The dramatic history of planet Earth and the rocky road tounderstanding the past A probing account of the history of the earth and anintroduction to the many eccentric characters that have attemptedto understand its origins. Full of fascinating anecdotes about 19th century explorers andnatural philosophers who first carved up Earth's history just asothers were carving up the globe. Unravels the fascinating history of rock strata and theimplications they have had on accepted theories on the Earth'slife. Considers the future of the earth, and what a repeat of some ofthe catastrophic events of the earth's past, such as majorearthquakes and asteroid collisions, could mean for lifetoday.