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3.7 What Textures Do Igneous Rocks Display? 82
3.8 What Are Common Igneous Rocks? 84
C H A P T E R 5:
P L AT E T E C TO N I C S 122
3.9 What Are Some Metamorphic Features? 86
3.10 What Are Metamorphic Processes and Rocks? 88
5.1 What Is Inside Earth? 124
3.11 CONNECTIONS: How Are Different Rock Types
Expressed in Landscapes? 90 5.2 What Are the Major Features of Earth? 126
3.12 INVESTIGATION: What Materials Compose 5.3 Why Do Some Continents Have Matching
These Landscapes? 92 Shapes? 128
5.4 Where Do Earthquakes and Volcanoes Occur? 130
5.5 What Causes Tectonic Activity to Occur in Belts? 132
5.6 What Happens at Divergent Boundaries? 134
5.7 What Happens at Convergent Boundaries? 136
5.8 What Happens Along Transform Boundaries? 138
5.9 How Does Seafloor Vary from Place to Place? 140
5.10 What Features Occur Along Mid-Ocean Ridges? 142
5.11 How Do Oceanic Islands, Seamounts,
CHAPTER 4: and Oceanic Plateaus Form? 144
E A R T H H I S TO RY 94 5.12 What Are the Characteristics and History
of Continental Hot Spots? 146

4.1 How Do We Infer the Relative Ages of Events? 96 5.13 How Do Plates Move and Interact? 148

4.2 What Is the Significance of an Unconformity? 98 5.14 How Is Paleomagnetism Used to Determine
Rates of Seafloor Spreading? 150
4.3 How Are Ages Assigned to Rocks and Events? 100
5.15 CONNECTIONS: Why Is South America Lopsided? 152
4.4 What Are Fossils? 102
5.16 INVESTIGATION: Where Is the Safest Place to Live? 154
4.5 How and Why Did Living Things Change
Through Geologic Time? 104
4.6 How Was the Geologic Timescale Developed? 106
4.7 What Is the Evidence for the Age of Earth? 108
4.8 How Did Earth Form and Change Over Time? 110
4.9 What Were Some Milestones in the Early History
of Life on Earth? 112
4.10 What Were Some Milestones in the Later History
of Life on Earth? 114
4.11 How Do We Study Ages of Landscapes? 116
4.12 CONNECTIONS: What Is the History CHAPTER 6:
of the Grand Canyon? 118 V O LC A N I S M A N D OT H E R
4.13 INVESTIGATION: What Is the Geologic History
IGNEOUS PROCESSES 156
of This Place? 120
6.1 How Does Magma Form? 158
6.2 How Does Magma Move? 160
6.3 What Is and Is Not a Volcano? 162
6.4 What Controls the Style of Eruption? 164
6.5 What Hazards Are Associated with Volcanoes? 166
6.6 What Volcanic Features Consist of Basalt? 168
VII
6.7 What Are Composite Volcanoes 7.12 What Were Some Recent Large Earthquakes? 212
and Volcanic Domes? 170 7.13 What Were Some Major North American
6.8 What Disasters Were Caused by Composite Earthquakes? 214
Volcanoes and Volcanic Domes? 172 7.14 CONNECTIONS: What Is the Potential for
6.9 What Are Calderas? 174 Earthquakes Along the San Andreas Fault? 216
6.10 What Types of Volcanism and Other Igneous 7.15 INVESTIGATION: Where Did This Earthquake
Processes Occur Along Plate Boundaries? 176 Occur, and What Damage Might Be Expected? 218
6.11 How Do Large Magma Chambers Form
and How Are They Expressed in Landscapes? 178
6.12 How Are Small Intrusions Formed
and Expressed in Landscapes? 180
6.13 What Areas Have the Highest Potential
for Volcanic Hazards? 182
6.14 CONNECTIONS: What Volcanic Hazards
Are Posed by Mount Rainier? 184
6.15 INVESTIGATION: How Would You Assess
Hazards on This Volcano? 186 C H A P T E R 8:
M O U N TA I N S , B A S I N S , A N D
CO N T I N E N TA L M A R G I N S 220

8.1 Why Are Some Regions High in Elevation? 222


8.2 Where Do Mountain Belts and High Regions
Form? 224
8.3 How Do Local Mountains Form? 226
8.4 Where Do Basins Form? 228
C H A P T E R 7: 8.5 How Do Mountains and Basins Form
at Convergent Continental Margins? 230
D E F O R M AT I O N A N D
E A R T H Q UA K E S 188 8.6 How Does Continental Extension Occur? 232
8.7 What Features Characterize the Interiors
and Margins of Continents? 234
7.1 What Is Deformation and How Is It Expressed
in Landscapes? 190 8.8 How Do Marine Salt Deposits Form? 236

7.2 How Are Fractures Expressed in Landscapes? 192 8.9 How Do Reefs and Coral Atolls Form? 238

7.3 How Are Folds Expressed in Landscapes? 194 8.10 How Do Continents Form and Grow? 240

7.4 What Is an Earthquake? 196 8.11 How Did the Continents Join and Split Apart? 242

7.5 How Does Faulting Cause Earthquakes? 198 8.12 CONNECTIONS: How Do Oil and Natural Gas Form? 244

7.6 How Do Earthquake Waves Travel? 200 8.13 INVESTIGATION: Where Will Mountains and
Basins Form in This Region? 246
7.7 How Do We Determine the Location
and Size of an Earthquake? 202
7.8 Where Do Most Earthquakes Occur? 204
7.9 What Causes Earthquakes Along Plate
Boundaries and Within Plates? 206
7.10 How Do Earthquakes Cause Damage? 208
7.11 How Does a Tsunami Form and Cause
Destruction? 210
VIII
10.6 What Types of Soils Are Most Influenced
C H A P T E R 9: by Their Climate? 290
SCULPTING LANDSCAPES 248 10.7 What Other Factors Control the Formation
and Distribution of Soils? 292
9.1 What Can We Observe in Landscapes? 250 10.8 What Are the Causes and Impacts of Soil Erosion? 294
9.2 How Does Physical Weathering Affect 10.9 What Controls the Stability of Slopes? 296
Earth’s Surface? 252 10.10 How Do Slopes Fail? 298
9.3 How Does Chemical Weathering Affect 10.11 How Does Material on Slopes Fall and Slide? 300
Earth’s Surface? 254
10.12 How Does Material Flow Down Slopes? 302
9.4 How Does the Type of Earth Material Influence
10.13 Where Do Slope Failures Occur in the U.S.? 304
Weathering? 256
10.14 CONNECTIONS: How Do We Assess the Risk
9.5 How Do Climate, Slope, Vegetation, and Time
for Problem Soils and Future Slope Failures? 306
Influence Weathering? 258
10.15 INVESTIGATION: Which Areas Have the
9.6 How Is Weathering Expressed? 260
Highest Risk of Slope Failure or Problem Soils? 308
9.7 How Are Landscapes Eroded? 262
9.8 How Do Landscapes Record Transport and
Deposition by Gravity, Streams, Ice, and Waves? 264
9.9 How Do Landscapes Record Transport
and Deposition by Wind? 266
9.10 How Do Arches and Natural Bridges Form? 268
9.11 How Do Caves Form? 270
9.12 What Is Karst Topography? 272
9.13 CONNECTIONS: What Formed Diverse
Landscapes of the Rocky Mountains of Colorado? 274
9.14 INVESTIGATION: How Did These Landscapes
Form? 276

C H A P T E R 11:
G L AC I E R S , S H O R E L I N E S , A N D
CHANGING SEA LEVELS 310

11.1 What Are Glaciers? 312


11.2 How Do Glaciers Form, Move, and Vanish? 314
11.3 How Do Glaciers Erode, Transport, and Deposit? 316
C H A P T E R 1 0: 11.4 What Are the Landforms of Alpine Glaciation? 318
S O I L A N D U N S TA B L E S LO P E S 278 11.5 What Are the Landforms of Continental
Glaciation? 320
10.1 What Is Soil? 280 11.6 What Features Are Peripheral to Glaciers? 322
10.2 How Important Are Water and Organics in Soil? 282 11.7 What Happened During Past Ice Ages? 324
10.3 How Does Soil Form? 284 11.8 What Starts and Stops Glacial Episodes? 326
10.4 How Do Terrain, Parent Material, Vegetation, 11.9 What Processes Occur Along Shorelines? 328
and Time Affect Soil Formation? 286 11.10 What Causes High Tides and Low Tides? 330
10.5 What Are the Major Types of Soil? 288 11.11 How Do Waves Form and Propagate? 332
IX
11.12 How Is Material Eroded, Transported, 12.14 What Problems Are Associated
and Deposited Along Shorelines? 334 with Groundwater Pumping? 376
11.13 What Landforms Occur Along Shorelines? 336 12.15 How Can Water Become Contaminated? 378
11.14 What Are Some Challenges of Living 12.16 How Does Groundwater Contamination Move
Along Shorelines? 338 and How Do We Clean It Up? 380
11.15 What Happens When Sea Level Changes? 340 12.17 CONNECTIONS: What Is Going On
11.16 What Causes Changes in Sea Level? 342 with the Ogallala Aquifer? 382
11.17 CONNECTIONS: What Coastal Damage Was 12.18 INVESTIGATION: Who Polluted Surface Water
Caused by These Recent Atlantic Hurricanes? 344 and Groundwater in This Place? 384
11.18 INVESTIGATION: What Is Happening Along
the Coast of This Island? 346

C H A P T E R 13:
C H A P T E R 12: E N E R G Y A N D M AT T E R I N T H E
STREAMS, LAKES, AND AT M O S P H E R E 386
G R O U N D WAT E R 348
13.1 What Is the Atmosphere? 388
12.1 Where Does Water Occur on Our Planet? 350 13.2 What Is Energy and How Is It Transmitted? 390
12.2 How Do We Use Freshwater? 352 13.3 What Are Heat and Temperature? 392
12.3 What Are Stream Systems? 354 13.4 What Is Latent Heat? 394
12.4 How Do Streams Transport Sediment 13.5 What Is Electromagnetic Radiation? 396
and Erode Their Channels? 356 13.6 What Causes Changes in Insolation? 398
12.5 How Do River Systems Change Downstream 13.7 Why Do We Have Seasons? 400
or Over Short Time Frames? 358
13.8 What Controls When and Where
12.6 Why Do Streams Have Curves? 360 Sunrise and Sunset Occur? 402
12.7 What Features Characterize Steep Streams? 362 13.9 How Does Insolation Interact
12.8 What Features Characterize Low-Gradient with the Atmosphere? 404
Streams and Deltas? 364 13.10 What Is Ozone and Why Is It So Important? 406
12.9 What Features Are Associated with Streams? 366 13.11 How Much Insolation Reaches the Surface? 408
12.10 What Is and What Is Not a Flood? 368 13.12 How Does Earth Maintain an Energy Balance? 410
12.11 Where Is Groundwater Found? 370 13.13 How Do Insolation and Outgoing
12.12 How and Where Does Groundwater Flow? 372 Radiation Vary Spatially? 412
12.13 What Is the Relationship Between Surface 13.14 Why Do Temperatures Vary Between Oceans
Water and Groundwater? 374 and Continents? 414
X
13.15 CONNECTIONS: How Are Variations in Insolation
Expressed Between the North and South Poles? 416 C H A P T E R 15:
13.16 INVESTIGATION: How Do We Evaluate Sites
AT M O S P H E R I C M O I S T U R E 444
for Solar-Energy Generation? 418
15.1 How Does Water Occur in the Atmosphere? 446
15.2 What Is Humidity? 448
15.3 How Do Specific Humidity and Dew Point Vary
from Place to Place and Seasonally? 450
15.4 What Happens When Air Rises or Sinks? 452
15.5 How Does the Surface Affect the Rising of Air? 454
15.6 What Mechanisms Can Force Air to Rise? 456
15.7 What Do Clouds Tell Us About Weather? 458
15.8 What Conditions Produce Fog? 460
15.9 How Does Precipitation Form? 462
15.10 How Do Sleet and Freezing Rain Form? 464
15.11 What Is the Distribution of Precipitation? 466
15.12 CONNECTIONS: What Caused the Recent
C H A P T E R 14: Great Plains Drought? 468
AT M O S P H E R I C M OT I O N 420
15.13 INVESTIGATION: How Do Global Patterns
of Humidity, Water Vapor, and Precipitation
14.1 How Do Gases Respond to Changes Compare? 470
in Temperature and Pressure? 422
14.2 What Causes Winds? 424
14.3 What Causes Some Local and Regional Winds? 426
14.4 What Are Some Significant Regional Winds? 428
14.5 How Do Variations in Insolation Cause Global
Patterns of Air Pressure and Circulation? 430
14.6 How Does Air Circulate in the Tropics? 432
14.7 How Does Air Circulate in High Latitudes? 434 C H A P T E R 16:
14.8 How Does Surface Air Circulate W E AT H E R A N D S TO R M S 472
in Mid-Latitudes? 436
14.9 How Does Air Circulate Aloft 16.1 Why Does Weather Change? 474
Over the Mid-Latitudes? 438
16.2 What Are Fronts? 476
14.10 CONNECTIONS: What Causes Monsoons? 440
16.3 Where Do Mid-Latitude Cyclones Form
14.11 INVESTIGATION: What Occurs During and Cross North America? 478
Seasonal Circulation Shifts? 442
16.4 What Conditions Produce Thunderstorms? 480
16.5 Where Are Thunderstorms Most Common? 482
16.6 What Causes Hail? 484
16.7 What Causes Lightning and Thunder? 486
16.8 What Is a Tornado? 488
16.9 Where and When Do Tornadoes Strike? 490
16.10 What Are Some Other Types of Windstorms? 492
16.11 What Is a Tropical Cyclone? 494
XI
16.12 What Affects the Strength of a Tropical Cyclone? 496
C H A P T E R 18:
16.13 CONNECTIONS: What Happened
During Hurricane Sandy? 498
C L I M AT E S A R O U N D T H E W O R L D 528
16.14 INVESTIGATION: Where Would You Expect
Severe Weather? 500 18.1 How Do We Classify Climates? 530
18.2 What Are the Most Common Climate Types? 532
18.3 What Is the Setting of Tropical Climates? 534
18.4 What Conditions Cause Arid Climates? 536
18.5 What Causes Warm Temperate Climates? 538
18.6 What Are the Settings
of Mid-Latitude Climates? 540
18.7 What Causes Subarctic and Polar Climates? 542
18.8 What Is the Role of Carbon in the Climate? 544
C H A P T E R 17: 18.9 What Is the Evidence for Climate Change? 546
O C E A N S A N D T H E I R I N T E R AC T I O N S 18.10 What Factors Influence Climate Change? 548
W I T H OT H E R E A R T H S YS T E M S 502 18.11 What Are the Consequences
of Climate Change? 550
17.1 What Causes Ocean Currents? 504 18.12 How Do We Use Computers
17.2 What Is the Global Pattern of Surface Currents? 506 to Study Climate Change? 552
17.3 How Do Sea-Surface Temperatures Vary 18.13 CONNECTIONS: What Are Non-Fossil Fuel
from Place to Place and Season to Season? 508 Sources of Energy? 554
17.4 What Causes Water to Rise or Sink? 510 18.14 INVESTIGATION: What Climates and Weather
17.5 What Are the Global Patterns Would Occur Here? 556
of Temperature and Salinity? 512
17.6 What Processes Affect Ocean Temperature
and Salinity in Tropical and Polar Regions? 514
17.7 How Are Oceans Coupled with the Atmosphere
and Cryosphere? 516
17.8 What Connects Equatorial Atmospheric
and Oceanic Circulation? 518
17.9 What Are the Phases of ENSO? 520
17.10 What Are the Effects of ENSO? 522
17.11 CONNECTIONS: What Types of Life Reside
in the Oceans? 524
17.12 INVESTIGATION: What Oceanic and Atmospheric
Patterns Are Predicted for a Newly Discovered
Planet? 526

XII
C H A P T E R 19: C H A P T E R 2 0:
O U R S O L A R S YS T E M 558 OUR UNIVERSE 57 8

19.1 How Do We Explore Other Planets and Moons? 560 20.1 How Do We Observe the Universe? 580
19.2 Why Is Each Planet and Moon Different? 562 20.2 What Is Our Framework for Observing
19.3 What Can We Observe on the Inner Planets? 564 the Universe? 582
19.4 What Is On the Surface of Our Moon? 566 20.3 How Does Temperature Influence the Type
of Light an Object Emits? 584
19.5 What Is Observed on Jupiter and Its Moons? 568
20.4 How Do We Use Spectra to Study the Universe? 586
19.6 What Is Observed on Saturn and Its Moons? 570
20.5 What Controls the Motions of Objects? 588
19.7 What Do We Observe on the Outer Planets
and Their Moons? 572 20.6 How Do We Measure Distance, Motion,
and Mass of Astronomical Objects? 590
19.8 CONNECTIONS: What Have We Learned
About Mars? 574 20.7 What Processes and Features
Characterize Stars? 592
19.9 INVESTIGATION: How and When Did Features
on This Alien World Form? 576 20.8 How Do Low-Mass Stars Change Over Time? 594
20.9 How Do High-Mass Stars Change Over Time? 596
20.10 What Objects Represent Remnants of Stars? 598
20.11 What Are Galaxies, Including the Milky Way? 600
20.12 CONNECTIONS: How Did the Universe Form,
and How Is It Changing Through Time? 602
20.13 INVESTIGATION: What Are These Astronomical
Objects, and How Did They Form? 604

Glossary G-1
Credits C-1
Index I-1
Shaded-Relief Map of the United States Inside Back Cover

XIII
PREFACE

TELLING THE STORY . . .


WE WROTE EXPLORING EARTH SCIENCE so that students could distinguishing what is important from what is not, (2) instructors
learn from the book on their own, freeing up instructors to teach needed to lecture so that students would know what is important,
the class in any way they want. I (Steve Reynolds) first identified and (3) many students have difficulty learning independently from
the need for this type of book while I was a National Association the textbook.
of Geoscience Teachers’ (NAGT) distinguished speaker. As part of
my NAGT activities, I traveled around the country conducting work- In most cases, textbooks drive the curriculum, so my coauthor
shops on how to infuse active learning and scientific inquiry into (Julia Johnson) and I decided that we should write a textbook that
introductory college science courses, including those with upwards (1) contains only important material, (2) indicates clearly to the
of 200 students. In the first part of the workshop, I asked the faculty student what is important and what they need to know, and (3) is
participants to list the main goals of an introductory science course, designed and written in such a way that students can learn from
especially for nonmajors. At every school I visited, the main goals the book on their own. This type of book would give instructors
were similar to those listed below: freedom to teach in a way that is more consistent with their goals,
including using local examples to illustrate concepts and their rel-
• to engage students in the process of scientific inquiry so that evance. Instructors would also be able to spend more class time
they learn what science is and how it is conducted, teaching students to observe and interpret landscapes, tectonics,
• to teach students how to observe and interpret landscapes and atmospheric or astronomic phenomena, and to participate in
and other aspects of their physical environment, the process of scientific inquiry, which represents the top goal for
many instructors.
• to enable students to learn and apply important concepts of
science,
• to help students understand the relevance of science to their COGNITIVE AND SCIENCE
lives, and
EDUCATION RESEARCH
• to enable students to use their new knowledge, skills, and
To design a book that supports instructor goals, we delved into cogni-
ways of thinking to become more informed citizens.
tive and science-education research, especially research on how our
I then asked faculty members to rank these goals and estimate how brains process different types of information, what obstacles limit
much time they spent on each goal in class. At this point, many student learning from textbooks, and how students use visuals versus
instructors recognized that their activities in class were not consis- text while studying. We also conducted our own research on how stu-
tent with their own goals. Most instructors were spending nearly all dents interact with textbooks, what students see when they observe
of class time teaching content. Although this was one of their main photographs showing landscape features, and how they interpret dif-
goals, it commonly was not their top goal. ferent types of scientific illustrations, including maps, cross sections,
and block diagrams that illustrate evolution of environments. Explor-
Next, I asked instructors to think about why their activities were ing Earth Science is the result of our literature search and of our own
not consistent with their goals. Inevitably, the answer was that most science-education and cognitive research. As you examine Exploring
instructors spend nearly all of class time covering content because Earth Science, you will notice that it is stylistically different from most
(1) textbooks include so much material that students have difficulty other textbooks, which will likely elicit a few questions.

How Does Wind Transport Sediment?


Wind is generated by differences in air pressure and at times is strong enough to transport material, but only relatively
small and lightweight fragments, like sand and clay. Transport of these materials by the wind is most efficient in dry
climates, where there is limited vegetation to bind materials together and hold them on the ground.

Wind is capable of transporting sand and finer sediment, as well as lightweight plant fragments and other materials lying on the surface. It
generally moves material in one of three ways and can deposit sediment in various settings, some of which are shown in the photographs below.

Wind can pick up and


Most materials on Earth’s carry finer material, such
surface are not moved as dust, silt, and salt. This
by the wind because mode of transport is
they are too firmly at- called suspension, and
tached to the land (such wind can keep some
as rock outcrops), are too particles in the air for
large or heavy to be weeks, transporting them
moved, or are both. 09.09.a1 long distances.

If wind velocity is great enough, it can roll or slide grains of Very strong winds can lift sand grains, carry them short distances, and drop them.
sand and silt and other loose materials across the ground. This process is akin to bouncing a grain along the surface and is called saltation.

XIV
HOW DOES THIS BOOK SUPPORT STUDENT CURIOSITY AND INQUIRY?

CHAPTER
279

10
Soil and Unstable Slopes

Soil and Unstable Slopes TOPIC S IN T H IS CH APTE R


WEATHERING PRODUCES SOIL, one of our most precious resources. Different types of soils form in different 10.1 What Is Soil? 280 10.9 What Controls the Stability of Slopes? 296
topographic settings, especially as a function of climate, starting material, and how long soil formation has been 10.2 How Important Are Water and Organics in Soil? 282 10.10 How Do Slopes Fail? 298
occurring. Soils and other materials can become unstable on slopes, and such slope instability is called mass 10.3 How Does Soil Form? 284 10.11 How Does Material on Slopes Fall and Slide? 300
wasting — the movement of material downslope in response to gravity. Mass wasting can be slow and barely per- 10.4 How Do Terrain, Parent Material, Vegetation, 10.12 How Does Material Flow Down Slopes? 302
ceptible, or it can be catastrophic, involving thick slurries of mud and debris. What factors determine if a slope and Time Affect Soil Formation? 286 10.13 Where Do Slope Failures Occur in the U.S.? 304
is stable, and how do slopes fail? In this chapter, we explore the formation of soils, the process of mass wasting, 10.5 What Are the Major Types of Soil? 288 10.14 Connections: How Do We Assess the Risk
and the importance of both phenomena to our lives. 10.6 What Types of Soils Are Most Influenced for Problem Soils and Future Slope Failures? 306
by Their Climate? 290 10.15 Investigation: Which Areas Have the Highest
The Cordillera de la Costa is a steep 2 km-high mountain In December 1999, torrential rains in the mountains caused landslides and 10.7 What Other Factors Control the Formation Risk of Slope Failure or Problem Soils? 308
range that runs along the coast of Venezuela, separating mobilized soil and other loose material as debris flows and flash floods that and Distribution of Soils? 292
the capital city of Caracas from the sea. This image, looking buried parts of the coastal cities. Some light-colored landslide scars are 10.8 What Are the Causes and Impacts
south, has topography overlain with a satellite image taken visible on the hillsides in this image.
of Soil Erosion? 294
in 2000. The white areas are clouds and the purple areas
are cities. The Caribbean Sea is in the foreground. The How does soil and other loose material form on hillslopes? What factors
determine whether a slope is stable or is prone to landslides and other types
1999 Venezuelan Disaster
(▼) photograph below shows the type of soils that are
of downhill movement? Huge boulders smashed through the lower two floors of this

A
typical of the region. On steep slopes, such debris flow is a slurry of water and debris,
soils are prone to fail, especially during building in Caraballeda and ripped away part of the right side (▼). including mud, sand, gravel, pebbles, boul-
heavy tropical rainstorms. 10.00.a1
The mud and water that transported these boulders are no ders, vegetation, and even cars and small
longer present, but the boulders remain as a testament to the
structures. Debris flows can move at speeds up to
strength of the event.
80 km/hr (50 mph), but most are slower. In Decem-
10.00.a2

ber 1999, two storms dumped as much as 1.1 m (42


in.) of rain on the coastal mountains of Venezuela.
The rain loosened soil on the steep hillsides, caus-
Caracas
ing many landslides and debris flows that coalesced
Caracas in the steep canyons and raced downhill toward the
cities built on the alluvial fans.
In Caraballeda, the debris flows carried boulders
Cordillera de la Costa Landslide up to 10 m (33 ft) in diameter and weighing 300 to
Scars 400 tons each. The debris flows and flash floods
Landslide raced across the city, flattening cars and smashing
Scars houses, buildings, and bridges. They left behind a
jumble of boulders and other debris along the path
of destruction through the city.
After the event, USGS geoscientists went into
the area to investigate what had happened and why.
They documented the types of material that were
carried by the debris flows, mapped the extent of
Caracas Airport 10.00.a3 Caraballeda, Venezuela the flows, and measured boulders (▼) to investigate
processes that occurred during the event. When the
scientists examined what lay beneath the founda-
tions of destroyed houses, they discovered that
Caraballeda much of the city had been built on older debris
Alluvial Fan Caribbean Sea Caribbean Sea flows. These deposits should have provided a warn-
ing of what was to come.
10.00.a5 Caraballeda, Venezuela

The mountain slopes are too steep for buildings, so people built The city of Caraballeda, built on one such alluvial fan, was especially hard ◀ This aerial photograph of
the coastal cities on the less steep fan-shaped areas at the foot hit in 1999 by debris flows and flash floods that tore a swath of destruction Caraballeda, looking south up
of each valley. These flatter areas are alluvial fans composed of through the town. Landslides, debris flows, and flooding killed more than the canyon, shows the damage
mountain-derived sediment that has been transported down 19,000 people and caused up to $30 billion in damage in the region. The in the center of the city caused
the canyons and deposited along the mountain front. damage is visible as the light-colored strip through the center of town. by the debris flows and flash
floods. Many houses were
What are some potential hazards of living next to steep mountain How can loss of life and destruction of property by debris flows and landslides

10.0
completely demolished by the
slopes, especially in a city built on an active alluvial fan? be avoided or at least minimized? fast-moving, boulder-rich mud.

10.00.a4 Caraballeda, Venezuela

278

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Exploring Earth Science promotes inquiry and science as an active they already have a mental image of the thing being named (Lawson,
process. It encourages student curiosity and aims to activate exist- 2003). For example, this book presents students with maps show-
ing student knowledge by posing the title of every two-page spread ing the spatial distribution of earthquakes, volcanoes, and mountain
and every subsection as a question. In addition, questions are dis- ranges and asks them to observe the patterns and think about what
persed throughout the book. Integrated into the book are oppor- might be causing the patterns. Only then does the textbook intro-
tunities for students to observe patterns, features, and examples duce the concept of tectonic plates.
before the underlying concepts are explained. That is, we employ
a learning-cycle approach where student exploration precedes the Also, the figure-based approach in this book allows terms to be intro-
introduction of new terms and the application of knowledge to a duced in their context rather than as a definition that is detached
new situation. For example, chapter 10 on slope stability begins with from a visual representation of the term. We introduce new terms
a three-dimensional image of northern Venezuela, pictured above, in italics rather than in boldface, because boldfaced terms on a
and asks readers to observe where people are living in this area and textbook page cause students to immediately focus mostly on the
what natural processes might have formed these sites. terms, rather than build an understanding of the concepts. The ital-
ics, however, let a student know when they have encountered an
Wherever possible, we introduce terms after students have an important term during their reading. The book includes a glossary
opportunity to observe the feature or concept that is being named. for those students who wish to look up the definition of a term to
This approach is consistent with several educational philosophies, refresh their memory. To expand comprehension of the definition,
including a learning cycle and just-in-time teaching. Research on each entry in the glossary references the pages where the term is
learning cycles shows that students are more likely to retain a term if defined in the context of a figure.

XV
WHY ARE THE PAGES DOMINATED BY ILLUSTRATIONS?

Earth science is a visual science. Earth science textbooks contain a that specifically points to the location of this feature. A cross section
variety of photographs, maps, cross sections, block diagrams, and of atmospheric circulation, such as those related to El Niño condi-
other types of illustrations. These diagrams help portray the spatial tions, can be accompanied by short text blocks that describe each
distribution and geometry of features in the landscape, atmosphere, part of the system and that are linked by leaders directly to specific
oceans, and universe in ways words cannot. In earth sciences, a pic- locations on the figure. This allows the reader to concentrate on the
ture really is worth a thousand words. concepts being presented, not deciding what part of the figure is
being discussed.
Exploring Earth Science contains a wealth of figures to take advan-
tage of the visual nature of earth science and the efficiency of fig- The approach in Exploring Earth Science is consistent with the find-
ures in conveying earth science concepts. This book contains few ings of cognitive scientists, who conclude that our minds have two
large blocks of text — most text is in smaller blocks that are specifi- different processing systems, one for processing pictorial informa-
cally linked to illustrations. Examples of our integrated figure-text tion (images) and one for processing verbal information (speech
approach are shown throughout the book. In this approach, each and written words). This view of cognition is illustrated in the figure
short block of text is one or more complete sentences that succinctly below. Cognitive scientists also speak about two types of memory:
describe a feature, process, or both of these. Most of these text working memory, also called short-term memory, holds informa-
blocks are connected to their illustrations with leader lines so that tion that our minds are actively processing, and long-term memory
readers know exactly which feature or part of the diagram is being stores information until we need it (Baddeley, 2007). Both the verbal
referenced in the text block. A reader does not have to search for the and pictorial processing systems have a limited amount of working
part of the figure that corresponds to a text passage, as occurs when memory, and our minds have to use much of our mental processing
a student reads a traditional textbook with large blocks of text refer- space to reconcile the two types of information in working memory.
encing a figure that may appear on a different page. The short blocks For information that has both pictorial and verbal components, as
are numbered if they should be read in a specific order. most earth science information does, the amount of knowledge we
retain depends on reconciling these two types of information, on
This approach is especially well suited to covering earth science top- transferring information from working memory to long-term mem-
ics because it allows the text to have a precise linkage to the features ory, and on linking the new information with our existing mental
and geographic location of the aspect being described. A text block framework. For this reason, this book integrates text and figures, as
discussing the Intertropical Convergence Zone can have a leader in the example shown here.

New experiences from the environment enter the Input from the senses is filtered and transferred into two
brain via the senses. Images, for example, come in different types of working memory, a visual area for im-
through the eyes, and sounds enter the ears. ages and a phonetic area for words. Each type
of working memory has a very limited
capacity to hold new information.

Information from working memory is


processed further and transferred into
long-term memory. Ideally, new infor-
mation is linked to existing knowledge
in long-term memory to build a more
complete understanding.

When information from long-term


memory is needed, it is retrieved into
working memory, where it can be
processed to make decisions.

XVI
WHY ARE THERE SO MANY FIGURES?

This textbook contains more than 2,500 figures, which is two to three of text that is detached from the figure. We avoid the redundancy
times the number in most earth science textbooks. One reason for effect by including only text that is integrated with the figure.
this is that the book is designed to provide a concrete example of each
process, environment, or feature being illustrated. Research shows The style of illustrations in Exploring Earth Science was designed to
that many college students require concrete examples before they can be more inviting to today’s visually oriented students who are used
begin to build abstract concepts (Lawson, 1980). Also, many students to photo-realistic, computer-rendered images in movies, videos, and
have limited travel experience, so photographs and other figures computer games. For this reason, many of the figures were created
allow them to observe places, environments, and processes they have by world-class scientific illustrators and artists who have worked on
not been able to observe firsthand. The numerous photographs, from award-winning textbooks, on Hollywood movies, on television shows,
geographically diverse places, help bring the sense of place into the for National Geographic, and in the computer-graphics and gaming
student’s reading. The inclusion of an illustration for each text block industry. In most cases, the figures incorporate real data, such as satel-
reinforces the notion that the point being discussed is important. In lite images, aerial photographs, weather and climatological data, and
many cases, as in the example below, conceptualized figures are inte- locations of earthquakes and volcanoes. Our own research shows that
grated with photographs and text so that students can build a more many students do not understand cross sections and other subsur-
coherent view of the environment or process. face diagrams, so nearly every cross section in this book has a three-
dimensional aspect, and many maps are presented in a perspective
Exploring Earth Science focuses on the most important earth science view that incorporates topography. Research findings by us and other
concepts and makes a deliberate attempt to eliminate text that is not researchers (Roth and Bowen, 1999) indicate that including people
essential for student learning of these concepts. Inclusion of informa- and human-related items in photographs and figures attracts undue
tion that is not essential tends to distract and confuse students rather attention, thereby distracting students from the features being illus-
than illuminate the concept; thus, you will see fewer words. Cognitive trated. As a result, our photographs have nondistracting indicators
and science-education research has identified a redundancy effect, of scale, like dull coins and plain marking pens. Figures and pho-
where information that restates and expands upon a more succinct tographs do not include people or human-related items unless we
description actually results in a decrease in student learning (Mayer, are trying to (1) illustrate how geoscientists study earth science pro-
2001). Specifically, students learn less if a long figure caption restates cesses and features or (2) reinforce the relevance of the processes
information contained elsewhere on the page, such as in a long block on humans.

270 Sculpting Landscapes 271

9.11 How Do Caves Form? What Features Are Associated with Caves?
Caves are beautiful and interesting places to explore. Some contain twisty, narrow passages connecting open
WATER IS AN ACTIVE CHEMICAL AGENT and can dissolve rock and other materials. Weathering near the chambers. Others are immense tunnels full of cave formations. Caves can be decorated with intricate features formed
surface and groundwater at depth can work together to completely dissolve limestone and other soluble rocks, by dissolution and precipitation of calcite and several other minerals.
leaving openings in places where the rocks have been removed. Such dissolution of limestone forms most caves,
1. Most caves form by dissolution of limestone. Certain features on the land surface can indicate 6. Dissolution of limestone along
but caves form in many other ways. Once a cave is formed, dripping and flowing water can deposit a variety of that there is a cave at depth. These include the presence of limestone, sinkholes, and other features fractures and bedding planes,
beautiful and fascinating cave formations. of karst topography. Collapse of part of the roof can open the cave to the surface, forming a along with formation of sinkholes
skylight that lets light into the cave. and skylights, disrupts
streams and other
How Do Limestone Caves Form? 2. Caves contain many features
drainages. Streams
formed by minerals precipitated
may disappear into
Water near the surface or at depth as groundwater can dissolve limestone and other carbonate rocks, to form large from dripping or flowing water.
the ground, adding
caves, especially if the water is acidic. Cave systems generally form in limestone rocks because most other rock types Water flowing down the walls
more water to the
do not easily dissolve. A few other rocks, such as gypsum or rock salt, dissolve too easily — they completely disappear or along the floor can precipi-
cave system.
tate travertine (a banded form
and cannot maintain caves. The figure below illustrates how limestone caves form. of calcium carbonate) in thin
layers that build up to create
1. Limestone is primarily made of calcite 2. Groundwater dissolves limestone and other formations called flowstone or 5. In humid
(calcium carbonate), a relatively soluble carbonate rocks, often starting along fractures and draperies (▼). environments,
mineral that dissolves in acidic water. boundaries between layers, and then progressively weathering at the
09.11.c2 Carlsbad Caverns, NM
Rainwater is typically slightly acidic due widening them over time. Open spaces become surface commonly
to dissolved carbon dioxide (CO2), sulfur larger and more continuous, allowing more water to produces reddish,
dioxide (SO2), and organic material. Water flow through and accelerating the dissolution and clay-rich soil. The
reacts with calcite in limestone, dissolving widening. If the openings become continuous, they soil, along with
it. This dissolution can be aided by acidic may accommodate underground pools or under- pieces of lime-
water coming from deeper in the Earth, ground streams. stone, can be
by microbes, and by acids that washed into
microbes produce. crevices and
4. If the roof of the cave collapses, the cave can be
exposed to the air. This can further dry out the sinkholes, where it
cave. Such a roof collapse commonly forms a forms a reddish
3. Most caves form below the pit-like depression, called a sinkhole, on the surface. matrix around
09.11.c3 Kartchner Caverns, AZ limestone
water table, but some form from
downward-flowing water above the 5. Limestone caves (▼) range in size from miniscule fragments.
water table. In either case, dissolu- to huge. The Mammoth Cave system of Kentucky is
tion over millions of years can form a the longest cave
network of interconnected caves and in the world, 3. Probably the most recognized 09.11.c1
tunnels in the limestone. If the water with an explored features of caves are stalactites and
table falls, groundwater drains out of length of over stalagmites, which are formed 4. As mineral-rich water drips from the
the tunnels and dries out part of the 640 km (400 mi), when calcium-rich water dripping roof and flows from the walls, it leaves
cave system. 09.11.a1 with some parts from the roof evaporates and behind coatings, ribbons (▶), and straw-
still unexplored. leaves calcium carbonate like tubes. The water can accumulate
behind. Stalactites hang tight in underground pools on the floor of
from the roof. Stalagmites form the cave, precipitating rims of cream-
when water drips to the floor, colored travertine along their edges.
09.11.a2 Lehman Caves, NV building mounds upward.
What Are Some Other Types of Caves? 09.11.c4 Kartchner Caverns, AZ

09.11.b1 Hawaii Volcanoes NP, HI 09.11.b2 Hueco Tanks, TX


Most but not all caves Almost any rock type can
developed in limestone. host a cave, as long as it Carlsbad Caverns
Caves in volcanic regions is strong enough to

A
are commonly lava tubes, support a roof over the bout 260 million years ago, Carlsbad, eventually exposed it at the surface. Ground-
which were originally open space. Granite, not New Mexico, was an area covered by water dripped and trickled into the partially Before You Leave This Page
subsurface channels of known as a soluble rock, a shallow inland sea. A huge reef, dry cave, where it deposited calcium carbonate Be Able To
flowing lava within a can form caves, especially lush with sea life, thrived in this warm-water to make the cave’s famous formations.
partially solidified lava flow. where physical and tropical environment. Eventually, the sea Summarize the character and
When the lava drained out chemical weathering have retreated, leaving the reef buried under other formation of caves and sinkholes.
of the tube, it left behind enlarged areas along rock layers.
a long and locally branch- fractures (◀). Many Briefly summarize how stalactites,
While buried, the limestone was dissolved
ing cave. Such caves tend non-limestone caves are stalagmites, and flowstone form.
by water rich in sulfuric acid generated from
to have a curved, tube-like along a contact between
9.11

appearance with walls a stronger rock above, hydrogen sulfide that leaked upward from Describe features on the surface that
that have been smoothed which holds up the roof, deeper accumulations of petroleum. Later, ero- might indicate an area may contain
and grooved (▶) by the and a weaker rock below, sion of overlying layers uplifted the once-buried caves at depth.
flowing lava. to form the opening. and groundwater-filled limestone cave and
09.11.t1 Carlsbad Caverns, NM

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XVII
WHY DOES THE BOOK CONSIST OF TWOPAGE SPREADS?

This book consists of two-page spreads, most of which are further Each spread has a unique number, such as 17.9 for the ninth topical
subdivided into sections. Research has shown that because of our two-page spread in chapter 17. These numbers help instructors and
limited amount of working memory, much new information is lost if students keep track of where they are and what is being covered.
it is not incorporated into long-term memory. Many students keep Each two-page spread, except for those that begin and end a chapter,
reading and highlighting their way through a textbook without stop- contains a Before You Leave This Page checklist that indicates what is
ping to integrate the new information into their mental framework. important and what is expected of students before they move on.
New information simply displaces existing information in working This list contains learning objectives for the spread and provides a
memory before it is learned and retained. This concept of cognitive clear way for the instructor to indicate to the student what is impor-
load (Sweller, 1994) has profound implications for student learning tant. The items on these lists are compiled into a master What-
during lectures and while reading textbooks. Two-page spreads and to-Know List provided to the instructor, who then deletes or adds
sections help prevent cognitive overload by providing natural breaks entries to suit the instructor’s learning goals and distributes the list
that allow students to stop and consolidate the new information to students before the students begin reading the book. In this way,
before moving on. the What-to-Know List guides the students’ studying.

520 Oceans and Their Interactions with Other Earth Systems 521

17.9 What Are the Phases of ENSO? Cold Phase of 1. In many ways, the cold phase of ENSO
2. During a cold phase of ENSO (La Niña), Walker cell circulation
strengthens over the equatorial Pacific. This increases winds aloft and
(La Niña) displays conditions opposite to causes near-surface easterly trade winds to strengthen, driving
THE ATMOSPHERE-OCEAN SYSTEM in the equatorial Pacific is constantly changing. Although each year has its ENSO (La Niña) an El Niño, hence the opposing name. warmer surface waters westward toward Australasia and Indonesia.
own unique characteristics, certain atmosphere-ocean patterns repeat, displaying a limited number of modes. We
3. Enhanced easterly trade winds bring
can use surface-water temperatures in the eastern equatorial Pacific to designate conditions as one of three phases more moisture to the equatorial parts of the
8. The region of equatorial
of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) system — neutral (or “normal”), warm (El Niño), and cold (La Niña). rainfall associated with the Andes and to nearby areas of the Amazon
warm pool expands and basin. Orographic effects cause heavy
the amount of rainfall precipitation on the Amazon (east) side of
What Are Atmosphere-Ocean Conditions During the Three Phases of ENSO? increases dramatically. the mountain range.
El Niño and La Niña phases represent the end-members of ENSO, but sometimes the region does not display the 4. Partially depleted of moisture and driven
character of either phase. Instead, conditions are deemed to be neither and are therefore assigned to the neutral phase 7. In the western Pacific, by stronger trade winds, dry air descends
of ENSO. To understand the extremes (El Niño and La Niña), we begin with the neutral situation. strong easterlies push warm westward off the Andes and onto the coast.
waters to the west where The flow of dry air, combined with the
they accumulate against the descending limb of the Walker cell, produces
Neutral Phase 1. Warm, unstable, rising air over 2. Walker cell circulation in the 3. Cool, descending air over the eastern continent, forming a warmer
the western equatorial Pacific clear skies and dry conditions along the coast.
of ENSO
equatorial troposphere brings equatorial Pacific produces dominantly high and more expansive warm Thermocline
warm pool produces low atmo- cool, dry air eastward along atmospheric pressure at the surface and pool. In response, the 5. As surface waters push westward and the
spheric pressures near the surface. the tropopause. stable conditions in the atmosphere. thermocline of the western Humboldt Current turns west, deep waters
9. The warm, moist air equatorial Pacific is pushed 17.09.a3 rise (strong upwelling). The resulting cool
above the warm pool 4. Easterly trade winds flow over the Andes much deeper, further SST and descending dry, stable air conspire
rises under the influence mountain range and then continue to the increasing the slope of the 6. The upwelling near South America raises the thermo- to produce excessive drought in coastal
of low pressures, produc- west across the ocean, pushing west against thermocline to the west. cline and causes it to slope steeper to the west. regions of Peru.
ing intense tropical the surface waters along the coast of South
rainfalls that maintain the America. The easterlies continue propelling
less saline, less dense the warm water westward toward Australia How Are ENSO Phases Expressed in Sea-Surface Temperatures?
freshwater on the surface and southeast Asia, allowing the waters to
of the warm pool. warm even more as they are heated by As the Pacific region shifts between the warm (El Niño), cold (La Niña), and neutral phases, sea-surface temperatures
insolation along the equator. (SST), atmospheric pressures, and winds interact all over the equatorial Pacific. These variations are recorded by numerous
8. Warm waters blown to
the west not only depress 5. Westward displacement of surface waters, types of historical data, especially in SST. The globes below show SST for the western Pacific (near Asia) and eastern
the thermocline to about and offshore winds, induces upwelling of Pacific (near the Americas) for each phase of ENSO — neutral, warm, and cold. The colors represent whether SST are
150 m below the surface, Thermocline cold, deep ocean waters just off the coast of warmer than normal (red and orange), colder than normal (blue), or about average (light).
but also physically raise the western South America. Abundant insolation
17.09.a1
height of the western under clear skies warms these rising waters
equatorial Pacific compared
Neutral Phase of ENSO Warm Phase of ENSO (El Niño) Cold Phase of ENSO (La Niña)
somewhat, so there is no density-caused
to the eastern Pacific. return of surface waters to depth.
7. In the western Pacific, surface waters are warm (over 28°C) and less saline 6. The thermocline slopes to the west, being over three
because of abundant precipitation and stream runoff from heavy precipitation times deeper in the western Pacific than in the eastern
that falls on land. The warm surface waters (the warm pool) overlie cooler, Pacific. This condition can only be maintained by a series of
deeper ocean water — a stable situation. feedbacks, including the strength of the trade winds.

Warm Phase of 1. During a warm phase (El Niño), the 2. El Niño conditions are also characterized by weakened Walker cell
warm pool and associated convective circulation over the equatorial Pacific. This is expressed by decreased
ENSO (El Niño) rainfall move toward the central Pacific. winds aloft and by a reduction in the strength and geographic range 17.09.b1-2 17.09.b3-4 17.09.b5-6
of the easterly trade winds near the surface.
During the neutral phase of ENSO, SST along During the warm phase of ENSO, a belt of much During the cold phase of ENSO (a La Niña),
6. For Australia, Indonesia, and 3. Upon reaching South America, the equator in the Pacific are about average, warmer than normal water appears along the a belt of colder than normal water occurs
the westernmost Pacific, El Niño the cool air descends over equato- with no obvious warmer or colder than equator in the eastern Pacific, west of South along the equator west of South America,
brings higher atmospheric rial parts of the Andes, increasing normal waters near the Western Pacific Warm America. This warm water is the signature of an hence the name “cold phase.” The western
pressures, reduced rainfall, and atmospheric pressure, limiting Pool (left globe) or South America (right El Niño, causing the decrease in cold-water fishes. Pacific (left globe), however, now has
westerly winds. The warm pool convectional uplift, and reducing globe). An area of warmer than normal SST SST in the western Pacific are a little cooler than waters that are warmer than normal. These
and associated convective associated rainfall in Colombia and occurs southwest of North America, but this average, but an El Niño is most strongly warm waters are quite widespread in this
rainfalls move toward the parts of the Amazon. is not obviously related to ENSO. expressed in the eastern Pacific (right globe). region, extending from Japan to Australia.
central Pacific, allowing cooler
surface waters in the far west. 4. Weakening of the trade winds
reduces coastal upwelling of cold
5. Changes in the strength of the water, which, combined with the
Before You Leave This Page Be Able To
winds, in temperatures, and in the eastern displacement of the
movements of near-surface descending air, promotes a more Sketch and explain atmosphere-ocean conditions for each of the three typical phases of ENSO, noting typical vertical and horizontal

17.9
waters cause the thermocline to Thermocline southerly location of the ITCZ in the air circulation, sea-surface temperatures, relative position of the thermocline, and locations of areas of excess rain and drought.
become somewhat shallower in Southern summer and increased
the west and deeper in the east, precipitation in the normally dry Summarize how each of the three phases of ENSO (neutral, warm, and cold) are expressed in SST of the equatorial Pacific Ocean.
17.09.a2
but it still slopes to the west. coastal regions of Peru and Ecuador.

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Two-page spreads and integrated Before You Leave This Page lists offer • Two-page spreads allow busy students to read or study a
the following advantages to the student: complete topic in a short interval of study time, such as the
breaks between classes.
• Information is presented in relatively small and coherent
• All test questions and assessment materials are tightly
chunks that allow a student to focus on one important aspect
articulated with the Before You Leave This Page lists so that
or earth system at a time.
exams and quizzes cover precisely the same material that was
• Students know when they are done with this particular topic assigned to students via the What-to-Know list.
and can self-assess their understanding with the Before You
Leave This Page list.
XVIII
The two-page spread approach also has advantages for the instruc- content by providing students with an edited What-to-Know list.
tor. Before writing this book, the authors wrote most of the items Alternatively, an instructor can give students a list of assigned two-
for the Before You Leave This Page lists. We then used this list to page spreads or sections within two-page spreads. In this way, the
decide what figures were needed, what topics would be discussed, instructor can identify content for which students are responsible,
and in what order. In other words, the textbook was written from even if the material is not covered in class. Two-page spreads pro-
the learning objectives. The Before You Leave This Page lists provide a vide the instructor with unparalleled flexibility in deciding what to
straightforward way for an instructor to tell students what informa- assign and what not to cover. It allows this book to be easily used
tion is important. Because we provide the instructor with a master for one-semester and two-semester courses.
What-to-Know list, an instructor can selectively assign or eliminate

CONCEPT SKETCHES
Most items on the Before You Leave This
Page list are by design suitable for stu-
dent construction of concept sketches.
Concept sketches are sketches that are
annotated with complete sentences
that identify features, describe how
the features form, characterize the
main processes, and summarize histo-
ries (Johnson and Reynolds, 2005). An
example of a concept sketch is shown
to the right.

Concept sketches are an excellent way


to actively engage students in class and
to assess their understanding of earth
science features, processes, and his-
tory. Concept sketches are well suited
to the visual nature of earth science,
especially cross sections, maps, and block diagrams. Earth scientists are natural sketchers using field notebooks, blackboards, publications,
and even napkins, because sketches are an important way to record observations and thoughts, organize knowledge, and try to visualize tec-
tonic processes, the subsurface geometry of rock units, the evolution of landscapes, circulation in the atmosphere and oceans, and motions
of astronomical objects. Our research data show that a student who can draw, label, and explain a concept sketch generally has a good under-
standing of that concept.

REFERENCES CITED
Baddeley, A. D. 2007. Working memory, thought, and action. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 400 p.
Johnson, J. K., and Reynolds, S. J. 2005. Concept sketches—Using student- and instructor-generated annotated sketches for learning, teach-
ing, and assessment in geology courses. Journal of Geoscience Education, v. 53, pp. 85–95.
Lawson, A. E. 1980. Relationships among level of intellectual development, cognitive styles, and grades in a college biology course. Science
Education, v. 64, pp. 95–102.
Lawson, A. 2003. The neurological basis of learning, development & discovery: Implications for science & mathematics instruction. Dordrecht, The
Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 283 p.
Mayer, R. E. 2001. Multimedia learning. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 210 p.
Roth, W. M., and Bowen, G. M. 1999. Complexities of graphical representations during lectures: A phenomenological approach. Learning and
Instruction, v. 9, pp. 235–255.
Sweller, J. 1994. Cognitive Load Theory, learning difficulty, and instructional design. Learning and Instruction, v. 4, pp. 295–312.
XIX
HOW IS THIS BOOK ORGANIZED?

Two-page spreads are organized into 20 chapters that are arranged highlight the interactions among different earth systems. It introduces
into five major parts: (1) introduction to earth systems, earth glacial movement, landforms, and deposits, along with the causes of
materials, and geologic time; (2) tectonic processes and features; glaciation. This chapter then moves to shoreline processes, landforms,
(3) landscapes; (4) the atmosphere and oceans; and (5) the solar and hazards, and it ends with the consequences of changing sea level
system and universe. The first chapter provides an overview of on landforms and humans, emphasizing the role of glaciers in rais-
earth science, how we represent location and geologic features, the ing and lowering sea level. Chapter 12, the final chapter in this third
scientific approach, and an introduction to earth systems—a unify- part, is about various topics involving water, including the hydrologic
ing theme interwoven throughout the rest of the book. Chapter 2 cycle, water use, streams, stream processes, different types of streams,
introduces minerals and mineral resources, providing an example of and flooding. The second half of the chapter explores the relationship
our approach of presenting information about mineral, energy, and between surface water and groundwater, including the important top-
water resources in the chapter that is most pertinent to each topic. ics of contamination and overpumping of groundwater.
Chapter 3 follows with an introduction to earth materials and to the
processes that form the main families of rocks. Part one of the book The fourth part of the book is about the atmosphere and oceans.
ends with Chapter 4, which presents the important concepts about It begins with Chapter 13, an introduction to energy, matter, and
determining sequences of events, ages of rocks, and other aspects the atmosphere, providing a solid background for later chapters.
of geologic time. Chapter 14 follows this up with coverage about the processes and
manifestations of atmospheric motion. It features separate two-page
The second part of the book covers various aspects of tectonics. Chap- spreads on circulation in the tropics, high latitudes, and mid-latitudes,
ter 5 begins with having students observe large-scale features on land allowing students to concentrate on one part of the system at a time,
and the seafloor, as well as patterns of earthquakes and volcanoes, as leading to a synthesis of lower-level and upper-level winds. Chapter 14
a lead-in to tectonic plates. Integrated into the chapter are two-page also covers air pressure, the Coriolis effect, and seasonal and regional
spreads on continental drift, paleomagnetism, continental and oce- winds. These topics lead naturally into Chapter 15, which is an intro-
anic hot spots, and evolution of the modern oceans and continents. duction to atmospheric moisture, including clouds and various forms
This is followed by Chapter 6, which explores volcanism, volcanoes, of precipitation. Within the chapter are globes and other maps pre-
and other igneous processes and features. Chapter 7 begins with senting global, regional, and seasonal patterns of humidity and pre-
general principles of deformation and geologic structures, empha- cipitation. Chapter 16 follows this with a visual, map-oriented discus-
sizing how these are expressed in landscapes. The second half of sion of weather and storms, including cyclones, tornadoes, and other
Chapter 7 takes these principles of deformation and applies them to severe weather. The next chapter (Chapter 17) is devoted to the oceans
earthquakes, including their causes, settings, and resulting damage. and their interactions with the atmosphere and cryosphere. It features
Chapter 8, the final chapter in the second part of the book, explores sections on ocean currents, sea-surface temperatures, ocean salinity,
explanations for mountains and other regions of high elevations, the and a thorough treatment of ENSO. The chapters in this part build
formation of continents, and features along continental margins. It into Chapter 18, which presents various aspects of climate, including
also explores the origin of local mountains and basins, a topic unique the controls on climate and climate classification. Chapter 18 features
to this textbook, and provides an introduction to oil and natural gas, a two-page spread on each of the main climate groups, illustrated
including shale gas and oil. with a rich blend of figures and photographs. These spreads are built
around globes that portray a few related climate types, enabling stu-
The third part of the book focuses on the broad field of dents to concentrate on the distribution and controls of each climate
geomorphology — the form and evolution of landscapes. It begins type. The climate chapter also has a data-oriented presentation on
with Chapter 9, a visually oriented introduction to processes that the important topic of climate change, especially the data for climate
sculpt landscapes and redistribute earth materials. It presents a brief change, the controlling factors, and predicted consequences. It ends
introduction to weathering, erosion, and transport. Wind erosion, with a two-page spread on alternative (non-fossil fuel) energy sources.
transport, deposition, and resulting landforms are integrated into
Chapter 9, rather than being a separate, sparse-content chapter that The fifth and final group of chapters focuses on the solar system and
forcibly brings in non-wind topics, as is done in other textbooks. This the rest of the universe. Chapter 19 presents a highly visual introduc-
chapter also illustrates the formation of arches, natural bridges, karst tion to various objects in the solar system and how we study and inves-
topography, and caves, topics of interest to many students. tigate them. It is followed by Chapter 20, the final chapter in the book,
which explores the rest of the universe. It begins with a treatment of
The remaining chapters in the third part of the book cover dif- how we observe the universe and our framework for referencing these
ferent aspects of geomorphology. Chapter 10 treats the formation, observations. It introduces forces, motions, and light, presenting
description, and classification of soils, followed by a figure-based pre- the laws of motion of Newton and Kepler. The chapter successively
sentation of mass wasting and slope stability. Chapter 11 integrates explores stars, stellar evolution, stellar remnants, and galaxies, ending
information about glaciers, shorelines, and changing sea level, to with a discussion of cosmology and the early history of the universe.
XX
TWO-PAGE SPREADS Connections Two-Page Spread
Most of the book consists of two-page spreads, each of which is
The next-to-last two-page spread in each chapter is a Connections
about one or more closely related topics. Each chapter has four
spread designed to help students connect and integrate the various
main types of two-page spreads: opening, topical, connections, and
concepts from the chapter and to show how these concepts can be
investigation.
applied to an actual location. Connections are about real places that
illustrate the concepts and features covered in the chapter, often
explicitly illustrating how we investigate an earth science problem
Opening Two-Page Spread and how these problems have relevance to society.

Opening spreads introduce the chapter, engaging the student by high-


lighting some interesting and relevant aspects and posing questions CONNECTIONS Atmospheric Motion 441

14.10
to activate prior knowledge and curiosity. What Causes Monsoons?
A COMMON MISCONCEPTION is that the word “monsoon” refers to a type of rainfall, but the word actually refers
What Other Regions Experience Monsoon Circulations?
West Africa
14.10.b1 14.10.b2
July — A shift in wind direction in July brings moist
to winds that reverse directions depending on the season. One of these seasonal wind directions typically brings January — In January, ocean air from several directions onto the very
dry conditions and the other brings wet conditions. Monsoons impact a majority of the world’s population. near-surface winds in West hot land where air has risen. This change in wind
Africa largely flow from the direction causes enormous differences in precipi-
northeast, bringing in dry tation, as shown by the graph below for Dakar,
What Are the Features of the Asian Monsoon? air from inland areas, Senegal. Along with the increase in precipitation
including the Sahara Desert, comes an increase in the amount of vegetation. In
One way to characterize a monsoon is to compare maps showing wind directions for different times of the year. and carrying it southwest to Dakar and much of
Such maps can then be compared to rainfall records to determine which seasonal wind directions bring dry coastal areas and farther the region, precipi-
CHAPTER conditions and which ones bring wet conditions. The maps below show climatological wind conditions for the years offshore. Such offshore flows tation is nearly
421 1981 through 2010 for two months — January and July. Arrows show wind directions, and shading represents generally result in dry nonexistent in

14
Atmospheric Motion
weather. January and
pressure at sea level, with light gray being high and dark gray being low. Examine the patterns of circulation for
adjacent months.

Atmospheric Motion TO PI C S IN TH IS C H A PTER


each month and then compare the patterns between the months.
14.10.a1 14.10.a2
Winter Summer
14.10.b3

14.10.b4 14.10.b5
MOTION OF THE EARTH’S ATMOSPHERE controls climate, rainfall, and weather patterns, all of which greatly 14.1 How Do Gases Respond to Changes 14.5 How Do Variations in Insolation Cause Global Northern
July — The wind shifts by July (winter) as

1045
1045
affect our lives. It is driven largely by differences in insolation, with influences from other factors, including topog- in Temperature and Pressure? 422 Patterns of Air Pressure and Circulation? 430 60˚ N 60˚ N Australia the land surface cools, creating higher
raphy, land-sea interfaces, and especially rotation of the planet. These factors control motion at local scales, like 14.2 What Causes Winds? 424 14.6 How Does Air Circulate in the Tropics? 432 January — In pressure over the land. This causes a large
14.3 14.7 January (the drop in precipitation, as shown by the
between a mountain and valley, at larger scales encompassing major storm systems, and at global scales, determin-

SEA LEVEL PRESSURE (mb)


SEA LEVEL PRESSURE (mb)
What Causes Some Local and Regional Winds? 426 How Does Air Circulate in High Latitudes? 434
southern summer), graph below for Katherine, Australia. The

1027.5
1027.5
ing the prevailing wind directions for the entire planet. All of these local-to-global circulations are governed by 14.4 What Are Some Significant Regional Winds? 428 14.8 How Does Surface Air Circulate in Mid-Latitudes? 436 Seoul
Seoul winds over monsoon
similar physical principles. 14.9 How Does Air Circulate Aloft Over northern Australia flow in
the Mid-Latitudes? 438 30˚ N 30˚ N bring moist air January
Kolkata Kolkata from the ocean results in

1012.5
1012.5
Large-scale patterns of atmospheric circulation are shown here for the Northern
14.10 Connections: What Causes Monsoons? 440 onto the heated plentiful
Hemisphere. Examine all the components on this figure and think about what you 14.11 Investigation: What Occurs During Seasonal land surface. rain.
know about each. Do you recognize some of the features and names? Two features Circulation Shifts? 442
on this figure are identified with the term “jet stream.” You may have heard this term 14.10.b6
14.10.b7 14.10.b8

995
995
watching the nightly weather report or from a captain on a cross-country airline flight. Equator Equator July — During the late summer months, heating of the
EQ EQ Southwestern U.S. land surface and the resulting low pressure causes a
What is a jet stream and what effect does it have on weather and flying? Jet streams are fast-flowing currents of air high in the troposphere, near the JANUARY SLP JULY SLP
January — The Desert shift in winds. Winds from the south bring moist air
altitude at which large airplanes fly. The Polar Front Jet Stream occurs at high 0˚ 1500 km 60˚ E 120˚ E 0˚ 1500 km 60˚ E 120˚ E Southwest has a less northward from the Gulf of Mexico and Gulf of
latitudes, along the edges of a circulating mass of cold air called the Polar Cell. The
January — This map shows typical wind conditions for Asia during July — This map shows that wind conditions for the same region dramatic, but still impor- California, and summer thunderstorms form when this
Prominent labels of H and L represent areas with relatively Northern Hemisphere version is shown here, but a similar one occurs in the
January. In the center of the map, winds define a region where flow is during July are totally different than they are for January. Circulation tant monsoon effect. In the air interacts with the heated land. These summer
higher and lower air pressure, respectively. Southern Hemisphere. Two more jet streams, called Subtropical Jet Streams, occur in
clockwise and outward, centered on the light-colored area of high that marked the high pressure is gone, replaced by an area of inward winter months, winds blow thunderstorms cause precipitation to peak in August,
the subtropics on either side of the equator, at about 30° N and 30° S.
What is air pressure and why do some areas have higher or lower pressure. This high-pressure area (anticyclone) forms from cold, sinking and counterclockwise flow over Tibet (north of Kolkata). In the from various directions, as shown by the graph below for Tempe, Arizona.
pressure than other areas? Do jet streams always stay in the same position, and how do they affect our weather? air over Siberia. This circulation brings very dry air (from the cold interior Northern Hemisphere, this pattern of circulation is diagnostic of a and winter precipitation is First, note the different scale needed to show the
of the continent) from the north over southern Asia and from the low-pressure area, which in this case is caused by warm, rising air that from brief incursions of relatively small amounts of precipitation. Also note
northwest across eastern Asia. We would predict from these wind accompanies warming of the Asian landmass. This circulation brings cold, wet air (i.e., cold that nearly as much precipitation falls in the winter
Distinctive wind patterns, shown by white arrows, are patterns that little precipitation would occur in much of Asia at this time. very humid air from the southwest over southern and southeastern fronts) from the northwest. from the cold fronts.
Near-surface winds interact with upward- and
associated with the areas of high and low pressure. The downward-flowing air higher in the atmo- Asia. How do you think this circulation affects rainfall?
winds are flowing outward and in a clockwise sphere, together forming huge tube-shaped air
Seasonal Variation in Precipitation Effect of the Monsoon on Vegetation
direction from the high, but inward and in a
counterclockwise direction from the low. These
circuits called circulation cells. The most
prominent of these are Hadley Cells, one of
The Effect of Monsoons on Cultures
Observe these graphs showing average monthly precipitation These satellite images show increased vegetation due to monsoon-
directions would be reversed for highs and which occurs on either side of the equator.

M
amounts for two very different parts of Asia: Kolkata, one of the related rains along the western coast of India. The left image is onsoons greatly influence the lives in ways not fathomable to most North Amer-
lows in the Southern Hemisphere. largest metropolitan areas of India, and Seoul, the capital of South during the dry season, when wind patterns bring in dry air. The right of people living in regions with sea- icans or Europeans. The influence on agricul-
What controls the existence and location of 14.10.b9
Korea. For both cities, notice prominent precipitation peaks that image is from the end of the monsoon. Note the increase in plant sonal shifts in wind. The main ture, including the cultivation of rice, and on
Why do wind patterns develop around areas of circulation cells, and how do the Hadley Cells
occur during the summer — the wet season. The increase in cover (green areas) during the monsoon-caused rainy season. effects of a monsoon are seasonal variations flooding and other natural hazards is obvi-
high and low pressures, why do these patterns influence global weather and climate?
precipitation during the wet season results from the flow of moist in precipitation, which in turn affect water ous, but the monsoon also appears in litera-
Before You Leave This Page
spiral, and why are some spirals clockwise and 14.10.a5 India 14.10.a6 India
others counterclockwise?
air from oceans onto land, toward the Tibetan Low. The dry season,
supplies, amount of vegetation, and overall ture, art, music, architecture, and nearly every Be Able To
during the winter months, reflects the flow of dry air from the
livability for some normally dry landscapes. other aspect of culture. Ceremonies com-
Motion in the atmosphere affects us land, flowing outward from the Siberian High.
Many cultures plan their activities around monly mark the anticipated start of the mon- Explain what causes a monsoon,
in many ways. It controls short-term 14.10.a3 14.10.a4
North of the equator, prevailing winds these seasonal changes, conserving water soon. In years when the monsoon rains arrive using examples from Asia, West
(shown with large gray arrows) have gently weather and long-term climate, during the dry season and taking advantage later than usual, people become very con- Africa, northern Australia, and

14.10
curved shapes. For most of human history, including typical average, maximum, southwestern North America.
of the plentiful water during the wet season. cerned that harvests will suffer. The date of
transportation routes depended on local and and minimum temperatures. The
large-scale patterns of air circulation, The monsoon pervades the psyches of the onset of the monsoon rains varies by loca- Describe some of the effects of
regional atmospheric circulation. These winds
along with effects of local winds, cause people in southern and southeastern Asia, tion, but generally proceeds from south to shifting monsoonal winds.
were named “trade winds” because of their
importance in dictating the patterns of world some areas to be deserts and others especially the region from India to Vietnam, north with the onset in April and May.
commerce. The trade winds circulate from to be rain forests, and cause winds to
440
Spain southwestward, causing Christopher change direction with the seasons and
Columbus to land in the Bahamas rather than from night to day. Regional air
the present U.S. circulation affects the amount and
timing of rainfall for a region, which in
What causes winds blowing toward the equator turn controls the types of soils,
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12/11/14 7:17 PM 441 12/11/14 7:17 PM
to be deflected to the west? vegetation, agriculture, and animals
situated in an area. Winds determine
which areas of the U.S. are more
Prevailing winds from the north and south conducive to wind-power generation
converge near the equator. This zone of conver- than others. The result of these global,
regional, and local atmospheric
14.0

gence, called the Intertropical Convergence Zone


(ITCZ), is a locus of humid air and stormy weather. motions is a world in which the tropics
are not too hot, the polar areas are not
What causes winds to converge near the equator, and
why does this convergence cause unsettled weather?

420
d
14.00.a1
too cold, and no areas have too little
moisture for life.

Investigation Two-Page Spread


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Each chapter ends with an Investigation spread that is an exercise in


which students apply the knowledge, skills, and approaches learned
Topical Two-Page Spread in the chapter. These exercises mostly involve virtual places that stu-
dents explore and investigate to make observations and interpreta-
Topical spreads comprise most of the book. They convey the content, tions and to answer a series of relevant questions. Investigations are
help organize knowledge, describe and illustrate processes, and modeled after the types of problems geoscientists investigate, and
provide a spatial context. The first topical spread in a chapter usu- they use the same kinds of data and illustrations encountered in the
ally includes some aspects that are familiar to most students, as a chapter. The Investigation includes a list of goals for the exercises
bridge or scaffold into the rest of the chapter. Each chapter has at and step-by-step instructions, including calculations and methods
least one two-page spread illustrating how earth science processes for constructing maps, graphs, and other figures. These investiga-
impact society and commonly another two-page spread that specifi- tions can be completed by students in class, as part of a laboratory
cally describes how earth scientists study typical problems. exercise, as worksheet-based homework, or as online activities.

432 Atmospheric Motion 433


I N V E S T I G AT I O N Atmospheric Motion 443

14.6 How Does Air Circulate in the Tropics? Formation of Hadley Cells
8. After rising, this air spreads out poleward
14.11
What Occurs During Seasonal Circulation Shifts? Air Pressure
7. Insolation, on average, is most as it approaches the upper boundary of the
TROPICAL CIRCULATION is driven by the intense solar heating of land and seas near the equator. The heated air intense near the equator, in the troposphere (the tropopause). These two globes show average air pressure
rises and spreads out from the equator, setting up huge, recirculating cells of flowing air. The rising air results in a tropics. The position of the overhead GLOBAL ATMOSPHERIC CIRCULATION responds directly to insolation. As the Sun’s direct rays migrate over the Atlantic and adjacent land areas during
Sun migrates between the Tropic of 9. Once the upper-level flow reaches seasonally, belts of winds, such as the westerlies, migrate too. In this investigation, you will examine the the months of January and July. Lighter gray
belt of tropical low pressure, and where the air descends back toward the surface is a belt of subtropical high pres- Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn from about 30° N and 30° S latitude, it sinks, indicates relatively high pressures, whereas
sure. What determines where the rising and sinking occur, and how does the Coriolis effect influence this flow? both because it begins to cool aloft
general circulation of the atmosphere, as expressed by data on air pressure, wind velocity, and cloud cover darker gray indicates low pressures. Intermedi-
season to season. The Sun-heated air
rises from the tropics, forming a belt and due to forces arising from Earth’s for two months with very different seasons — January and July. ate grays indicate intermediate pressures. The
of low pressure at the surface. As the rotation. This sinking air dynamically lines encircling the globe are the equator and
General Circulation in the Tropics 14.06.a2 Kakadu World Heritage Site, Australia
warm, moist air rises, the air cools compresses itself and the surrounding 30° and 60° (N and S) latitudes.
1. Examine the large figure below and note the main features. What do you observe, and
somewhat, forming clouds; this air, producing the subtropical high- Goals of This Exercise:
accounts for the typical cloudiness pressure systems. Observe the main patterns on these two
can you explain most of these features using concepts you learned from previous parts of
and haziness of many tropical areas. • Identify major patterns in air pressure, wind velocity, and cloud cover for each season. globes, noting the positions of high pressure
the chapter? Tropical areas are known for their lush vegetation (▶), which in turn is due 14.06.a3 10. Once near the surface, the air flows back toward the equator to replace the air that and low pressure and how the positions,
largely to relatively abundant and consistent insolation, warm temperatures, and abundant rose. The flow from the two hemispheres converges at the ITCZ. • From these data, identify the major features of the global atmospheric circulation in each season. shapes, and strengths change between the two
rainfall. After thinking about these aspects, read the rest of the text. • Assess and explain the degree of seasonal movement of these circulation features. seasons. Then, complete the steps described in
the procedures section.
14.11.a2 14.11.a3
Influence of the Coriolis Effect January July
12. In the Northern Hemisphere, as the air flows When examining large-scale patterns of the earth, such Observe the entire scene, noting which areas on land
11. As the air flows toward the poleward after rising at the ITCZ, the weak Coriolis as global circulation patterns, a useful strategy is to have the most vegetation and which ones have the
equator in each hemisphere from the effect also pulls the air slightly to the right of its focus on one part of the system at a time. Another least. Compare these vegetation patterns with
subtropical high to the ITCZ, the intended path. The result is that some of the upper- often-recommended strategy is to begin with large-scale patterns of atmospheric circulation
2. At the surface, winds generally converge Coriolis effect pulls it to the right of level air moves from southwest to northeast at the relatively simple parts of a system before and air pressure, like subtropical highs and the
on the equator from the north and south. its intended path (in the Northern top of the Northern Hemisphere Hadley cell. moving to more complex ones. For this Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). Wind Velocity
The south-flowing winds in the Northern Hemisphere) or left (in the investigation, you will infer global patterns
Hemisphere are apparently deflected to the Southern Hemisphere), as shown 13. In the Southern Hemisphere, the Coriolis effect of air circulation by focusing on the These globes show average wind velocities for
Consider what directions of prevailing winds
right relative to their original path, blowing by the arrows on the left side of deflects the upper-level winds to the left of their Atlantic Ocean and adjacent lands (▶). January and July. The arrows show the direc-
from the northeast. These winds are the would occur in different belts of latitude.
this diagram. The Coriolis effect is intended path, causing a northwest-to-southeast flow tions, while the shading represents the speed,
northeast trade winds, which blow from the For example, where in this globe are the
weak near the equator, however, at the top of the Southern Hemisphere Hadley cell. This globe is centered on the central with darker being faster. In this exercise, the
Old World (Europe and Africa) to the New two belts of trade winds (one north and
so the deflection is only slight. Atlantic, and its top is slightly tilted directions are more important than the speeds,
World (the Americas). one south of the equator)? How about the
The result is surface air flowing 14. As the seasons progress, the set of Hadley cells toward you to better show the but both tell part of the story.
mid-latitude belts of westerlies in each
from northeast to southwest in and the ITCZ migrate — to the Northern Hemisphere Northern Hemisphere. As a result of
hemisphere? Consider how these winds Observe the large-scale patterns, identifying
the Northern-Hemisphere tropics in Northern-Hemisphere summer and to the Southern this tilt, Antarctica is barely visible at the
3. In the Southern Hemisphere, might blow moisture-rich air from the those patterns that are related to global
(the northeast trade winds) and Hemisphere in Southern-Hemisphere summer. If the bottom of the globe. The colors on land,
winds blowing toward the equator ocean onto land. After you have thought circulation (i.e., westerlies) versus those that are
from southeast to northwest in the trade-wind flow crosses the equator, the Coriolis deflec- derived from satellite data, depict rocks
are deflected to the left (west), 14.06.a4 about these aspects, read the procedures related to more regional features, such as the
Southern-Hemisphere tropics (the tion begins to occur in the opposite direction, and the and sand in tan and brown. Vegetation is
resulting in winds blowing from below and examine the globes and text on Bermuda-Azores High and the Icelandic Low.
southeast trade winds). winds can reverse direction (not shown). in various shades of green, with the darkest
the southeast, forming the the next page, which highlight average air Note also the position of where winds con-
green indicating the thickest vegetation
southeast trade winds. pressure, wind velocity, and cloud cover for two verge along the equator and how this position
(usually forests). Shallow waters in the Carib-
months — January and July. changes between the two months.
bean region (on the left side of the globe)
Seasonal Variations in the Position of the Intertropical Convergence Zone are light blue. 14.11.a4 14.11.a5
4. A belt of high pressure 14.11.a1 January July
occurs near 30° N and 30° 15. As the overhead Sun shifts north 16. The ITCZ generally extends 17. Unlike the ITCZ, the subtropical high pressure doesn’t exist
and south within the tropics from season poleward over large landmasses in a continuous belt around the earth. The ocean-covered
S, where air descends to
the surface of the earth. to season, the ITCZ shifts, too. In the in the hemisphere that is experi- surfaces support high pressure better than land surfaces Procedures
This air rose in the low northern summer, it shifts to the north. encing summer. This larger shift because land heats up too much at these latitudes, especially Complete the following steps on a worksheet provided by your instructor or as an online activity.
pressure located near the The typical June position of the ITCZ is over the land than over the in summer. The heated air over the land rises, counteracting
equator, as a result of the red line on the figure below, and the oceans is because of the more the tendency for sinking air in the Hadley cell. So the subtropi- 1. Study the two globes showing air pressure (on the next page), and note areas with high and low pressure. First, locate Cloud Cover
excess heating. December position is the blue line. intense heating of land surfaces. cal high pressure tends to be more vigorous over the oceans. a belt of low pressure near the equator and the adjacent belts of subtropical highs on either side. Next, locate the The clouds that form, move above Earth’s
Icelandic Low and a high pressure area to the south (called the Bermuda-Azores High), located in the Atlantic Ocean surface, and disappear can be detected and
Before You Leave This Page between Africa and North America. Determine for which season each is strongest or if there is not much difference tracked with satellites, shown here for January
5. The rising and descend- between the seasons. Mark and label the approximate locations of these features on the globe on the worksheet. and July 2012. On these globes, light colors
ing air, and the related Be Able To that obscure the land and ocean indicate more
Typical Position 2. Next, examine the two globes that show wind velocity. In the appropriate place on the worksheet, draw a few arrows abundant clouds (and often precipitation),
high- and low-pressure areas, of ITCZ in July
are linked together in a huge Sketch, label, and explain the main to represent the main wind patterns for different regions in each month. Label the two belts of westerlies and the two whereas the land shows through in areas that
TROPIC OF CANCER
cell of convecting air — the patterns of air circulation and air average fewer clouds.
belts of trade winds. If the horse latitudes are visible for any hemisphere and season, label them as well. Mark any some-
Hadley cell. One Hadley cell pressure over the tropics and
occurs north of the equator
what circular patterns of regional winds and indicate what pressure feature is associated with each. Observe the large-scale patterns, noting which
EQUATOR
subtropics.
and another just south of areas are cloudiest and which ones generally
14.06.a1 3. Examine the two globes that show the average cloud cover for each month. From these patterns, label areas that you have clear skies. Relate these patterns of clouds
the equator. As air rises near Sketch and explain air circulation in
the Hadley cells. interpret to have high rainfall in the tropics due to proximity to the ITCZ or low rainfall due to position in a subtropical to the following: amount of vegetation on the
the equator, surface winds
14.11
14.6

TROPIC OF CAPRICORN high. Examine how the cloud patterns correspond to the amount of vegetation, pressure, and winds. land, air pressure for that month, and average
flow in from both sides, Describe the Intertropical
6. Note that the Hadley cell extends to approximately 30° north forming the Intertropical wind directions. Answer all questions on the
Typical Position of ITCZ in January Convergence Zone and its shifts. 4. Sketch and explain how the different features of circulation and air pressure change between the two months. Answer worksheet or online.
and south of the equator, so it generally encompasses all the Convergence Zone (ITCZ)
tropics and some distance beyond.
all the questions on the worksheet or online. January 14.11.a6
July 14.11.a7
14.06.a5

442

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XXI
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XXIII
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Writing a totally new type of introductory earth science textbook Harrison, Skye Rodgers, Steve Semken, and David Walsh. We are
would not be possible without the suggestions and encouragement extremely grateful to Thomas Arny and Stephen Schneider for the
we received from instructors who reviewed various incarnations of use of many illustrations from their excellent astronomy textbooks.
text and artwork in this book. We are especially grateful to people Our astronomy figures and text benefitted from thorough reviews
who contributed entire days either reviewing our books or attend- by Steven Desch, William Karl Pitts, and David A. Williams.
ing symposia to openly discuss the vision, challenges, and refine-
ments of this kind of new approach. We also appreciate the sup- We used a number of data sources to create many illustrations. Reto
port of hundreds of instructors who have reported great success Stöckli of the Department of Environmental Sciences at ETH Zürich
with using our books in their classrooms, validating our unusual and NASA Goddard produced the Blue Marble and Blue Marble
approach and encouraging us to extend our original vision into Next Generation global satellite composites. We are very apprecia-
various fields of earth science. tive of the NOAA Reanalysis Site, which we used extensively, and
for other sites of the USDA, NASA, USGS, and NPS.
This book is a decidedly collaborative effort, incorporating material
from our two other textbooks. Our colleagues Paul Morin, Chuck We have treasured our interactions with the wonderful Iowans
Carter, and Mike Kelly contributed materials to our Exploring Geol- at McGraw-Hill Education, who enthusiastically supported our
ogy textbook, and some of this content is included here. Likewise, vision, needs, and progress. We especially thank our current and
we have greatly benefitted from our collaboration with geographers previous publishers Michelle Vogler, Ryan Blankenship, and Marge
Bob Rohli, Peter Waylen, and Mark Francek on our Exploring Physi- Kemp for their continued encouragement and excellent support.
cal Geography textbook, which provided the starting materials for Jodi Rhomberg, Laura Bies, and others skillfully and cheerfully
chapters on the atmosphere and oceans. We gratefully acknowledge guided the development of the book during the publication pro-
the words, figures, organization suggestions, and friendship pro- cess, making it all happen. Lori Hancock helped immensely with
vided by these colleagues. our ever-changing photographic needs, and Jerry Marshall guided
us through the obstacle-laden arena of photo permissions. We also
This book contains over 2,500 figures, several times more than a appreciate the support, cooperation, guidance, and enthusiasm of
typical introductory earth science textbook. This massive art pro- Thomas Timp, Marty Lange, Kurt Strand, Matt Garcia, Lisa Nicks,
gram required great effort and artistic abilities from the illustrators Danielle Dodds, David Hash, Traci Andre, Tammy Ben, and many
and artists who turned our vision and sketches into what truly are others at McGraw-Hill who worked hard to make this book a reality.
pieces of art. We are especially appreciative of Cindy Shaw, who Kevin Campbell provided thorough copy editing and also compiled
was lead illustrator, art director, and a steady hand that helped the index and glossary. Kay Brimeyer provided excellent proofread-
guide the project. For many figures, she extracted data from NOAA ing that caught small gremlins before they escaped. Our wonder-
and NASA websites and then converted the data into exquisite ful colleague Gina Szablewski expertly directed the development of
maps and other illustrations. Cindy also fine-tuned or extensively LearnSmart materials and provided general encouragement.
reworked the authors’ layouts, standardized various aspects of the
illustrations, and prepared the final figures for printing. Chuck Finally, a project like this is truly life consuming, especially when
Carter produced many spectacular pieces of art, including virtual the authors do the writing, illustrating, photography, near-final
places featured in the chapter-ending Investigations. Susie Gillatt page layout, media development, and development of assessments,
contributed many of her wonderful photographs from around the teaching ancillaries, and the instructor’s website. We are extremely
world, photographs that helped us tell the story in a visual way. She appreciative of the support, patience, and friendship we received
also color corrected and retouched most of the photographs in the from family members, friends, colleagues, and students who shared
book. We also used visually unique artwork by Daniel Miller, David our sacrifices and successes during the creation of this new vision
Fierstein, and Susie Gillatt. Suzanne Rohli performed magic with of a textbook. Steve Reynolds thanks the ever-cheerful, supportive,
GIS files and helped in many other ways. We were ably assisted in and talented Susie Gillatt; John and Kay Reynolds; and our mostly
data compilation and other tasks by students and former students helpful book-writing companions, Widget, Jasper, and Ziggy. Julia
Cheryl Replogle, Jenna Donatelli, Emma Harrison, Abeer Hamden, Johnson thanks Annabelle Louise and Hazel Johnson, and the rest
Peng Jia, Javier Vázquez, and Courtney Merjil. Terra Chroma, Inc., of her family for enthusiastic support and encouragement. Steve
of Tucson, Arizona, supported many aspects in the development of and Julia appreciate the support of their wonderful colleagues at
this book, including funding parts of the extensive art program and ASU and elsewhere.
maintaining the ExploringEarthScience.com website.
The authors are very grateful for the thousands of students who
Many people went out of their way to provide us with photographs, have worked with us on projects, infused our classrooms with
illustrations, and advice. These helpful people included Susie Gil- energy and enthusiasm, and provided excellent constructive
latt, Vladimir Romanovsky, Paul McDaniel, Lawrence McGhee, feedback about what works and what doesn’t work. We wrote this
Charles Love, Cindy Shaw, Ramón Arrowsmith, Dan Trimble, book to help instructors, including us, make students’ time in our
Bixler McClure, Michael Forster, Vince Matthews, Ron Blakey, classes even more interesting, exciting, and informative. Thank
Doug Bartlett, Phil Christensen, Scott Johnson, Peg Owens, Emma you all!

XXIV
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
other."
"I see. But isn't there any third party in the case?"
"Yes—Ulric Fiennes, the sculptor, you know. But he can't have her at
his place because his wife's there, and he's really dependent on his
wife, because his sculping doesn't pay. And besides, he's at work on
that colossal group for the Exhibition and he can't move it; it weighs
about twenty tons. And if he went off and took Olga away, his wife
would lock him out of the place. It's very inconvenient being a
sculptor. It's like playing the double-bass; one's so handicapped by
one's baggage."
"True. Whereas, when you run away with me, we'll be able to put all
the pottery shepherds and shepherdesses in a handbag."
"Of course. What fun it will be. Where shall we run to?"
"How about starting to-night and getting as far as Oddenino's and
going on to a show—if you're not doing anything?"
"You are a loveable man, and I shall call you Peter. Shall we see
'Betwixt and Between?'"
"The thing they had such a job to get past the censor? Yes, if you
like. Is it particularly obscene?"
"No, epicene, I fancy."
"Oh, I see. Well, I'm quite agreeable. Only I warn you that I shall
make a point of asking you the meaning of all the risky bits in a very
audible voice."
"That's your idea of amusement, is it?"
"Yes. It does make them so wild. People say 'Hush!' and giggle, and
if I'm lucky I end up with a gorgeous row in the bar."
"Then I won't risk it. No. I'll tell you what I'd really love. We'll go and
see 'George Barnwell' at the Elephant and have a fish-and-chips
supper afterwards."
This was agreed upon, and was voted in retrospect a most profitable
evening. It finished up with grilled kippers at a friend's studio in the
early hours. Lord Peter returned home to find a note upon the hall-
table.
"My lord,
"The person from Sleuths Incorporated rang up to-day
that he was inclined to acquiesce in your lordship's
opinion, but that he was keeping his eye upon the
party and would report further to-morrow. The
sandwiches are on the dining-room table, if your
lordship should require refreshment.
"Yours obediently,
"M. Bunter."

"Cross the gypsy's palm with silver," said his lordship, happily, and
rolled into bed.

CHAPTER XI
Lord Peter Clears Trumps
"Sleuths Incorporated's" report, when it came, might be summed up
as "Nothing doing and Major Fentiman convinced that there never
will be anything doing; opinion shared by Sleuths Incorporated." Lord
Peter's reply was: "Keep on watching and something will happen
before the week is out."
His lordship was justified. On the fourth evening, "Sleuths
Incorporated" reported again by telephone. The particular sleuth in
charge of the case had been duly relieved by Major Fentiman at 6
P.M. and had gone to get his dinner. On returning to his post an hour
later, he had been presented with a note left for him with the ticket-
collector at the stair-head. It ran: "Just seen Oliver getting into taxi.
Am following. Will communicate to refreshment-room. Fentiman."
The sleuth had perforce to return to the refreshment room and hang
about waiting for a further message. "But all the while, my lord, the
second man I put on as instructed by you, my lord, was a-following
the Major unbeknownst." Presently a call was put through from
Waterloo. "Oliver is on the Southampton train. I am following." The
sleuth hurried down to Waterloo, found the train gone and followed
on by the next. At Southampton he made inquiries and learned that a
gentleman answering to Fentiman's description had made a violent
disturbance as the Havre boat was just starting, and had been
summarily ejected at the instance of an elderly man whom he
appeared to have annoyed or attacked in some way. Further
investigation among the Port authorities made it clear that Fentiman
had followed this person down, made himself offensive on the train
and been warned off by the guard, collared his prey again on the
gangway and tried to prevent him from going aboard. The gentleman
had produced his passport and pièces d'identité, showing him to be
a retired manufacturer of the name of Postlethwaite, living at Kew.
Fentiman had insisted that he was, on the contrary, a man called
Oliver, address and circumstances unknown, whose testimony was
wanted in some family matter. As Fentiman was unprovided with a
passport and appeared to have no official authority for stopping and
questioning travelers, and as his story seemed vague and his
manner agitated, the local police had decided to detain Fentiman.
Postlethwaite was allowed to proceed on his way, after leaving his
address in England and his destination, which, as he contended, and
as he produced papers and correspondence to prove, was Venice.
The sleuth went round to the police-station, where he found
Fentiman, apoplectic with fury, threatening proceedings for false
imprisonment. He was able to get him released, however, on bearing
witness to Fentiman's identity and good faith, and after persuading
him to give a promise to keep the peace. He had then reminded
Fentiman that private persons were not entitled to assault or arrest
peaceable people against whom no charge could be made, pointing
out to him that his proper course, when Oliver denied being Oliver,
would have been to follow on quietly and keep a watch on him, while
communicating with Wimsey or Mr. Murbles or Sleuths Incorporated.
He added that he was himself now waiting at Southampton for
further instructions from Lord Peter. Should he follow to Venice, or
send his subordinate, or should he return to London? In view of the
frank behavior of Mr. Postlethwaite, it seemed probable that a
genuine mistake had been made as to identity, but Fentiman insisted
that he was not mistaken.
Lord Peter, holding the trunk line, considered for a moment. Then he
laughed.
"Where is Major Fentiman?" he asked.
"Returning to town, my lord. I have represented to him that I have
now all the necessary information to go upon, and that his presence
in Venice would only hamper my movements, now that he had made
himself known to the party."
"Quite so. Well, I think you might as well send your man on to
Venice, just in case it's a true bill. And listen".... He gave some
further instructions, ending with: "And ask Major Fentiman to come
and see me as soon as he arrives."
"Certainly, my lord."
"What price the gypsy's warning now?" said Lord Peter, as he
communicated this piece of intelligence to Bunter.
Major Fentiman came round to the flat that afternoon, in a whirl of
apology and indignation.
"I'm sorry, old man. It was damned stupid of me, but I lost my
temper. To hear that fellow calmly denying that he had ever seen me
or poor old grandfather, and coming out with his bits of evidence so
pat, put my bristles up. Of course, I see now that I made a mistake. I
quite realize that I ought to have followed him up quietly. But how
was I to know that he wouldn't answer to his name?"
"But you ought to have guessed when he didn't, that either you had
made a mistake or that he had some very good motive for trying to
get away," said Wimsey.
"I wasn't accusing him of anything."
"Of course not, but he seems to have thought you were."
"But why?—I mean, when I first spoke to him, I just said, 'Mr. Oliver, I
think?' And he said, 'You are mistaken.' And I said, 'Surely not. My
name's Fentiman, and you knew my grandfather, old General
Fentiman.' And he said he hadn't the pleasure. So I explained that
we wanted to know where the old boy had spent the night before he
died, and he looked at me as if I was a lunatic. That annoyed me,
and I said I knew he was Oliver, and then he complained to the
guard. And when I saw him just trying to hop off like that, without
giving us any help, and when I thought about that half-million, it
made me so mad I just collared him. 'Oh, no, you don't,' I said—and
that was how the fun began, don't you see."
"I see perfectly," said Wimsey. "But don't you see, that if he really is
Oliver and has gone off in that elaborate manner, with false
passports and everything, he must have something important to
conceal."
Fentiman's jaw dropped.
"You don't mean—you don't mean there's anything funny about the
death? Oh! surely not."
"There must be something funny about Oliver, anyway, mustn't
there? On your own showing?"
"Well, if you look at it that way, I suppose there must. I tell you what,
he's probably got into some bother or other and is clearing out. Debt,
or a woman, or something. Of course that must be it. And I was
beastly inconvenient popping up like that. So he pushed me off. I see
it all now. Well, in that case, we'd better let him rip. We can't get him
back, and I daresay he won't be able to tell us anything after all."
"That's possible, of course. But when you bear in mind that he
seems to have disappeared from Gatti's, where you used to see him,
almost immediately after the General's death, doesn't it look rather
as though he was afraid of being connected up with that particular
incident?"
Fentiman wriggled uncomfortably.
"Oh, but, hang it all! What could he have to do with the old man's
death?"
"I don't know. But I think we might try to find out."
"How?"
"Well, we might apply for an exhumation order."
"Dig him up!" cried Fentiman, scandalized.
"Yes. There was no post-mortem, you know."
"No, but Penberthy knew all about it and gave the certificate."
"Yes; but at that time there was no reason to suppose that anything
was wrong."
"And there isn't now."
"There are a number of peculiar circumstances, to say the least."
"There's only Oliver—and I may have been mistaken about him."
"But I thought you were so sure?"
"So I was. But—this is preposterous, Wimsey! Besides, think what a
scandal it would make!"
"Why should it? You are the executor. You can make a private
application and the whole thing can be done quite privately."
"Yes, but surely the Home Office would never consent, on such
flimsy grounds."
"I'll see that they do. They'll know I wouldn't be keen on anything
flimsy. Little bits of fluff were never in my line."
"Oh, do be serious. What reason can we give?"
"Quite apart from Oliver, we can give a very good one. We can say
that we want to examine the contents of the viscera to see how soon
the General died after taking his last meal. That might be of great
assistance in solving the question of the survivorship. And the law,
generally speaking, is nuts on what they call the orderly devolution of
property."
"Hold on! D'you mean to say you can tell when a bloke died just by
looking inside his tummy?"
"Not exactly, of course. But one might get an idea. If we found, that
is, that he'd only that moment swallowed his brekker, it would show
that he'd died not very long after arriving at the Club."
"Good lord!—that would be a poor look-out for me."
"It might be the other way, you know."
"I don't like it, Wimsey. It's very unpleasant. I wish to goodness we
could compromise on it."
"But the lady in the case won't compromise. You know that. We've
got to get at the facts somehow. I shall certainly get Murbles to
suggest the exhumation to Pritchard."
"Oh, lord! What'll he do?"
"Pritchard? If he's an honest man and his client's an honest woman,
they'll support the application. If they don't, I shall fancy they've
something to conceal."
"I wouldn't put it past them. They're a low-down lot. But they can't do
anything without my consent, can they?"
"Not exactly—at least, not without a lot of trouble and publicity. But if
you're an honest man, you'll give your consent. You've nothing to
conceal, I suppose?"
"Of course not. Still, it seems rather——"
"They suspect us already of some kind of dirty work," persisted
Wimsey. "That brute Pritchard as good as told me so. I'm expecting
every day to hear that he has suggested exhumation off his own bat.
I'd rather we got in first with it."
"If that's the case, I suppose we must do it. But I can't believe it'll do
a bit of good, and it's sure to get round and make an upheaval. Isn't
there some other way—you're so darned clever——"
"Look here, Fentiman. Do you want to get at the facts? Or are you
out to collar the cash by hook or by crook? You may as well tell me
frankly which it is."
"Of course I want to get at the facts."
"Very well; I've told you the next step to take."
"Damn it all," said Fentiman, discontentedly; "I suppose it'll have to
be done, then. But I don't know whom to apply to or how to do it."
"Sit down, then, and I'll dictate the letter for you."
From this there was no escape, and Robert Fentiman did as he was
told, grumbling.
"There's George. I ought to consult him."
"It doesn't concern George, except indirectly. That's right. Now write
to Murbles, telling him what you're doing and instructing him to let
the other party know."
"Oughtn't we to consult about the whole thing with Murbles first?"
"I've already consulted Murbles, and he agrees it's the thing to do."
"These fellows would agree to anything that means fees and
trouble."
"Just so. Still, solicitors are necessary evils. Is that finished?"
"Yes."
"Give the letters to me; I'll see they're posted. Now you needn't worry
any more about it. Murbles and I will see to it all, and the detective-
wallah is looking after Oliver all right, so you can run away and play."
"You——"
"I'm sure you're going to say how good it is of me to take all this
trouble. Delighted, I'm sure. It's of no consequence. A pleasure, in
fact. Have a drink."
The disconcerted major refused the drink rather shortly and prepared
to depart.
"You mustn't think I'm not grateful, Wimsey, and all that. But it is
rather unseemly."
"With all your experience," said Wimsey, "you oughtn't to be so
sensitive about corpses. We've seen many things much unseemlier
than a nice, quiet little resurrection in a respectable cemetery."
"Oh, I don't care twopence about the corpse," retorted the Major, "but
the thing doesn't look well. That's all."
"Think of the money," grinned Wimsey, shutting the door of the flat
upon him.
He returned to the library, balancing the two letters in his hand.
"There's many a man now walking the streets of London," said he,
"through not clearing trumps. Take these letters to the post, Bunter.
And Mr. Parker will be dining here with me this evening. We will have
a perdrix aux choux and a savory to follow, and you can bring up two
bottles of the Chambertin."
"Very good, my lord."
Wimsey's next proceeding was to write a little confidential note to an
official whom he knew very well at the Home Office. This done, he
returned to the telephone and asked for Penberthy's number.
"That you, Penberthy?... Wimsey speaking.... Look here, old man,
you know that Fentiman business?... Yes, well, we're applying for an
exhumation."
"For a what?"
"An exhumation. Nothing to do with your certificate. We know that's
all right. It's just by way of getting a bit more information about when
the beggar died."
He outlined his suggestion.
"Think there's something in it?"
"There might be, of course."
"Glad to hear you say that. I'm a layman in these matters, but it
occurred to me as a good idea."
"Very ingenious."
"I always was a bright lad. You'll have to be present, of course."
"Am I to do the autopsy?"
"If you like. Lubbock will do the analysis."
"Analysis of what?"
"Contents of the doings. Whether he had kidneys on toast or eggs
and bacon and all that."
"Oh, I see. I doubt if you'll get much from that, after all this time."
"Possibly not, but Lubbock had better have a squint at it."
"Yes, certainly. As I gave the certificate, it's better that my findings
should be checked by somebody."
"Exactly. I knew you'd feel that way. You quite understand about it?"
"Perfectly. Of course, if we'd had any idea there was going to be all
this uncertainty, I'd have made a post-mortem at the time."
"Naturally you would. Well, it can't be helped. All in the day's work. I'll
let you know when it's to be. I suppose the Home Office will send
somebody along. I thought I ought just to let you know about it."
"Very good of you. Yes. I'm glad to know. Hope nothing unpleasant
will come out."
"Thinking of your certificate?"
"Oh, well—no—I'm not worrying much about that. Though you never
know, of course. I was thinking of that rigor, you know. Seen Captain
Fentiman lately?"
"Yes. I didn't mention—"
"No. Better not, unless it becomes absolutely necessary. Well, I'll
hear from you later, then?"
"That's the idea. Good-bye."
That day was a day of incident.
About four o'clock a messenger arrived, panting, from Mr. Murbles.
(Mr. Murbles refused to have his chambers desecrated by a
telephone.) Mr. Murbles' compliments, and would Lord Peter be
good enough to read this note and let Mr. Murbles have an
immediate answer.
The note ran:
"Dear Lord Peter,
"In re Fentiman deceased. Mr. Pritchard has called. He
informs me that his client is now willing to compromise
on a division of the money if the Court will permit.
Before I consult my client, Major Fentiman, I should be
greatly obliged by your opinion as to how the
investigation stands at present.
"Yours faithfully,
"Jno. Murbles."
Lord Peter replied as follows:
"Dear Mr. Murbles,
"Re Fentiman deceased. Too late to compromise now,
unless you are willing to be party to a fraud. I warned
you, you know. Robert has applied for exhumation.
Can you dine with me at 8?
"P. W."

Having sent this off his lordship rang for Bunter.


"Bunter, as you know, I seldom drink champagne. But I am inclined
to do so now. Bring a glass for yourself as well."
The cork popped merrily, and Lord Peter rose to his feet.
"Bunter," said he, "I give you a toast. The triumph of Instinct over
Reason!"

CHAPTER XII
Lord Peter Turns A Trick

Detective-Inspector Parker came to dinner encircled in a comfortable


little halo of glory. The Crate Mystery had turned out well and the
Chief Commissioner had used expressions suggestive of promotion
in the immediate future. Parker did justice to his meal and, when the
party had adjourned to the library, gave his attention to Lord Peter's
account of the Bellona affair with the cheerful appreciation of a
connoisseur sampling a vintage port. Mr. Murbles, on the other hand,
grew more and more depressed as the story was unfolded.
"And what do you think of it?" inquired Wimsey.
Parker opened his mouth to reply, but Mr. Murbles was beforehand
with him.
"This Oliver appears to be a very elusive person," said he.
"Isn't he?" agreed Wimsey, dryly. "Almost as elusive as the famous
Mrs. Harris. Would it altogether surprise you to learn that when I
asked a few discreet questions at Gatti's, I discovered not only that
nobody there had the slightest recollection of Oliver, but that no
inquiries about him had ever been made by Major Fentiman?"
"Oh, dear me!" said Mr. Murbles.
"You forced Fentiman's hand very ingeniously by sending him down
with your private sleuth to Charing Cross," remarked Parker,
approvingly.
"Well, you see, I had a feeling that unless we did something pretty
definite, Oliver would keep vanishing and reappearing like the
Cheshire Cat, whenever our investigations seemed to be taking an
awkward turn."
"You are intimating, if I understand you rightly," said Mr. Murbles,
"that this Oliver has no real existence."
"Oliver was the carrot on the donkey's nose," said Peter, "my noble
self being cast for the part of the donkey. Not caring for the rôle, I
concocted a carrot of my own, in the person of Sleuths Incorporated.
No sooner did my trusting sleuth depart to his lunch than, lo and
behold! the hue and cry is off again after Oliver. Away goes friend
Fentiman—and away goes Sleuth Number Two, who was there all
the time, neatly camouflaged, to keep his eye on Fentiman. Why
Fentiman should have gone to the length of assaulting a perfect
stranger and accuse him of being Oliver, I don't know. I fancy his
passion for thoroughness made him over-reach himself a bit there."
"But what exactly has Major Fentiman been doing?" asked Mr.
Murbles. "This is a very painful business, Lord Peter. It distresses me
beyond words. Do you suspect him of—er—?"
"Well," said Wimsey, "I knew something odd had happened, you
know, as soon as I saw the General's body—when I pulled the
Morning Post away so easily from his hands. If he had really died
clutching it, the rigor would have made his clutch so tight that one
would have had to pry the fingers open to release it. And then, that
knee-joint!"
"I didn't quite follow about that."
"Well, you know that when a man dies, rigor begins to set in after a
period of some hours, varying according to the cause of death,
temperature of the room and a lot of other conditions. It starts in the
face and jaw and extends gradually over the body. Usually it lasts
about twenty-four hours and then passes off again in the same order
in which it started. But if, during the period of rigidity, you loosen one
of the joints by main force, then it doesn't stiffen again, but remains
loose. Which is why, in a hospital, if the nurses have carelessly let a
patient die and stiffen with his knees up, they call in the largest and
fattest person on the staff to sit on the corpse's knees and break the
joints loose again."
Mr. Murbles shuddered distastefully.
"So that, taking the loose knee-joint and the general condition of the
body together, it was obvious from the start that somebody had been
tampering with the General. Penberthy knew that too, of course,
only, being a doctor, he wasn't going to make any indiscreet uproar if
he could avoid it. It doesn't pay, you know."
"I suppose not."
"Well, then, you came round to me, sir, and insisted on making the
uproar. I warned you, you know, to let sleeping dogs lie."
"I wish you had spoken more openly."
"If I had, would you have cared to hush the matter up?"
"Well, well," said Mr. Murbles, polishing his eye-glasses.
"Just so. The next step was to try and find out what had actually
happened to the General on the night of the 10th, and morning of the
11th. And the moment I got round to his flat I was faced with two
entirely contradictory pieces of evidence. First, there was the story
about Oliver, which appeared more or less remarkable upon the face
of it. And secondly, there was Woodward's evidence about the
clothes."
"What about them?"
"I asked him, you remember, whether anything at all had been
removed from the clothes after he had fetched them away from the
cloak-room at the Bellona, and he said, nothing. His memory as to
other points seemed pretty reliable, and I felt sure that he was
honest and straightforward. So I was forced to the conclusion that,
wherever the General had spent the night, he had certainly never set
foot in the street the next morning."
"Why?" asked Mr. Murbles. "What did you expect to find on the
clothes?"
"My dear sir, consider what day it was. November 11th. Is it
conceivable that, if the old man had been walking in the streets as a
free agent on Armistice Day, he would have gone into the Club
without his Flanders poppy? A patriotic, military old bird like that? It
was really unthinkable."
"Then where was he? And how did he get into the Club? He was
there, you know."
"True; he was there—in a state of advanced rigor. In fact, according
to Penberthy's account, which, by the way, I had checked by the
woman who laid out the body later, the rigor was even then
beginning to pass off. Making every possible allowance for the
warmth of the room and so on, he must have been dead long before
ten in the morning, which was his usual time for going to the Club."
"But, my dear lad, bless my soul, that's impossible. He couldn't have
been carried in there dead. Somebody would have noticed it."
"So they would. And the odd thing is that nobody ever saw him arrive
at all. What is more, nobody saw him leave for the last time on the
previous evening. General Fentiman—one of the best-known figures
in the Club! And he seems to have become suddenly invisible. That
won't do, you know."
"What is your idea, then? That he slept the night in the Club?"
"I think he slept a very peaceful and untroubled sleep that night—in
the Club."
"You shock me inexpressibly," said Mr. Murbles. "I understand you to
suggest that he died—"
"Some time the previous evening. Yes."
"But he couldn't have sat there all night in the smoking-room. The
servants would have been bound to—er—notice him."
"Of course. But it was to somebody's interest to see that they didn't
notice. Somebody who wanted it thought that he hadn't died till the
following day, after the death of Lady Dormer."
"Robert Fentiman."
"Precisely."
"But how did Robert know about Lady Dormer?"
"Ah! That is a point I'm not altogether happy about. George had an
interview with General Fentiman after the old man's visit to his sister.
George denies that the General mentioned anything to him about the
will, but then, if George was in the plot he naturally would deny it. I
am rather concerned about George."
"What had he to gain?"
"Well, if George's information was going to make a difference of half
a million to Robert, he would naturally expect to be given a share of
the boodle, don't you think?"
Mr. Murbles groaned.
"Look here," broke in Parker, "this is a very pretty theory, Peter, but,
allowing that the General died, as you say, on the evening of the
tenth, where was the body? As Mr. Murbles says, it would have been
a trifle noticeable if left about."
"No, no," said Mr. Murbles, seized with an idea. "Repellent as the
whole notion is to me, I see no difficulty about that. Robert Fentiman
was at that time living in the Club. No doubt the General died in
Robert's bedroom and was concealed there till the next morning!"
Wimsey shook his head. "That won't work. I think the General's hat
and coat and things were in Robert's bedroom, but the corpse
couldn't have been. Think, sir. Here is a photograph of the entrance-
hall, with the big staircase running up in full view of the front door
and the desk and the bar-entrance. Would you risk carrying a corpse
downstairs in the middle of the morning, with servants and members
passing in and out continually? And the service stairs would be even
worse. They are right round the other side of the building, with
continual kitchen traffic going on all the time. No. The body wasn't in
Robert's bedroom."
"Where, then?"
"Yes, where? After all, Peter, we've got to make this story hold
water."
Wimsey spread the rest of the photographs out upon the table.
"Look for yourselves," he said. "Here is the end bay of the library,
where the General was sitting making notes about the money he
was to inherit. A very nice, retired spot, invisible from the doorway,
supplied with ink, blotter, writing-paper and every modern
convenience, including the works of Charles Dickens elegantly
bound in morocco. Here is a shot of the library taken from the
smoking-room, clean through the ante-room and down the gangway
—again a tribute to the convenience of the Bellona Club. Observe
how handily the telephone cabinet is situated, in case—"
"The telephone cabinet?"
"Which, you will remember, was so annoyingly labeled 'Out of Order'
when Wetheridge wanted to telephone. I can't find anybody who
remembers putting up that notice, by the way."
"Good God, Wimsey. Impossible. Think of the risk."
"What risk? If anybody opened the door, there was old General
Fentiman, who had gone in, not seeing the notice, and died of fury at
not being able to get his call. Agitation acting on a weak heart and all
that. Not very risky, really. Unless somebody was to think to inquire
about the notice, and probably it wouldn't occur to any one in the
excitement of the moment."
"You're an ingenious beast, Wimsey."
"Aren't I? But we can prove it. We're going down to the Bellona Club
to prove it now. Half-past eleven. A nice, quiet time. Shall I tell you
what we are going to find inside that cabinet?"
"Finger-prints?" suggested Mr. Murbles, eagerly.
"Afraid that's too much to hope for after all this time. What do you
say, Charles?"
"I say we shall find a long scratch on the paint," said Parker, "where
the foot of the corpse rested and stiffened in that position."
"Holed it in one, Charles. And that, you see, was when the leg had to
be bent with violence in order to drag the corpse out."
"And as the body was in a sitting position," pursued Parker, "we
shall, of course, find a seat inside the cabinet."
"Yes, and, with luck, we may find a projecting nail or something
which caught the General's trouser-leg when the body was
removed."
"And possibly a bit of carpet."
"To match the fragment of thread I got off the corpse's right boot? I
hope so."
"Bless my soul," said Mr. Murbles. "Let us go at once. Really, this is
most exciting. That is, I am profoundly grieved. I hope it is not as you
say."
They hastened downstairs and stood for a few moments waiting for a
taxi to pass. Suddenly Wimsey made a dive into a dark corner by the
porch. There was a scuffle, and out into the light came a small man,
heavily muffled in an overcoat, with his hat thrust down to his
eyebrows in the manner of a stage detective. Wimsey unbonneted
him with the air of a conjuror producing a rabbit from a hat.
"So it's you, is it? I thought I knew your face. What the devil do you
mean by following people about like this?"
The man ceased struggling and glanced sharply up at him with a pair
of dark, beady eyes.
"Do you think it wise, my lord, to use violence?"
"Who is it?" asked Parker.
"Pritchard's clerk. He's been hanging round George Fentiman for
days. Now he's hanging round me. He's probably the fellow that's
been hanging round the Bellona. If you go on like this, my man, you'll
find yourself hanging somewhere else one of these days. Now, see
here. Do you want me to give you in charge?"
"That is entirely as your lordship pleases," said the clerk, with a
cunning sneer. "There is a policeman just round the corner, if you
wish to attract publicity."
Wimsey looked at him for a moment, and then began to laugh.
"When did you last see Mr. Pritchard? Come on, out with it!
Yesterday? This morning? Have you seen him since lunch-time?"
A shadow of indecision crossed the man's face.
"You haven't? I'm sure you haven't! Have you?"
"And why not, my lord?"
"You go back to Mr. Pritchard," said Wimsey, impressively, and
shaking his captive gently by the coat-collar to add force to his
words, "and if he doesn't countermand your instructions and call you
off this sleuthing business (which, by the way, you do very
amateurishly), I'll give you a fiver. See? Now, hop it. I know where to
find you and you know where to find me. Good-night and may
Morpheus hover over your couch and bless your slumbers. Here's
our taxi."

CHAPTER XIII
Spades Are Trumps
It was close on one o'clock when the three men emerged from the
solemn portals of the Bellona Club. Mr. Murbles was very much
subdued. Wimsey and Parker displayed the sober elation of men
whose calculations have proved satisfactory. They had found the
scratches. They had found the nail in the seat of the chair. They had
even found the carpet. Moreover, they had found the origin of Oliver.
Reconstructing the crime, they had sat in the end bay of the library,
as Robert Fentiman might have sat, casting his eyes around him
while he considered how he could best hide and cover up this
extremely inopportune decease. They had noticed how the gilt
lettering on the back of a volume caught the gleam from the shaded
reading lamp. "Oliver Twist." The name, not consciously noted at the
time, had yet suggested itself an hour or so later to Fentiman, when,
calling up from Charing Cross, he had been obliged to invent a
surname on the spur of the moment.
And, finally, placing the light, spare form of the unwilling Mr. Murbles
in the telephone cabinet, Parker had demonstrated that a fairly tall
and strong man could have extricated the body from the box, carried
it into the smoking-room and arranged it in the arm-chair by the fire,
all in something under four minutes.
Mr. Murbles made one last effort on behalf of his client.
"There were people in the smoking-room all morning, my dear Lord
Peter. If it were as you suggest, how could Fentiman have made
sure of four, or even three minutes secure from observation while he
brought the body in?"

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