The Story of the Earth in 25 Rocks

Tales of Important Geological Puzzles and the People Who Solved Them

By: Donald R. Prothero

Narrated by: Tom Parks

Length: 11 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

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 Tantor

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Don’t hesitate

Loved this book! Parks narration was phenomenal and Prothero is so invested in understanding geology!

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.

Good history of the science

Throughout most of the book you would not know which "rock" is being discussed. The stories wander quite a lot, he never summarizes and brings it back to the rock that the chapter is about, and they is no final summary or obvious flow through the book. I enjoyed the history and science and the problems that had to be solved. I think bringing the pieces together, setting them up, and linking them would make it all work better. To write a bit like Dr. Prothero, my college physiology professor would say "tell them what you're going to tell them, tell them, then tell the. what you told them.". There are many times where the it feels like the story is there so that the author can say that he met/knew/worked with/took a class from someone.

Scaled down stone stories

If rocks intrigue you but you don’t have the time to enroll in a course in geology this book is for you