cornell University. He received a B. A. in geology from the
University of California, Berkeley and a PhD in oceanography from the
University of Rhode Island. He is a fellow of the Geochemical
Society/European Association of Geochemistry and the AGU, and has been
named a highly cited author by ISI.
