Alfred McEwen

University of Arizona

We may earn commissions for purchases made via this page

Book Recommendations:

Recommended by Alfred McEwen

Planetary Geoscience provides a comprehensive overview of what Earthlings know about the geology, geophysics, and geochemistry of solid worlds beyond Earth, from stardust to Venus. It clearly presents key concepts with a combination of beautiful illustrations, well-written text, and only essential equations. This is probably the best introductory planetary textbook for geoscience majors. (from Amazon)

Planetary Geoscience book cover

by Harry Y. McSween Jr, Jeffrey E. Moersch, Devon M. Burr, William M. Dunne, Joshua P. Emery, Linda C. Kah, Molly C. McCanta·You?

For many years, planetary science has been taught as part of the astronomy curriculum, from a very physics-based perspective, and from the framework of a tour of the Solar System - body by body. Over the past decades, however, spacecraft exploration and related laboratory research on extraterrestrial materials have given us a new understanding of planets and how they are shaped by geological processes. Based on a course taught at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, this is the first textbook to focus on geologic processes, adopting a comparative approach that demonstrates the similarities and differences between planets, and the reasons for these. Profusely illustrated, and with a wealth of pedagogical features, this book provides an ideal capstone course for geoscience majors - bringing together aspects of mineralogy, petrology, geochemistry, volcanology, sedimentology, geomorphology, tectonics, geophysics and remote sensing.