What's So Great About Granite? (What's So Great About Geology?) |  | Author: Jennifer H. Carey
Creator: Marli Bryant Miller
Publisher: Mountain Press Publishing Company
List Price: $18.00
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Rating:  1 reviews
Sales Rank: 42600
Media: Paperback
Edition: First
Reading Level: Young Adult
Pages: 104
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 8.8 x 8.4 x 0.6
ISBN: 0878425632
Dewey Decimal Number: 552.3
EAN: 9780878425631
ASIN: 0878425632
Publication Date: October 1, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Even if they don t know much about rocks, most folks can name at least one place they have encountered granite; but ask them about the rocks graywacke, gneiss, or rhyolite, and they may give you a funny look. That s because speckled, sparkly, and beautiful granite is common and easy to identify. In everyday life you ll find countertops, headstones, flooring even whole buildings made of granite. In the natural world it forms random boulders in fields and many of the planet s loftiest peaks. Commonness aside, no two granites are alike; it is a mysterious rock that crystallizes from magma miles and miles below the surface, far beyond the reach of human observation.
The first title in the What s So Cool About Geology Series, What s So Great About Granite? brings this enigmatic rock to the light, exploring some of its mysteries with lively and lucid prose. Learn why some granite is pinkish while some is gray; why some granite crumbles in your hands while other granite can t be crushed by a tank; and why some granite is solid and unbroken for miles while some is riddled with cracks. Illustrated with crisp, stunning photographs and informative figures, What s So Great About Granite? is a must-have for anyone interested in one of the world s most fascinating rocks.
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What's So Great about Granite? November 3, 2009
Barney Considine (Missoula, Montana USA)
In her Introduction, Jennifer Carey says; "Though the book delves into complex topics, I tried to keep the technical jargon to a minimum and the tone light. I want readers of all ages and backgrounds to enjoy this celebration of granite."
Ms Carey has done all that she said she was going to do. There are catchy titles and cartoons. Any high school student should be able to handle the reading level and it is in the reach of a dedicated seventh or eighth grader. The concepts are another matter. Geology can't be interesting without being somewhat complex and this author hasn't shied away from the task. Amateur lay-geologists, young or old, will stop and study a bit. Others will do well to read the book at least twice.
The book tells what granite is and what differentiates it from other igneous and metamorphic rock. Granite comes in many shapes and sizes. It forms from liquid magma under pressure and deep in the earth. The book tells us how. Granite's constituent elements and crystalline structure govern everything from its color to how resistant it is to weathering. Do you want to know how scientists tell the age of rocks? This too is in the 73 pages of text in this little book. The author caps it off with an index, bibliography, glossary, and an appendix telling us where we might find granite in the United States.
Granite can almost be called the bedrock of the world. The oldest rocks known are granite. If you don't see granite where you live, you probably live on sedimentary fill in mid-America.
The photographs in "What's So Great about Granite?" are by Marli Bryant Miller. There are lots of them. They are in color and contribute significantly to the text. Unfortunately, the photographer is based in the western United States and the eastern part of the country is somewhat underrepresented.
Yes, it is great to know about granite. But there are lots of other interesting rocks and geologic processes. Let us hope for some more books by Jennifer Carey. Geology is too often presented only in technical reports and theses that are boring and nearly incomprehensible to laypeople. The contribution that this book makes to the literature is very real, and as solid as granite.
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