A dictionary of earth sciences

Abstract

This dictionary is one of a series designed for use in schools. It is intended for stu- dents of earth sciences, but we hope that it will also be helpful to other science students and to anyone interested in science. Facts On File also publishes dictionar- ies in a variety of disciplines, including astronomy, chemistry, biology, computer science, physics, mathematics, forensic science, weather and climate, and marine sci- ence. This book is based on an edition first published by the Macmillan Press in 1976 and it was last revised in 2000. This second Facts on File edition has been extensively re- vised and extended. The dictionary now contains over 3500 headwords covering the terminology of modern earth science. A totally new feature of this edition is the in- clusion of over 1,500 pronunciations for terms that are not in everyday use. An ap- pendix lists the chemical elements and their properties and includes a list of Web sites and a bibliography. A guide to using the dictionary has also been added to this lat- est version of the book. We would like to thank all the people who have cooperated in producing this book. A list of contributors is given on the acknowledgments page. We are also grateful to the many people who have given additional help and advice.