Evolutionary Catastrophes : The Science of Mass Extinction

Rating:
Summary: Evolutionary Catastrophies.
Review: Probably no single mass extinction of the five known to have occurred has captured popular notice so thoroughly as has the KT event. Ideas about what might have caused this disaster, which may have brought about the end of the dinosaurs, abound and range from change in the oxygen content of the atmosphere to astroid impacts. Mr. Courtillot, a French investigator of the Deccan Traps in India and China, has been the leading proponent of the volcanic-climatic disaster motif. In this book he defends his hypothesis, primarily against its leading opponent the Alvarez' astroidal impact theory, and believes that the evidence from the field more completely supports his theory of the cause of extinctions, not only at the KT boundary but through most of life's history. The volume is somewhat less readable than the Alvarez book (see T. Rex and the Crater of Doom or the review of it under my name), because it contains more technical information. The author defines many of his terms for the lay reader, but the discussion is definitely more understandable for the reader with some knowledge of geology in his/her background.

Rating:
Summary: Evolutionary Catastrophies.
Review: Probably no single mass extinction of the five known to have occurred has captured popular notice so thoroughly as has the KT event. Ideas about what might have caused this disaster, which may have brought about the end of the dinosaurs, abound and range from change in the oxygen content of the atmosphere to astroid impacts. Mr. Courtillot, a French investigator of the Deccan Traps in India and China, has been the leading proponent of the volcanic-climatic disaster motif. In this book he defends his hypothesis, primarily against its leading opponent the Alvarez' astroidal impact theory, and believes that the evidence from the field more completely supports his theory of the cause of extinctions, not only at the KT boundary but through most of life's history. The volume is somewhat less readable than the Alvarez book (see T. Rex and the Crater of Doom or the review of it under my name), because it contains more technical information. The author defines many of his terms for the lay reader, but the discussion is definitely more understandable for the reader with some knowledge of geology in his/her background.

Rating:
Summary: important information about geology and exciting
Review: This kind of analysis and extrapolation adds a great deal of information for the layman who is willing to follow the discus- sion about geology and has background such as the Mcphee books, seismic theories of interior earth movements and plate tectonics. Because it is written by a French Scientist I feel it may not be given the attention it might if written by an American. It is slow going in the beginning because he explains the Alvarez discoveries and theories in more detail than I had previously had. When he gets to the discussion of the great volcanic events that created the huge lava plateaus such as the one in the Grand Coullee in Washington State, it gets very exciting because he gives a great deal of information that is new to me. This infor- mation brings a whole new dimension to plate techtonics, hot spots and possible extinctions. A great adventure in time.

Rating:
Summary: important information about geology and exciting
Review: This kind of analysis and extrapolation adds a great deal of information for the layman who is willing to follow the discus- sion about geology and has background such as the Mcphee books, seismic theories of interior earth movements and plate tectonics. Because it is written by a French Scientist I feel it may not be given the attention it might if written by an American. It is slow going in the beginning because he explains the Alvarez discoveries and theories in more detail than I had previously had. When he gets to the discussion of the great volcanic events that created the huge lava plateaus such as the one in the Grand Coullee in Washington State, it gets very exciting because he gives a great deal of information that is new to me. This infor- mation brings a whole new dimension to plate techtonics, hot spots and possible extinctions. A great adventure in time.