Theory of the Earth

348 Pages·2021·7.188 MB·English

by  Thomas Nail

THEORY OF THE EARTH
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T H E O R Y O F T H E E A R T H
Thomas Nail
Stanford University Press
Stanford, California
Stanford University Press
Stanford, California
©2021 by the Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or in any
information storage or retrieval system without the prior written permission of
Stanford University Press.
Printed in the United States of America on acid- free, archival- quality paper
Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
Names: Nail, Thomas, author. 
Title: Theory of the Earth / Thomas Nail. 
Description: Stanford, California : Stanford University Press, 2021. |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020037817 (print) | LCCN 2020037818 (ebook) |
ISBN 9781503614956 (cloth) | ISBN 9781503627550 (paperback) |
ISBN 9781503627567 (epub) 
Subjects: LCSH: Geology— Philosophy. | Geology, Stratigraphic— Anthropocene. |
Earth (Planet)—H istory—P hilosophy.
Classification: LCC QE6 .N35 2021  (print) | LCC QE6  (ebook) | DDC 551.01—d c23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020037817
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020037818
Cover design: Rob Ehle
Cover image: Xiaojiao Wang | Shutterstock
Typeset by Kevin Barrett Kane in 10.2/14.4 Minion Pro
Contents
List of Illustrations vii
Introduction 1
Part I: Geokinetics: The Kinetic Earth
1 The Flow of Matter 19
2 The Fold of Elements 32
3 The Planetary Field 42
Part II: History of the Earth
A. Mineral Earth
4 Centripetal Minerality 61
5 Hadean Earth 74
B. Atmospheric Earth
6 Centrifugal Atmospherics 91
7 Archean Earth I: Pneumatology 105
8 Archean Earth II: Biogenesis 116
C. Vegetal Earth
9 Tensional Vegetality 135
10 Proterozoic Earth 153
vi Contents
D. Animal Earth
11 Elastic Animality 177
12 Phanerozoic Earth I: Kinomorphology 191
13 Phanerozoic Earth II: Terrestrialization 208
Part III: The Kinocene: A Dying Earth
14 Kinocene Earth 227
15 Kinocene Ethics 242
Conclusion: The Future 271
Notes 277
Index 319
Illustrations
TABLE I.1 Theory, form, content, and patterns of motion 13
TABLE I.2 Patterns of motion 14
FIGURE 2.1 Lorenz attractor 36
FIGURE 2.2 Cycle and period 38
FIGURE 2.3 Conjunction, thing, object, and image 40
FIGURE 3.1 Field of circulation 48
FIGURE 3.2 Knots 49
FIGURE 10.1 Mushrooms are fruiting bodies made of hyphae 157
FIGURE 10.2 Dandelion vortex 172
FIGURE 11.1 Subcutaneous tissue from a young rabbit,
highly magnified 185
FIGURE 12.1 Dendritic structure of material evolution 195
FIGURE 12.2 Choanoflagellates 197
FIGURE 12.3 Sponge vortex 200
FIGURE 12.4 Jellyfish vortex 202
FIGURE 13.1 Animal dendrite body 212
FIGURE 15.1 Declining phytomass totals through history in
gigatons of carbon 246
FIGURE 15.2 Human energy expenditure through history
in yottajoules 248
FIGURE 15.3 Terrestrial energy expenditure through history
in yottajoules 252
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THEORY OF THE EARTH