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    Darwin's First Theory
    Darwin's First Theory
    Darwin's First Theory
    Ebook616 pages12 hours

    Darwin's First Theory

    By Rob Wesson

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    Everybody knows—or thinks they know—Charles Darwin, the father of evolution and the man who altered the way we view our place in the world. But what most people do not know is that Darwin was on board the HMS Beagle as a geologist—on a mission to examine the land, not flora and fauna.Tracing Darwin’s footsteps in South America and beyond, geologist Rob Wesson sets out on a trek across the Andes, repeating the nautical surveys made by the Beagle’s crew, hunting for fossils in Uruguay and Argentina, and explores traces of long vanished glaciers in Scotland and Wales. By following Darwin’s path literally and intellectually, Rob experiences the landscape that absorbed Darwin, followed his reasoning about what he saw, and immerses himself in the same questions about the earth. Upon Darwin’s return from the five-year journey, he conceived his theory of tectonics—his first theory. These concepts and attitudes—the vastness of time; the enormous cumulative impact of almost imperceptibly slow change; change as a constant feature of the environment—underlie his subsequent discoveries in evolution. And this peculiar way of thinking remains vitally important today as we enter the Anthropocene.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPegasus Books
    Release dateApr 11, 2017
    ISBN9781681773773
    Darwin's First Theory
    Author

    Rob Wesson

    Rob Wesson received a BS in earth science from MIT, and an MS and PhD in geophysics from Stanford University. His career in earthquake research with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) spans four decades. He is currently a Scientist Emeritus at the USGS and his work has been supported by grants from the National Science Foundation. When not traveling to South America or elsewhere, Rob divides his time between his home in Evergreen, Colorado, and the cabin he built near McCarthy, Alaska.

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    • 4/5
      How geology got its moxieDarwin’s First Theory is really three books in one. It’s a blow by blow description of Darwin’s career in geology, focused on his global tour on the Beagle that changed and developed his understanding of geology. The second is Wesson’s own tour, largely replicating Darwin’s, albeit by commercial airlines. The third is travelog, as Wesson describes everything and everyone along the way, from what they wore to their hair, what he ate, and transportation follies. This is more than a little offputting, as what readers want and expect is not a Baedeker Guide, but history and science.Wesson’s being a passionate geologist makes for interesting empathy. He often says Darwin must have thought this or felt that after some speech, or article, or encounter, or attack. Geologists were passionate and feisty in those days, arguing and slamming each other at their regular meetings and Darwin was right in the ring, slugging.Darwin came to his geology and evolution unexpectedly. He began obsessed with beetles and icebergs, to the point of being a bore. He thought boulders were carried by icebergs and then somehow deposited on hillsides. He made a lot of educated guesses as to how the planet works, and it fueled geology for decades. Nonetheless, most of them were wrong, as Wesson clearly shows.Darwin had been restless and undisciplined, failing at school, failing to follow his father’s direction, and basically lost. His emerging passion eventually narrowed to geology. The Beagle voyage was his salvation. He became a child in a candy store just wandering hills and seeing elevations. Out of this came his first real theory – of elevation. Darwin theorized that mountains and plains alike heaved upwards by underground forces beneath the thin (20 mile), fragile crust we live on. Where others saw the sea receding, Darwin correctly saw the land rising. On the other hand, he failed to see the obvious, never guessing that glaciers ever ruled the earth.Wesson really brings Darwin to life, tracing his routes, and following up on the massive Chilean earthquake of 2010, exactly where Darwin witnessed the earthquake of 1835.David Wineberg
    • 4/5
      Enjoyed the sections of the book describing Darwin's travels and development of his theories. Unfortunately, that only makes up about 15% of the book. Really need to tackle Darwin's works one of these days.

    Book preview

    Darwin's First Theory - Rob Wesson

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