Changing the Surface

CHANGING THE SURFACE is the third book in the Adventures in Earth Science series and deals with the topics of weathering, erosion and the landscapes which they produce. The general nature of change in minerals within rocks and how rocks are degraded by both physical and chemical means is discussed in the first chapter which also contains a section about soils and their classification.Chapter Two looks at the unique chemical weathering of carbonate rocks such as limestone, marble and dolomite. From the landscapes of the surface of karst regions, the chapter then explores the world below the surface in limestone caves, looking at their formation and their spelaeothems or cave formations. There is also a video website link to take readers below ground into some of the author’s favourite caves.The remaining three chapters looks at the works of erosion of water, ice and wind respectively and describes the many features of the landscapes sculptured by these three major forms of erosion. The emphasis here is that the reader should be able now to identify such landforms and understand their environment.All chapters have a large number of photographs taken by the author in many exotic parts of the world. Including the high Andes, the Amazon basin, the Nubian Desert and Antarctica. The author is indebted to his son Matthew who provided some of the photographs taken in Bolivia. Several of the author’s videos to some of these places are provided as video website links.CHANGING THE SURFACE is the third book in the Adventures in Earth Science series and deals with the topics of weathering, erosion and the landscapes which they produce. The general nature of change in minerals within rocks and how rocks are degraded by both physical and chemical means is discussed in the first chapter which also contains a section about soils and their classification.Chapter Two looks at the unique chemical weathering of carbonate rocks such as limestone, marble and dolomite. From the landscapes of the surface of karst regions, the chapter then explores the world below the surface in limestone caves, looking at their formation and their spelaeothems or cave formations. There is also a video website link to take readers below ground into some of the author’s favourite caves.The remaining three chapters looks at the works of erosion of water, ice and wind respectively and describes the many features of the landscapes sculptured by these three major forms of erosion. The emphasis here is that the reader should be able now to identify such landforms and understand their environment.All chapters have a large number of photographs taken by the author in many exotic parts of the world. Including the high Andes, the Amazon basin, the Nubian Desert and Antarctica. The author is indebted to his son Matthew who provided some of the photographs taken in Bolivia. Several of the author’s videos to some of these places are provided as video website links. 3