Table of Contents

PART I: The Earliest Stages: The Solar Nebula and Accretion of Planetesimals
1: A.P. Boss: 3-D Solar Nebula Models: Implications for Earth Origin
2: M.J. Gaffey: Thermal History of the Asteroid Belt: Implications for the Accretion of the Terrestrial Planets
3: S.R. Taylor and M.D. Norman: Accretion of Differentiated Planetesimals to the Earth
4: W.M. Kaula: Differences Between the Earth and Venus Arising from Origin by Large Planetesimal Infall
PART II: The Giant Impact and Earth-Moon Relationships
5: W. Benz and A.G.W. Cameron: Terrestrial Effects of the Giant Impact
6: H.J. Melosh: Giant Impacts and the Thermal State of the Early Earth
7: J.H. Jones and L.L. Hood: Does the Moon Have the Same Chemical Composition as the Earth's Upper Mantle?
PART III: Was There a Terrestrial Magma Ocean?
8: A.E. Ringwood: Earliest History of the Earth-Moon System
9: E.A. McFarlane and M.J. Drake: Element Partitioning and the Early Thermal History of the Earth
10: W.B. Tonks and H.J. Melosh: The Physics of Crystal Settling and Suspension in a Turbulent Magma Ocean
11: G.F. Davies: Heat and Mass Transport in the Early Earth
12: S. Sasaki: The Primary Solar-type Atmosphere Surrounding the Accreting Earth: H2O-Induced High Surface Temperature
13: T.J. Ahrens: Earth Accretion
PART IV: Core Formation
14: D. J. Stevenson: Fluid Dynamics of Core Formation
15: R.J. Arculus et al.: Metal-Silicate Equilibria and Core Formation
16: H.E. Newsom: Accretion and Core Formation in the Earth: Evidence from Siderophile Elements
PART V: Formation of the Continental Crust
17: K.W.W. Sims, H.E. Newsom, and E.S. Gladney: Chemical Fractionation During Formation of the Earth's Core and Continental Crust: Clues from As, Sb, W, and Mo
18: S.A. Bowring, T.B. Housh, and C.E. Isachsen: The Acasta Gneisses: Remnant of Earth's Early Crust
PART VI: Evolution of the Hydrosphere and the Origin of Life
19: E. Tajika and T. Matsui: The Evolution of the Terrestrial Environment
20: J.C.G. Walker: Origin of an Inhabited Planet

Reviews

"The book brings the Earth to the stage of development at which most geologists begin to investigate it. Thus, it provides a good summary that should be useful both to specialists and to persons wishing to become more familiar with the earliest history of the earth." --American Scientist
"All of the these articles represent serious efforts by able scientists to solve difficult problems. They are well written and describe the state of affairs in their area of specialty." --Icarus
"The 20 articles are written at a uniformly rigorous level. . . .Thought provoking reading. Any geological library should have this book, and most geochemists and cosmochemists will want to read it." --Geochemica et Cosmochimica
"This excellent book . . . should be read by all who are interested in the origin of our planet or more precisely the origin of the Earth-Moon system. The papers are of high standard . . . . The book is full of interest with a feast of material to contemplate. It is highly recommended." --Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors
"Drawing together the fine, delicate threads of scientific evidence and weaving them into a tapestry depicting the beginnings of the world on which we live is by no means an easy task, but Newsom and Jones have done well. Any student of the Earth would benefit from this book. Certainly, it will prove invaluable to those researchers directly involved in seeking the origin of our planet." --Impact