Wow!  Here you are on the quest for the Definitive Plate Tectonics e-Book

Just a quick note to you before you get your book. I have been on a mission.  Back in my undergraduate years we studied plate tectonics and geodynamics and it was fascinating.  We looked at all sorts of rocks and related them back to their tectonic settings.  This was also fascinating.  But one thing we never really got into was the history of the subject and how the different pieces of the puzzle were put together.

So I have spent some time sifting through the text books, the history books and hanging out on the web to bring you some real insights into the development of the theory of plate tectonics, and how it is fundamental to our understanding of how the Earth works.

Still need convincing why Plate Tectonics is so important?  

The theory of Plate Tectonics is the lens through which the Earth Scientists view their world.  Everything is related back to the tectonic setting in which a specific geological process takes place – whether it is the deposition of sediment into a fault-controlled basin, the eruption of a volcano above a populated city, or a tsunami that surges across the landscape. 

I don't see the connections being made.

In geography we have to study the rock cycle.  Some of us study glaciation.  All of us study climate and meteorology.  I am also pleased that the actual subject of plate tectonics has become part of the syllabus.  But what don’t see in many instances is the connections being made between plate tectonics, the rock cycle, the shape of the ocean basins and how oceans and topography affect the climate. 

I have a copy of Arthur Holmes' Principles of Physical Geology, the first edition of which was written well before Plate Tectonics became mainstream science.  The last edition, published in 1965, shows a reaching for an answer to the distribution of earthquakes, the position of oceanic trenches, why the oceans are shaped the way they are, and why there are mountain ranges associated with earthquakes and volcanic activity.

Is our geography syllabus stuck in the past?

It all might seem self-evident now, but we have the benefit of hindsight.  That said, I feel that the physical geography syllabus is still somewhat stuck in the past – in fact when I first laid my hands on a copy of Holmes, I was taken back to my school geography lessons – there was all sorts of information on glaciers, coastal landforms, flooded coastlines, the formation of waterfalls and the development of ox-bow lakes - and I feel that our geography syllabus is still harking back to the days of Holmes.  

I feel that there is a disconnect.  Everything that we study in the physical geography syllabus can ultimately be related back to the Theory of Plate Tectonics.  It is Earth’s Operating System – it recycles the rocks, regulates the temperature, sequestrates carbon and keeps our Earth habitable. 

Which brings me to my point.  I think we need to have a better understanding of the subject of Plate Tectonics – the history, the mechanics - in short the nuts and bolts of how it works, and why it is important.

And in this light I have spent some time putting together an e-book on the subject which I do believe will provide some amazing insights and assist you in your teaching efforts by making those connections I have alluded to above.  

So do yourself a favour and grab a copy of the book.  It normally costs R150 but we are giving it to you for just R99.   It begins with the history of the theory – how Alfred Wegener first put forward the theory and how it was ridiculed by the earth scientists of the day.  Wegener died in a blizzard on a Greenland expedition in 1930 and it took 35 years for his orphaned child to turn into a beautiful princess.  It’s a tale of grand adventure, infighting, big science and big egos. From sub hunting in the Pacific, to sexist attitudes at Columbia University, to the hallowed halls of Cambridge, scientists got together, fought it out, collaborated, and eventually bolted the theory down.

Then we have a chapter on the structure of the Earth, and how earth scientists got a handle on things based on earthquake data.  We need to understand as this has enormous implications in terms of framing how the plates drift on top of the mantle.

Finally there are the nuts and bolts of the theory, which is the fun part.  Indonesian and Japanese volcanoes, towering fold mountains of the Alps and Himalayas, obducted pillow basalts in Oman, and amazing creatures that live in the boiling hot water at the spreading centres where new oceanic crust is formed.

So there you have it.  Its worth the read, so grab your copy now.

Normally sells for R150

But for one week only we are giving it away for just R99

This book is going to give you amazing insights into:

• Wegener’s expeditions to Greenland.
• How British and American earth scientists hated the theory.
• How some brave earth scientists, having seen the evidence, stuck their necks out and supported the theory.
• The accidental geophysical surveys that took place whilst sub hunting in the Pacific.
• Sexist attitudes which dismissed the 'girly talk' findings of a woman who was actually one step ahead of them all.
• Sea floor spreading being only half the story – where did all the extra crust go?
• The formation of spectacular mountain ranges
• Volcanic eruptions around the Ring of Fire
• Earthquakes and tsunamis and geohazards

And plenty more besides