Mir Books

The book is based on the author’s impressions of her numerous expeditions in the many countries. It is a fascinating narrative rather than a mere record of facts irrespective of how scientifically valid they can be. The book is bound to be appreciated as a piece of absorbing reading by anyone who cares to increase the scope of his or her competence about our sweet home of a planet that must be saved from destruction at all costs.

Ekaterina Radkevich, Corresponding Member of the USSR Academy of Sciences, is one of the most distinguished geologists whose works are well known in her own country and in many other parts of the world. The overwhelming success of her publications is chiefly due to her indefatigable practical activity in the USSR and elsewhere and her unflagging interest in theoretical research which she has been conducting for quite some time at the Institute of Geological Studies in the Far East (Viadivostok).

Note: This book was the last remaining volume in the Science for Everyone Series! This completes volume the SFE series in English.

Many, many thanks to a patron who purchased and posted this book to us to complete  this series. Much appreciated help!

You can get the book here and here

Follow us on

Twitter https://x.com/MirTitles

Mastadon https://mastodon.social/@mirtitles

Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/mirtitles.bsky.social

Tumblr https://www.tumblr.com/mirtitles

Internet Archive https://archive.org/details/mir-titles

Fork us on gitlab https://gitlab.com/mirtitles

Contents
How I Became a Geologist (In Lieu of a Preface) 7

Part I. The Earth in the Universe 20

Chapter 1. The Earth as a Cosmic Body 20

Chapter 2. The Planet Earth 29

Chapter 3. The Deep-seated Structure of the Earth 38

Chapter 4. The Development of Views on the Origin of Earth and Other Planets of the Solar System 47

Part II. The History of the Development of the Earth 58

Chapter 5. The Dawn 58

Chapter 6. Life: The Earth’s Chronicle 70

Part III. Geology Everywhere 100

Chapter 7. The Work of the Wind 102

Chapter 8. The Role of Water in the Transformation of Our Planet 113

Chapter 9. The Activity of Subterranean Forces 127

Part IV. The Composition of the Earth’s Crust 147

Chapter 10. Sedimentary Rocks 147

Chapter 11. Magmatic (Igneous) Rocks 159

Chapter 12. Metamorphic Rocks 185

Part V. The Movements of the Earth’s Crust 202

Chapter 13. Mountains: Old and Young 203

Chapter 14. The Deformation of Rocks 208

Chapter 15. Fixism vs. Mobilism 216

Part VI. Mineral Resources 236

Chapter 16. The Mineral Kingdom 236

Chapter 17. Mineral Raw Materials and Technical Progress 258

Chapter 18. The Future of Mineral Raw Resources 280

Chapter 19. How Ores Are Formed 286

Chapter 20. The Science of Metallogeny 308

Chapter 21. In Quest of Ores 328

Chapter 22. At the Metallogenic Map of the Pacific Belt 338

Chapter 23. Mineral Resources of the Seas and the Underwater Storerooms of Mineral Raw Materials 349

Chapter 24. Save Our Earth! 361

To End on a Poetic Note 367