Almost 14.5 billion years ago, it all started with a BIG BANG and what began as a cloud of gas, dust, and rock eventually took shape and bloomed into a molten sphere. Battered by asteroid collisions, ice ages, and shifting tectonic plates, our fledgling planet finally pushed forth continents. But if you think the earth has calmed down since then?think again! Geological activity continues to sculpt the earth's landscape, sometimes with terrible consequences for its inhabitants: earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis. In this one-of-a-kind, wild, but true history of Earth, the Sibert Honor medalist Don Brown takes on big concepts with humor and ease. AGES: 10 to 12 AUTHOR: Dr. Michael Perfit is Professor and Chair of Geological Sciences at the University of Florida where he has worked since 1982. He has authored or co-authored more than 100 peer-reviewed technical papers and articles in professional scientific publications and has been a principal investigator on numerous research grants from the National Science Foundation and NOAA. He has participated on over 20 oceanographic research cruises and served as co-chief scientist on several more. While at the University of Florida he has received several awards for excellence in teaching at the University of Florida and was the Flint Term Professor in 1999-2000. He has also enjoyed adjunct academic appointments at the Australian National University, Cornell University, University of Tasmania, and the Institut du Physique du Globe, Paris.
