Scotland's Beginnings

What would we have seen if we looked out over the landscape of Scotland at its very beginning, before the impact of mankind? What would it be like to swim in the Jurassic sea? Or stand early one morning in the dragon-fly haunted coal forests of the Midland Valley? This book captures in words, drawings, paintings and photographs the dramatic sceneries - erupting volcanoes, colliding continents - and ever-changing landscape of Scotland. A second volume by Andrew Kitchener, describing the origins of wildlife in Scotland, is scheduled for 2006.

ISBN 1901663264   DEWEY 554.11 ISBN13 9781901663266 (What's this?)   DEWEY edition DC22 Publisher NMSE - Publishing Ltd   Pages 88 Imprint NMSE - Publishing Ltd   Published in Edinburgh Format Paperback   Height (mm) 220 Publication date 21 Sep 2007   Width (mm) 200 Library of Congress QE13.G7   Academic level General

Image and text credits Preface Part 1 Scotland's journey across the Earth's surface Introduction to Part 1: 'The present is the key to the past' The building blocks of time: rocks and fossils Scotland's journey through time: the geological timeline The oldest rocks: Lewisian gneiss Icebergs in southern seas: about 650 million years ago Crumpling Scotland: about 500 million years ago The Vanishing ocean: about 440 million years ago Early land and lake life: about 410 million years ago Volcanoes: about 340 million years ago Tropical seas: about 345 million years ago Fossils: East Kirkton - a snapshot in time Tropical coal forests: about 300 million years ago The great Scottish desert: about 260 million years ago The new seas: about 167 million years ago The high lava plateaus: about 60 million years ago The ice ages Changes of climate Ancient seasides Part 2 Scotland's Wildlife Introduction to Part 2 Scotland today: a natural wilderness? Relict species: Ice Age survivors Fossils Evidence for the extinct Reconstructing past habitats Radiocarbon dating: dating the past Pollen analysis - reconstructing past habitats History of the forests 11,750 years ago From 11,750 to 6000 years ago Former tundra and forest life From 6000 years ago Forests today Scotland's natural heritage: the biodiversity Made in Scotland: Endemic Species The Habitats Seas and shores Inland water Freshwater habitats Wetland habitats Peatlands: Fens and Bogs Mountain and Moorland Farms and cities: urban and farmland habitats Is Scotland's wildlife important? Places and websites to visit Books to read

'... a superbly illustrated, information-packed booklet. A strong feature of the book is the inclusion of many excellent photographs of named localities with information about their wildlife, which makes you want to jump straightaway into your car and head for Scotland.'British Journal of Entomology and Natural History'... Detailed without being overwhelming, it is a very well-written guide. It is also beautifully illustrated with 120 images comprising photos of spectacular scenery, specimens and thin sections, alongside artistic reconstructions and handy diagrams.'Geological Curator

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