A Short History of Planet Earth

"A Short History of Planet Earth" (ABC Books, ISBN 0 7333 1004 4, Ian Plimer) written for the layman, paints a big picture in vivid colours of the big events in the history of our planet. The book shows that the planet is an evolving dynamic system with changing interactions between the Sun, Moon, atmosphere, oceans, life, rocks and space. Planet Earth is a warm, wet, greenhouse, volcanic planet which has had water and life for more than 3800 million years.

During this time, the planet has been peppered by meteorites and comets. Evolving life became extinct for a diversity of reasons thereby creating niches for filling by new life.  Sea levels constantly changed as did the atmosphere and oceans.

The history of planet Earth written in stone shows that either the creationists worship a God that has written lies in the geological record or they have no basic scientific knowledge.

For 80% of time Earth has enjoyed greenhouse conditions. In geological, archaeological and historical times, climate change has been driven by sunspots, solar flares, supernovae, planetary wobbles, meteorites, comets, mountain building, continental drift, volcanicity, weathering, erosion, sedimentation, life, ocean currents, tides and ice armadas. To argue that global warming is human-induced is to ignore the scientific evidence for all past events of global warming. We humans live at the edge, massive geological events in the past have shaped history and one volcano can spoil your whole day.

Long after Homo sapiens becomes extinct from a pandemic following a meteorite impact, a geological horizon comprising concentrations of radioactive elements, heavy metals, complex organic compounds and synthetic refractory minerals will define the time that humans were on Earth. This horizon will record increased erosion and minor mass extinctions of vegetation and macrofauna.

Professor Plimer's book is published by ABC Books and is available for purchase at all good book shops.