Rocks, like books, are waiting to be read. Whether part of a cliff face or a pebbled shoreline, rocks record the complex tales of both their creation and their transformation over time. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * Rocks, like books, are waiting to be read.
Whether part of a cliff face or a pebbled shoreline, rocks record the complex tales of both their creation and their transformation over time. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? Rocks, like books, are waiting to be read. Whether part of a cliff face or a pebbled shoreline, rocks record the complex tales of both their creation and their transformation over time.
Of course, it takes special skills to read the stories rocks tell. Fortunately for those unsure how to begin, American geologist and geosciences professor Marcia Bjornerud knows how to read these intriguing records. She also knows how to make their stories come alive.
In , Bjornerud shares the stories of a diverse sampling of rocks, from the familiar to the rare. In this, her fourth book, she dedicates chapters to types of rock, from sandstone to dolomite to quartzite. Katelyn Storey photo Marcia Bjornerud A poetically written geological primer, the book also shares episodes from Bjornerud’s personal life.
As she teaches readers about the origins and qualities of different rocks, Bjornerud shares reflections on challenges she has faced, including her experience of widowhood while still a young woman and the difficulties of raising three sons as a single parent. The appeal of Bjornerud’s reflections on her life is strong enough that readers might find that they came to this book for the geology but stay for the autobiography. Unsurprisingly, portions of the book are dedicated to Bjornerud’s life as an academic.
Departmental politics, the pressure to publish and the hard-won but profound joys of teaching undergraduates all feature here. In case this sounds dry, it’s worth noting that there is very little that is humdrum about her career path. Stories of her fieldwork and discoveries she has made take readers around the world, from to the glacial fjords of Svalbard, to the volcanic fields of New Zealand, to an earthquake-prone region of Italy.
As Bjornerud shares detailed and evocative accounts of time living and working in these places, she also shares a series of accessible but by no means lightweight lessons about geological processes specific to them. Monday mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. Bjornerud is interested in the scientific processes that produce different kinds of rocks, but is equally interested in the history of our ideas about rocks.
She explores, for example, the rise and fall of different scientific theories and research methods over time. While deeply engaged by the history of her field, Bjornerud doesn’t hesitate to engage with our own moment’s crises: from the impacts of sand mining to the role of geological exploration in the climate emergency. Turning to Stone Different phases and facets of Bjornerud’s life are connected by her love of reading.
While her love of literature is a through line, it is her life as a reader of rocks that resonates most. Indeed, the notion of reading rocks structures both this book and her thinking about geology. She is, for example, eager to share with her audience “the thrill that comes from being able to read the raw rock record.
” She also knows firsthand that there are limits on even the most expert interpreter’s ability to decode the rock record. “At any given time, rocks reveal to us only what we are ready to understand. Their meanings are always multiple, and our hypotheses usually naïve,” she explains.
Perhaps most notable is the way Bjornerud makes the case for why geological knowledge matters. As she explains, “While not everyone can or should be a geologist, geologic habits of mind — an instinct for Earth’s rhythms, a feeling for our place in its story — are essential to the physical and psychic well-being of humankind.” Some people are drawn to reach out and touch boulders; the same people have a tendency to pocket and treasure pebbles.
They may not know the names of the rocks they admire but they feel a connection to them. Those people — the rock-enthralled but geologically inexpert — will value the lessons of this book, lessons made engaging by both Bjornerud’s strengths as a writer and her deep passion for her subject. Flatiron Books, 320 pages, $39 Advertisement Advertisement.
