{"product_id":"catastrophes-and-lesser-calamities-tony-hallam-9780192806680","title":"Catastrophes and Lesser Calamities: The Causes of Mass Extinctions","description":"In \u003cem\u003eCatastrophes and Lesser Calamities\u003c\/em\u003e, renowned geologist Tony Hallam takes us on a tour of the Earth's history, and of the cataclysmic events, as well as the more gradual extinctions, that have punctuated life on Earth throughout the past 500 million years. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e While comparable books in this field of study tend to promote only one likely cause of mass extinctions, such as extraterrestrial impact, volcanism, and or climatic cooling, \u003cem\u003eCatastrophes and Lesser Calamities\u003c\/em\u003e breaks new ground, as the first book to attempt an objective coverage of all likely causes, including sea-level and climatic changes, oxygen deficiency in the oceans, volcanic activity, and extraterrestrial impact. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Hallam focuses on the so-called 'big five' mass extinctions, at the end of the Ordovician, Permian, Triassic, and Cretaceous periods, and the later Devonian, and he also includes less well-known examples where relevant. He devotes attention especially to the attempts by geologists to distinguish true catastrophes from more gradual extinction events, and he concludes with a discussion of the evolutionary significance of mass extinctions, and on the influence of \u003cem\u003eHomo sapiens\u003c\/em\u003e in causing extinctions within the last few thousand years, both on land and in the seas.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Tony Hallam\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0192806688\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780192806680\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Oxford University Press, USA\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 09\/01\/2005\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 240\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.53lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 7.78h x 5.02w x 0.49d","brand":"Tony Hallam","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":44054630269183,"sku":"9780192806680","price":31.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_8e1f5e19-ee91-4867-853e-d6a46696e609.jpg?v=1685031068","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/catastrophes-and-lesser-calamities-tony-hallam-9780192806680","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}