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 5.5 Measurement of Earthquakes 122 6.8 The Rise and Fall of Mountains Chapter Snapshot:
Earthquake Magnitude 122 and Temperatures 167 Geological History of the
Earthquake Intensity (Modified Mercalli Mountains and Climate 169 Grand Canyon 218
Scale) 124 Fossils and Chronology 220
The Big Picture 170
5.6 Earthquake Hazards 126

7
8.3 Geologic Time 222
Ground Shaking 127 Evolution of Early Earth 222
Aftershocks 128 chapter The Geologic Timescale 222
Landslides 128 Mass Extinctions 225
Elevation Changes 129
Liquefaction 129 Rocks and 8.4 Numerical Time 228
Radioactive Decay 228
Tsunami 130
Chapter Snapshot:
Minerals 173 Half-Lives 229
Applying Both Relative and
2004 Tsunami 132 Numerical Time 230
7.1 Earth Scientists:
The Big Picture 136 Nature Detectives 174 8.5 Rates of Change 232

6
Where Do Bricks Come From? 175 Catastrophism 233
Uniformitarianism 233
chapter 7.2 Elements and Atoms:
The Basic Building Blocks 176 The Big Picture 235

9
Elements 176
Volcanoes and Other Atoms 177
chapter
Mountains 139 7.3 Minerals 180
Mineral Characteristics 180

6.1 The Volcano Commandos 140

7.4 Igneous Rocks 184 Weathering
and Soils 237
The Classification of Igneous Rocks 185
The Speedy Lavas of Nyiragongo 141
Chapter Snapshot:
6.2 Magma Viscosity 142 Origin of Rocks 188
Viscosity and Heat 143 9.1 The Dirt on Weathering 238
Viscosity and Chemical Composition 143 7.5 Sedimentary Rocks 192
Weathering of Cultural Sites 238
Clastic Sedimentary Rocks 192
Viscosity and Volcanic Eruptions 144 Where Does Dirt Come From? 239
Chemical Sedimentary Rocks 195
6.3 Magma Sources and Magma 9.2 Physical Weathering 240
Biochemical Sedimentary Rocks 196
Composition 144 Unloading 240
Sedimentary Rocks and Fossil Fuels 197
6.4 The Mount St. Helens Eruption 147 Wedging 241
7.6 Metamorphic Rocks 199
Prior Activity 148 9.3 Chemical Weathering 243
Contact Metamorphism 199
The May 18 Eruption 149 Dissolution 243
Regional Metamorphism 200
How Does Mount St. Helens Compare to Other
7.7 The Rock Cycle and Mineral Chapter Snapshot:
Eruptions? 150
Resources 202 Weathering 244
6.5 Products of Volcanic Eruptions 152 Hydrolysis 247
The Rock Cycle 203
Airborne Elements 152
Mineral Resources 203 Oxidation 248
Chapter Snapshot: Linking Chemical and Physical
Potential Features of Volcanic The Big Picture 207 Weathering Processes 249

8
Eruption 154 9.4 Biological Weathering
Surface Effects 156 and Decay 249
chapter
6.6 Volcanoes and Volcanic Macroscopic Processes 250
Landforms 160
Geologic Time 209 Microscopic Processes 250
Three Classes of Volcanic Cones 160 9.5 Weathering Rates 251
Other Volcanic Landforms 162 Rock Composition 251
6.7 Mountains: Why Are They 8.1 Thinking About Time 210 Rock Properties 252
There? 164 8.2 The History of (Relative) Time 211 Climate 252
Mountains and Plate Tectonics 164 Relative Time 212 Weathering at World Heritage Sites 253

vii
 9.6 Soils: An Introduction 256 11.2 The Hydrologic Cycle 287 12.4 A Case Study:
Soil-Forming Factors 256 The Origin of Streams 289 The High Plains Aquifer 332
Soil Types 258 11.3 Drainage Networks 12.5 Groundwater Quality 334
9.7 Soil Erosion and Conservation 260 and Patterns 290 Drinking Yourself to Death, Naturally 334
Erosion by Water and Wind 261 The Drainage Basin or Watershed 290 Do-lt-Yourself Groundwater
Effects of Land Use Practices Evolution of Stream Systems 292 Contamination 335
on Erosion 262 Drainage Patterns 292 12.6 Introduction to Wetlands 338
Soil Conservation 263 Characteristics of Wetlands 338
11.4 Factors Affecting Stream
The Big Picture 265 Flow 293 Case Study: The Florida Everglades 339

10
Stream Gradient 293 The Big Picture 341

13
Stream Velocity 294
chapter Stream Discharge 295
chapter
11.5 The Work of Streams 296
Landslides and Erosion 296

Slope Failure 267

Transport 297
Deposition 298
Oceans and
Chapter Snapshot: Coastlines 343
10.1 Mass Wasting: Channel Migration in the
The Human Impact 268 Mamoré River 300 13.1 Our Changing Oceans 344
The Phenomenon of Mass Wasting 268 The Dynamic Nature of Oceans
11.6 Floods 303 and Coastlines 345
10.2 Factors Influencing Causes of Floods 303
13.2 Ocean Basins 346
Slope Failure 270 Estimating Floods: Measuring Stream
Discharge and Stream Stage 305 Sea Level 346
Slope Angle 270
Determining Recurrence Interval 306 Bathymetry of the Ocean Floor 346
The Influence of Gravity 270
A Walk Across the Ocean Floor: The Four
The Effects of Water 271 11.7 Flood Control 308 Major Depth Zones 347
Case Study: Slope Failure Approaches to Flood Control 309
in Venezuela 272 13.3 Ocean Waters 350
The Big Picture 313 Water Chemistry 350
Methods of Stabilizing Slopes 274

12
Water Temperature 352
10.3 Slope Failure Processes 276 Water’s Density, Temperature,
Rockfalls 276 chapter and Depth 353
Rockslides 277
13.4 Oceanic Circulation 355
Chapter Snapshot:
Landslides 278
Groundwater and Ocean Currents 355
Coriolis Effect 356
Slumps 280
Debris Flows and Mudflows 281
Wetlands 315 Continents and Oceanic Circulation 357
Thermohaline Circulation 358
Creep 281
12.1 Meet Your Drinking Water 316 The El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO):
The Big Picture 283 Where Drinking Water Comes From 316 An Example of Earth as a System 359
Chapter Snapshot:

11
A Case of Groundwater Contamination:
Woburn, Massachusetts 316 Global Circulation and
chapter 12.2 Holes in Earth Materials 318 Topography 360
Porosity 318 13.5 Tides 362
Streams and Permeability 320
12.3 Groundwater Systems 321
Why Tides Occur 362
Tidal Patterns 363
Floods 285 Aquifers 323 13.6 Wave Action and
Natural Groundwater Budget: Inflow Coastal Processes 365
Versus Outflow 325 Wave Motion in the Open Ocean 365
11.1 Humans and Rivers 286
Consequences of Human Actions 327 Effect of the Wind on Ocean Waves 365
The Nile River: An Example of
Stream Impact 286 Chapter Snapshot: Wave Motion Close to Shore 366
Stream Management 287 Groundwater 330 Wave Energy 369

viii
13.7 Shoreline Features 370 Cyclones and Anticyclones 404 16.2 Global Air Circulation 443
The Changing of Coastal Landforms 370 Wind Energy 405 Chapter Snapshot:
The Sediment Budget 373 The Big Picture 407 Climate Data 444

15
13.8 Shoreline Protection 374 The Nonrotating Earth Model 446
Erosion Prevention Strategies 374 The Rotating Earth Reality 446
Erosion Adjustment Strategies 376 chapter
16.3 Global Climate Regions 448
The Big Picture 377 Köppen-Geiger Classification

Weather Systems 409 System 448

14
Climate and the Biosphere 449
chapter 15.1 The Weather Around Us 410 Energy and the Biosphere 451
Facts About Severe Weather 411 16.4 Extreme Climate

The Atmosphere 379 15.2 The Science of Weather: From

Folklore to Forecasting 412
Environments 453
Cold Climates 453
The First Meteorologists 412 Hot Deserts 458
14.1 Science and Skydiving 380
Communications Developments 412 16.5 Records of Climate Change 460
14.2 Air Evolves 381 Weather Technology Today 413 Weather Records from Instruments 461
An Atmosphere Evolves 381 Cultural Records 462
15.3 Air Masses 414
14.3 Structure and Processes of the Source Areas 414 Short-Term Climate Trends: Annual
Atmosphere 383 Cycles 463
Types of Air Masses 414
Heat Versus Temperature 383 Long-Term Climate Trends: Abrupt Change
Modification of Air Masses 415
and Millennial Cycles 466
The Four Layers of the Atmosphere 384
15.4 Midlatitude Cyclones and Interpreting the Climate Record 468
14.4 Solar Radiation and the Frontal Systems 416 Intervals and Rates of Climate
Atmosphere 385 Cold Fronts 417 Change 468
Solar Radiation and the Electromagnetic Warm Fronts 419
Spectrum 385 16.6 Natural Causes of Climate
Occluded Fronts 419 Change 470
Earth’s Energy Budget 386
15.5 Severe Weather: Thunderstorms Distribution of the Continents 470
Chapter Snapshot:
and Tornadoes 420 Oceanic Circulation Patterns 471
The Earth’s Albedo 388
Thunderstorms 421 Variations in Earth’s Orbit 471
14.5 The Role of Water in the Tornadoes 423 The Big Picture 473
Atmosphere 390
15.6 Severe Weather: Hurricanes 427
Three States of Water 390

17
Building a Hurricane 428
Changing States of Water 391
Humidity 392 Chapter Snapshot:
Hurricane Anatomy 430 chapter
14.6 Air Pressure, Condensation,
Looking to the Future 436
and Precipitation 394
Air Pressure and Air Density 394 The Big Picture 437 Global Change 475
Effects of Air Pressure on Temperature 395
Adiabatic Lapse Rates 396
Condensation and Cloud Formation 397
Precipitation 397
14.7 Clouds and Frontal Systems 397
16
chapter

Earth’s Climate
17.1 Alternative Climates,
Alternative Choices 476
17.2. Ozone and the Stratosphere 478
The Nature of Ozone 478
Cloud Classification 398 Natural Variations in Ozone
Cloud Formation Mechanisms 399 System 439 Concentrations 479

14.8 Winds 401 17.3 CFCs and Ozone Depletion 480

The Relationship Between Air Pressure 16.1 Want Ice with That? 440 The Nature of CFCs 480
and Wind 401 Climate Change and the Polar Reductions in Ozone Concentrations 480
Regional Pressure Gradient 402 Bear Diet 440 Why Does Ozone Become Depleted over
Coriolis Effect 403 The Consequences of Arctic the South Pole? 480
Friction 403 Warming 442 Our Ozone Future 481

ix
17.4 Greenhouse Gases and 17.6 A Warmer World 493 Appendix B 506
Global Change 482 Effects of Warmer Temperatures 495 The Periodic Table
The Global Carbon Cycle 483 17.7 What Can Be Done? 498 of Elements
Carbon Produced by Human Activity 485 International Agreements to Improve the
Greenhouse Gas Emissions 485
Appendix C 507
Environment 498
Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions 499
Answers to Selected
Chapter Snapshot:
Checkpoint Questions
Carbon Cycle 486 What Else Can Be Done? 501

17.5 Modeling Global Climate The Big Picture 503 Glossary 511
Change 490 Credits 519
Forcings and Feedbacks 490 Appendix A 505 Index 523
Climate Models 493 Conversion Factors

x
 Preface
Teaching earth science can be viewed as content instruction,
covering the principles of science and earth systems. But can it
also be considered as an opportunity to engage students in the
nature of scientific inquiry?

A traditional science instructor concentrates on teaching factual

knowledge, with the implicit assumption that expert-like ways of
thinking about the subject come along for free or are already
present. But that is not what cognitive science tells us. It tells us
instead that students need to develop these different ways of
thinking by means of extended, focused, mental effort.
Carl Wieman
Nobel Prize winner

For many, the wonder of Earth and its features is enough to drive
learning. For these happy few, a readable book with lots of attrac-
tive photographs is almost all that is required. But for many—in
fact most—learning takes more than pretty words and pictures.
Providing high-quality teaching is the most cost-effective, tan-
gible, and timely effort that geoscience instructors can make to
improve student engagement, increase attendance, and add majors.
But how do we do that? There is extensive literature de-
scribing what effective teaching looks like, but most science in-
structors have not had access to these articles and books. Further,
few of us were ever explicitly taught the components of good teach-
ing. Instead, we were left to figure it out for ourselves on the basis
of our classroom experiences as students.
The Good Earth was published to support both the tradi-
tional earth science class and to serve as an accessible resource
for instructors seeking to apply effective teaching strategies to en-
hance learning.

The Good Earth Difference

We wrote The Good Earth to support an active learning approach
to teaching and to provide the necessary resources for instructors
moving through the transition from passive to active learning. Like
you, we want our students to walk away from this course with
an appreciation for science and the ability to make life decisions
based on scientific reasoning.
Our goal was to write a book that was engaging for students
but that also included resources that illustrated for instructors how
to use teaching practices that have been shown to support student
learning. The materials and methods discussed in the text and the
­accompanying Instructor’s Manual have been tried and tested in
our own classes. Our research shows that the integration of the
materials and pedagogy provided in this book not only improved
students’ understanding of earth science as measured by stan-
dardized national tests, but it can also improve students’ logical
xi
xii Preface

thinking skills by twice as much as a typical “traditional” lecture produced no decrease in content knowledge attainment
class. Such methods are overwhelmingly preferred by students and and improved student comprehension of key concepts.
increase student attendance and satisfaction with the course. Fi- Some exercises can be assigned as homework, and the
nally, a significant point for us is that these methods make teaching answer key in the back of the book can help students to
class more fun for the instructor. assess their self-directed-learning.
2. Students become better learners when we challenge
I love the voice the authors use. Reading the text is like listening to them to answer questions that require the use of higher-
a very intelligent but down-to-earth friend explain a difficult topic. order thinking skills (for example, analysis, synthesis,
The authors are excellent at organizing and presenting the evaluation). Brain research shows that people become
material. . . . ​The illustrations are superior to other texts in all ways. smarter when they experience cognitive challenges.
However, it is important not to throw students into the
Patricia Hartshorn
deep end without any help. Instead, instructors need to
University of Michigan–Dearborn
step through a series of problems of increasing difficulty
(scaffolding) so that they can train students to correctly
apply their newly acquired thinking skills.
Student-Centered Research   Therefore, we have carefully created a series of
color-coded Checkpoint exercises for each section of
The Good Earth can be used as a text for a traditional, teacher- every chapter. The exercises are pitched at four skill
centered lecture-based course. In fact, we have taken great care to levels: basic, intermediate, advanced, and superior, to
write a book that students would find more engaging than a typical give students and instructors an opportunity to scaffold
text. But the greatest benefit will come when the book is used as student understanding of key concepts. The questions
part of an active-learning, student-centered course. For some in- represent four levels of Bloom’s taxonomy. Blue and green
structors, it may simply be a matter of adding some of our exercises questions typically are comprehension and application-
to an existing a­ ctive-learning class environment. For others, the level questions. Yellow and red checkpoints typically
book and accompanying materials will give them an opportunity require analysis, synthesis, or evaluation skills. It is not
to add components as they gradually change their pedagogy. If you necessary to complete all the exercises; instructors can
want a more interactive class, try one or all of the following three select the exercises that are most appropriate for their
recommendations based on research findings: learning goals.
1. Students learn key concepts better when they have
opportunities to actively monitor their understanding Basic Advanced
during class. Rather than just standing up and talking,
the instructor can break lectures into segments separated Intermediate Superior
by brief exercises to make sure that students understand
concepts before moving on. Students’ understanding must
be frequently challenged to provide an opportunity to comprehension analysis evaluation
identify misconceptions and replace them with improved, knowledge application synthesis
more realistic models.
  The Good Earth includes hundreds of Checkpoint
exercises that can also be used as handout-ready PDF This was kind of a neat idea, and the questions [Checkpoints] do
files (located on the text website along with answer get quite challenging at higher orders. I feel these are good things
keys). Practice makes perfect: the more opportunities for students to do while studying, with the idea that if they
students have to assess their learning and to practice the understand the higher order questions they will understand
application of new skills, the better their performance. concepts better for exams. I thought these checkpoints have some
If you are concerned about reduced time for lecture, very well-formulated questions in the chapters I reviewed.
we have found that an emphasis on fostering deeper Swarndeep Gill
understanding and less content coverage in lecture, California University of Pennsylvania
combined with greater student responsibility for reading,

I like the fact that the authors are mindful and well versed in science education research and pedagogy. This aspect of the author’s background is
evident in the design of the Checkpoint questions.

The use of Concept Maps and Venn Diagrams is fairly cutting edge for introductory Earth Science textbooks that I am familiar with. This is probably
the most innovative aspect of this book and distinguishes it from similar texts, even though the content is presented very similarly to other texts.
Jeffrey Templeton
Western Oregon University
 xiii

Sort ... ✔ Checkpoint 11.1 basic

intermediate
advanced
superior Evaluate the five
Sort the following 12 terms into six pairs of terms that most most important
closely relate to one another. Explain your choices.
factors ...
groundwater plants transpiration
stream ice infiltration
basic advanced
rainfall precipitation water vapor ✔ Checkpoint 12.12 intermediate superior
gas meltwater runoff
Groundwater Evaluation Rubric

You are asked to help locate a new aquifer that will supply
✔ Checkpoint 7.22 basic
intermediate
advanced
superior your town with water. In examining the potential sites, you
Match the recognize that several different factors will influence
Rock Cycle Diagram
groundwater availability and at no single site are all of the
lettered factors optimal. You decide to create a scoring scheme to
The following diagram illustrates some of the interactions
responses ... of the rock cycle. Match the lettered responses to the blank evaluate the five most important factors that will influence
ovals on the diagram. (Note: Some letters are used more the availability of groundwater. The location that scores the
than once.) Example: If you believe that metamorphic rock highest according to the rubric will be selected for the well
is converted to magma by cementation and compaction, field. One factor is included as an example in the table
enter “a” in the top left oval. below; identify five more.

a) Poor Moderate Good

Factors
(1 point) (2 points) (3 points)
b) Heat and pressure
c) Weathering, transportation, deposition Depth
d) to water Deep Intermediate Shallow
e) Melting table

Magma

Metamorphic rock Igneous rock

Sedimentary rock Sediment

✔ Checkpoint 6.19 basic

intermediate
advanced
superior

Venn Diagram: Shield Volcanoes,

Stratovolcanoes, and Cinder Cones I have to compliment you on putting together Checkpoint 3.3. This
Use the Venn diagram provided here to compare and was probably the best evaluation tool I have seen for determining
Compare
contrast the three principal types of volcanoes. Place the whether a student really understands the meaning of the words we
number corresponding to features unique to each type in and
use to describe the scientific methods (hypothesis, prediction, etc.).
the larger areas of the circles; note features they share in contrast ...
the overlap area in the center of the image. Five items are Neil Lundberg
provided; identify at least 12 more. Florida State University
1. Associated with subduction zones
2. Have a triangular shape in profile
3. Example: Mount Hood, Oregon
4. Mild eruptions 3. Knowledge is socially constructed and people learn best
5. High-silica magma
in supportive social settings. Students do not enter our
Stratovolcanoes Shield Volcanoes classrooms as empty vessels to be filled with knowledge.
Instead, they actively construct mental models that
assimilate new information with previous experiences.
This construction of knowledge happens most readily
when students work in small collaborative groups (three
to four students), where they can talk and listen to peers
as they build their understanding of new concepts.
Students must be provided with opportunities to be self-
reflective about their learning and to help them learn how
to learn. Our research confirmed that students in classes
where small groups worked to solve challenging problems
Cinder Cones outperformed students in classes where they worked on
the same problems independently.
xiv Preface

issues related to it. We use data and evidence to help students build
their own understanding and assist them to realize that “Much of
what lies ahead for the good Earth is up to us. Know, care, act.”

I am pleased to see the final chapter on global change; most

students assume that climate change is a political debate, so it is
nice to see a textbook that discusses the science behind the news.
Bryan C. Wilbur
Pasadena City College

Ways to Direct Learning

Rather than put key vocabulary terms in bold, we put key concepts
in bold font. Our rationale is that conceptual understanding is the
It is set up very user friendly and will make it easy for instructors to goal; vocabulary terms alone may not lead to the understanding that
create an interactive learning environment. Also, the way the we desire. Research suggests that listing key terms encourages the
chapters and questions are laid out, students will know exactly ­memorization of those terms, rather than the ­understanding of the
what they should be getting from the chapter and how to test their ­associated concepts—rather like learning words in a foreign lan-
knowledge and skills. guage but being unable to put together a sentence. To make stu-
Jessica Kapp dents fluent in science, we chose to focus on a vocabulary that builds
University of Arizona students’ conceptual understanding of major ideas in earth science.
These ideas were recommended by standards-setting groups, such as
the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
Whether you choose to use informal groups (“turn and talk to Students can use the Checkpoint surveys to self-evaluate
your neighbors”) or formal groups determined by experiences (for their comprehension of the major concepts in the section. ­Self-
­example, number of science classes, scores on pretests, academic evaluation is a life skill that persists far longer than the evaluation
rank), collaborative learning is a powerful mechanism for main- imposed by an outside party (that is, the instructor). We ­believe in
taining attendance, increasing student-instructor dialogue, and en- ongoing assessment tied to each key concept while ideas are still
hancing learning. The Checkpoint exercises (especially advanced fresh. In contrast, other texts may provide tools for assessment only
and superior level) and conceptests (conceptual multiple choice at the end of the chapter, after all of the content has been covered.
questions) provided with the book will give you many assignments
that you can use as the basis for group work.
For detailed information regarding concept maps, Venn National Committee on Science Education
diagrams, Bloom’s taxonomy, assessment, and so forth, please Standards and Assessment
consult the Instructor’s Manual on the text website: http://www. National Research Council
mhhe.com/thegoodearth3e
LEARNING SCIENCE IS AN ACTIVE PROCESS. Learning science is
something students do, not something that is done to them. In learning
Tools for Teaching and Learning Science Literacy science, students describe objects and events, ask questions, acquire
Science can be thought of in three ways: as a body of knowledge, as knowledge, construct explanations of natural phenomena, test those
the processes that people employ to explain the universe, and as a set explanations in many different ways, and communicate their ideas to
of attitudes and values possessed by those who “do science.” This lat- others. Science teaching must involve students in inquiry-oriented
ter aspect is often overlooked in college science textbooks. For each investigations in which they interact with their teachers and peers.
chapter of The Good Earth, the Instructor’s Manual gives sugges- FOCUS AND SUPPORT INQUIRIES. Student inquiry in the science
tions for incorporating into class discussion science attitudes and val- classroom encompasses a range of activities. Some activities provide a
ues such as open-mindedness, skepticism, persistence, and curiosity. basis for observation, data collection, reflection, and analysis of firsthand
Additionally, the discussion of the scientific method is events and phenomena. Other activities encourage the critical analysis
woven throughout the text. We emphasize three scientific themes of secondary sources—including media, books, and journals in a library.
throughout the text: 1) scientific literacy, 2) earth science and
ENCOURAGE AND MODEL THE SKILLS OF SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY, AS
human experience, and 3) the science of global change. Numerous
WELL AS THE CURIOSITY, OPENNESS TO NEW IDEAS, AND
examples of human interaction with Earth serve as introductions SKEPTICISM THAT CHARACTERIZE SCIENCE.
to each chapter. Each chapter includes examples of the connec-
tion between ­science and technology, and builds on a context or USE MULTIPLE METHODS AND SYSTEMATICALLY GATHER DATA ON
event familiar to the student. We believe that links to students’ past STUDENT UNDERSTANDING AND ABILITY. Because assessment
knowledge and experience are essential foundations upon which to information is a powerful tool for monitoring the development of
build deeper understanding. student understanding, modifying activities, and promoting student
In addition to the theme of global change permeating the self-reflection, the effective teacher of science carefully selects and uses
text, we devote a full chapter to the topic and do not duck the tough assessment tasks that are also good learning experiences.
 xv

Self-Reflection Survey: Section 1.1

Respond to the following questions as a means of uncovering

Often students have some fundamental what you already know about Earth and earth science.
knowledge of earth science and, when 1. Which of the following earth science phenomena have you
Self-Reflection Survey: Section 17.1
reminded, are able to apply this information experienced? Which would you most like to experience?
Can you think of three more things to add to the list?
to the introduction of new concepts. Each Answer the following questions as a means of uncovering what
• A volcanic eruption you already know about global change.
chapter includes a ­Self-Reflection Survey to • A glacier
promote awareness of personal experiences. • A river in 1. Respond to the following questions taken from recent
• A cave system CNN and Gallup polls, and compare your answers to
• An underground mine those of other respondents. (See footnote to compare
• A canyon responses.*)
• An earthquake
• An erosional coastline (rocky i) Which of the following statements comes closest to
your view of global warming?
• A depositional coastline (beaches)
• A hot desert a. Global warming is a proven fact and is mostly
• A continental divide caused by emissions from cars and industrial
• Rock layers with fossils facilities such as power plants and factories.
• A big, assembled dinosaur skeleton b. Global warming is a proven fact and is mostly
• A meteor shower or comet caused by natural changes that have nothing
• The aurora borealis (the northern lights) to do with emissions from cars and industrial
• A meteorite crater facilities.
• A mountain range over 3,000 meters (over 10,000 feet) c. Global warming is a theory that has not yet
in elevation been proved.
• The top of a cloud d. Unsure.
2. What three questions about Earth would you like to be
able to answer by the end of this course? ii) In thinking about the issue of global warming,
sometimes called the greenhouse effect, how well
do you feel you understand this issue?
a. Very well.
b. Fairly well.
c. Not very well.
d. Not at all.
iii) Which of the following statements reflects your view
of when the effects of global warming will begin
Visuals are of great importance for understanding earth science concepts. The Good Earth to happen?
a. They have already begun to happen.
features two-page Snapshots to emphasize an important concept in every chapter.
b. They will start happening within a few years.
c. They will start happening within my lifetime.
40 Chapter 2 Earth in Space 41

THE SOLAR SYSTEM

d. They will not happen within my lifetime, but they
will affect the future.
URANUS
Uranus’ s axis is tilted at 98 degrees. Its poles PLUTO
e. areThey will never
pointed towards happen.
the sun. Due to its 84-year long The average temperature
orbit, the planet’s poles experience 21 years of night on icy “dwarf planet” Pluto is
COMET or day depending on their position. -233° C. Sunlight on Pluto is only
Some comets orbit the sun every few years; 0.0001 times as strong as on Earth.
others take as long as 30 million years to
complete an orbit. The nuclei of most comets
2. Make a list of at least three advantages and three
are less than 10 km (6 miles) across.
disadvantages of an increase in temperatures in the
region where you live. Then do the same for Earth
Terrestrial planet interiors. Earth and the other three terrestrial JUPITER as a whole.
planets have three compositional layers: crust, mantle, and core. Jupiter is named for the king of the
In all cases, the crust is relatively thin (tens of kilometers) in Roman gods and makes up two-thirds of NEPTUNE
comparison to the mantle and core. The four planets are drawn EARTH all the planetary mass in the solar system. Neptune is so far from the sun that it

to scale in the image here. Without our moon, Earth would wobble on its 3. Make a list of three reasons that could explain why a
still has not made a complete orbit
since it was discovered in 1846.
axis, changing how much solar radiation was
ts of its surface, resulting
in a much more unstable climate system.
larger proportion of the public now believe that global
MERCURY warming is occurring.
Mercury is just a little bigger than Earth’s
moon and travels around the sun faster SATURN
than any other planet, at an average speed *Poll results are: i) a. 54%; b. 22%; c. 23%; d. 1%.
Saturn’s ii) a. is21%;
density b. 59%;
less than c.water.
that of 18%; d. 2%. iii) a. 61%;
of 172,000 km/h (107,000 mph). Saturn’s rings cover a distance nearly equal to
b. 4%; c. 10%; d. 13%; e.the11%. (Totals
distance frommay Earth not add
to the to 100% due to rounding.)
moon.

MARS
If Earth were the size
Jovian planet interiors. Jovian planets also have compositional
of a nickel, Mars would
be the size of an layers. On Saturn and Jupiter, the largest Jovian planets,
aspirin tablet. pressures in the interior of the planet are to generate
rare liquid metallic hydrogen. The relatively smaller Uranus and
Neptune are still many times larger than Earth and have a mantle
dominated by ices composed of methane, water, and ammonia.
Orbits not to scale.
VENUS Orbits viewed from an angled-perspective above the orbital plane.
Venus is the hottest planet in the Neptune
solar sy t so much
Mars
sunlight that Venus is the brightest
planet in the night sky.
ASTEROID BELT Pluto
All the asteroids mashed together would make
THE SUN up a body about one-tenth the size of our moon.
Asteroids that pass close to Earth are known
Our sun is one of 70,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 Saturn Jupiter
as near-Earth objects.
stars in the universe. The sun’s interaction with
Earth drives our ocean currents, weather
patterns, and climate. Uranus

JUPITER
VENUS EARTH SATURN Rock
Solid core
MARS URANUS
MERCURY NEPTUNE Water, ammonia,
Liquid core methane ices

Liquid, metallic
Mantle hydrogen

Liquid hydrogen
Crust

Hydrogen, helium,
methane gas
20,000 km 50,000 km
xvi Preface

We frequently hear complaints that students don’t get the Big Picture and become lost in the vocabulary or in trying to
memorize facts. We responded to this concern by connecting a chapter-­opening “Big Picture” question and photo to the
end-of-chapter summary, titled The Big Picture, to help students link the key concepts before moving to a new chapter.

the big picture

When Mount St. Helens began rumbling in 1980, teams of sci- tephra would ever reach Tacoma. In addition,
entists rushed to the mountain with truckloads of instruments to
monitor the activity. Still, the May 18 eruption came as a surprise. extend beyond the foot of the mountain, stay-
Despite the experience of the scientists and the sophistication of ing tens of kilometers short of Tacoma. Still,
the devices they deployed, little detailed information on the erup- large lahars have the potential to reach the
tive history of the volcano had been gathered beforehand and few northern suburbs of the city and enter neighboring Puget Sound.
monitoring instruments had been collecting data. That is no longer Even if Tacoma is safe, many smaller towns lie in stream valleys
the case. In the past quarter-century, scientists have made a con- just a 10-minute trip from the volcano by lahar. It is the residents
certed effort to place a variety of instruments around the volcano, of towns such as Ashford, Packwood, and Orting (Figure 6.33)
and even in space, to monitor every rumble and movement. Even who need an early warning system for volcanoes.
with what they know today, it is unlikely that volcanologists would
have predicted the precise time of the May 18 eruption. But they
would have known enough to have more vigorously encouraged
the authorities to move people farther from the volcano itself, dra-
matically reducing the loss of life.
Educating the public is an important factor in reducing the
effects of hazards such as volcanoes. Education should provide a
-
cally respond to scientists’ assertions. Deciding what evidence to
dismiss and what to pay attention to might mean the difference
between life and death for those who live in the shadow of an
active volcano. The people living near Mount St. Helens in 1980
weighed the evidence and the accompanying call to action. Some
heeded the call to evacuate, while others ignored the evidence pro-

for their decision with their lives.

Mount St. Helens is one of only a few US volcanoes with
such a high degree of monitoring. However, the US Geological
Survey plans to create a National Volcano Early Warning System
that would identify the most threatening volcanic hazards, includ-
ing the number of people and the extent of property endangered. A
preliminary
as high-threat or very-high-threat sites and recommended that
each volcano have an extensive network of monitoring equipment
-
rently deployed, and some of these volcanoes have no monitoring
systems at all.
One of the volcanoes in the very-high-threat group is
Mount Rainier, pictured looming over Tacoma, VolcanoesWashington,
and mountainsat are both part of the geosphere Krakatau eruption generated massive tsunami.
the beginning of this chapter. At 4,392 meters of
component (14,410 feet),system.
the earth Mount However, both have the potential
Tephra is carried downwind over cities.
Rainier is the tallest and most imposing volcano in Washington. -
It is located about 70 kilometers (43 Some 500 million people are in risk zones for volcanoes; trees
tem.miles)
Whilesoutheast of Tacoma.
scenic mountains may seem relatively benign, they are
What questions would you ask if you livedby
inmovements
Tacoma? on faults, movements that generate damag- are knocked down.
formed
Historical records indicateingthat Mount Rainier
earthquakes. doesanot
Building mountain range like the Himalayas Industrial materials are swept into rivers and lakes from
erupt with the frequency of Mount St. Helens.
involves The ofdistance
thousands of generate
faults that Figure 6.33 ofLahar
millions hazards associated with Mount Rainier,
earthquakes.
the peak and the prevailing westerly winds makemajor
Unfortunately, it unlikely that areWashington.
earthquakes still common in the Hima- Monsoon rains result from air rising over Himalayas.
- Weathering processes break down rocks in mountains.
ple was a magnitude-7.6 quake on October 8, 2005, in northern
Instrumentation of volcanoes.
Pakistan, at the western end of the Himalayas. The earthquake
demolished whole towns, killed 90,000 people, and left another 4
million homeless. The unrest continues; Earth at this very moment
is shifting, rumbling, building, and decaying. We must carefully
Exosphere
observe and prepare.
A B
Volcanoes and Mountains: Concept Map
Complete the following concept map to evaluate your understand- C
ing of the interactions between the earth system and volcanoes Atmosphere Hydrosphere
and mountains. Match the following interactions with the lettered D

Eruption melted ice on Nevado del Ruiz to cause fatal lahars. K L

Sulfur dioxide blocks incoming sunlight. I J E F

Added water causes partial melting of mantle. M

Volcanoes add CO2 and sulfur dioxide to atmosphere. N

Commercial airlines are at risk from tephra clouds. G
Solar radiation heats Tibetan plateau. Geosphere Biosphere
H
Rain strips CO2 from atmosphere.
 xvii

Numerous diagrams, photos,

and tables support visual
processes and concepts.

™
a.

Figure 6.15 Hawaiian lava. a. A lava tube transports hot,

low-viscosity basalt lava toward the front of a lava on Kilauea
volcano, Hawaii. b. Walter’s Kalapana Store and Drive-in was burned
and buried within a few weeks in 1990 as lava from the Kilauea
volcano invaded communities along the southern coast of Hawaii.
Note the height of the original sign. How deep is the lava at this
a.
location?

b.

b.

Figure 8.15 Recently discovered Tiktaalik fossil. a. This is a

transitional fossil between and amphibians. The fossil was
discovered on Ellesmere Island, Canada, in 375 million-year-
old rocks. Several individuals were found, some up to nearly
3 meters (9 feet) long. b. A re-creation of what Tiktaalik may
To further aid in the understanding of earth processes, many figures have looked like in life.

include a simple drawing to portray a Geologist’s View.

Fault

a. b.

Geologist’s View
Figure 5.5 Signs of movement on a fault. Movement on a The lower part of the slope
has moved downward relative
44-kilometer-long (27-mile-long) fault caused the Hebgen earthquake to the top of the ridge.
in Montana in 1959. a. The fault broke the surface near a ranch
(background). b. The fault can be followed for several kilometers
along the south of Kirkwood Ridge in the center of the image.
xviii Preface

How Is This Text Organized? • References and discussions to recent significant events
have been added:
The Good Earth covers the primary topics included in other earth
• the massive 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico
science texts. However, there are a few notable differences in its
after the blowout of the Deepwater Horizon drilling
content compared to other textbooks.
platform
The Good Earth begins with an introduction (Chapter 1),
• the major earthquake and tsunami in Japan in 2011
then takes up the topic of astronomy (Chapters 2, 3), and moves
• east coast damage from superstorm (hurricane) Sandy
on to solid earth (Chapters 4, 5, 6, 7, 8) and the surficial pro-
in 2012
cesses (Chapters 9, 10, 11, 12), which overlap with the hydrosphere
• the destructive tornado that struck Moore, Oklahoma,
(Chapters 11, 12, 13), before dealing with the atmosphere (Chap-
in 2013
ters 14, 15, 16) and finishing with a wrap-up chapter on global
• Recent data on the human toll and economic costs of
change (Chapter 17) that incorporates elements of all the previous
recent earthquakes
chapters.
• Information about the recent sightings of Near Earth
Astronomy is dealt with early in the text (Chapters 2 and
Objects
3) from the context of Earth’s position in space. By beginning with
• New discussion on tools used by Earth Scientists
Earth’s place in the universe, we give students a “big picture,” set
• Rewritten content on extra-solar planets and how planets
the context for looking at the uniqueness of this planet in contrast
formed
to our neighbors in space, and hopefully, inspire a bit of wonder
• A new more detailed account of the rejection of
in the reader. In both chapters, we grab the reader’s attention by
Wegener’s drift hypothesis
emphasizing space from a human perspective. We believe this pro-
• Addition of Harry Hess’s contribution to the Seafloor
vides a more appealing beginning to an earth science class than
Spreading Theory
the traditional several weeks spent discussing minerals, rocks, and
• Expanded discussion on early earth evolution
weathering. Chapter 2, in particular, guides students to see meth-
• New statistics on weather hazards
ods that scientists employ as they build our knowledge of the planet
• Updated information on recent changes in Arctic Ocean
and its place in the universe.
ice coverage
Plate tectonics appears early (Chapter 4). We introduce
• Updated climate and emissions data
this important unifying concept at the beginning of the text and
• Increased coverage on the factors affecting density of
then use it as a foundation to introduce other solid earth topics (for
seawater
example, earthquakes, volcanoes). Because an understanding of
• An analogy of a water balloon is used to further explain
plate tectonics is pivotal to all the content that follows in subse-
the concept of Tidal Bulge
quent chapters, we revisit this concept several times in subsequent
chapters, thereby showing students the interrelationships among
the other solid earth topics, such as rock formation, earthquakes, Digital Resources
and volcanoes.
McGraw-Hill offers various tools and technology products to sup-
Driven by recent research findings, we have chosen to
port The Good Earth, 3rd Edition.
­emphasize some topics that are discussed briefly or not at all in
other earth science texts. We have included chapters on the threat
of a collision with near-Earth objects (Chapter 3), Earth’s climate
system (Chapter 16), and global change (Chapter 17). In addition, McGraw-Hill’s Connect Plus
the continuing debate about the teaching of creationism in the pub- (www.mcgrawhillconnect.com/
lic schools has lead us to address this topic head-on in our treat- Earth Science) is a web-based assignment and assessment platform
ment of geologic time (Chapter 8). that gives students the means to better connect with their course-
work, with their instructors, and with the important concepts that
they will need to know for success now and in the future. The fol-
New in This Edition lowing resources are available in Connect:
One major change evident throughout the text is the addition of • Auto-graded assessments
Chapter Learning Outcomes at the beginning of each chapter and • LearnSmart, an adaptive diagnostic tool
the identification of key Learning Objectives at the start of each • Powerful reporting against learning outcomes and level of
section in the chapter. difficulty
Additional updates to this edition include: • McGraw-Hill Tegrity Campus, which digitally records
• Figures have been updated and/or replaced throughout and distributes your lectures with a click of a button
the text to better illustrate key concepts and to provide • The full textbook as an integrated, dynamic eBook that
updated data. you can also assign.
• Instructor Resources such as an Instructor’s Manual,
PowerPoints, and Test Banks.
• Image Bank that includes all images available for
presentation tools.
 xix

With ConnectPlus, instructors can deliver assignments, quizzes, and stop process, you capture all computer screens and corre-
and tests online. Instructors can edit existing questions and author sponding audio. Students replay any part of any class with easy-to-
entirely new problems; track individual student performance—by use, browser-based viewing on a PC or Mac.
question, assignment; or in relation to the class overall—with de- Educators know that the more students can see, hear, and
tailed grade reports; integrate grade reports easily with Learning experience class resources, the better they learn. With Tegrity
Management Systems (LMS), such as WebCT and Blackboard; Campus, students quickly recall key moments by using Tegrity
and much more. Campus’s unique search feature. This search helps students effi-
By choosing Connect, instructors are providing their stu- ciently find what they need, when they need it, across an entire
dents with a powerful tool for improving academic performance semester of class recordings. Help turn your students’ study time
and truly mastering course material. Connect allows students to into learning moments immediately supported by your lecture. To
practice important skills at their own pace and on their own sched- learn more about Tegrity, watch a 2-minute Flash demo at http:
ule. Importantly, students’ assessment results and instructors’ //tegritycampus.mhhe.com.
feedback are all saved online, so students can continually review
their progress and plot their course to success.
Create what you’ve only imagined.
Introducing McGraw-Hill Create—a
No two students new, self-service website that allows you to create custom course
are alike. Why materials—print and eBooks—by drawing upon McGraw-Hill’s
should their learning paths be? LearnSmart uses revolutionary comprehensive, cross-disciplinary content. Add your own content
adaptive technology to build a learning experience unique to each quickly and easily. Tap into other rights-secured third party ­sources
student’s individual needs. It starts by identifying the topics a stu- as well. Then, arrange the content in a way that makes the most
dent knows and does not know. As the student progresses, Learn- sense for your course. Even personalize your book with your
Smart adapts and adjusts the content based on his or her individual course name and information. Choose the best format for your
strengths, weaknesses and confidence, ensuring that every minute course: color print, black and white print, or eBook. The eBook is
spent studying with LearnSmart is the most efficient and produc- now viewable on an iPad! And when you are finished customizing,
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LearnSmart also takes into account that everyone will for- ­McGraw-Hill Create at www.mcgrawhillcreate.com today and
get a certain amount of material. LearnSmart pinpoints areas that begin building your perfect book.
a student is most likely to forget and encourages periodic review
to ensure that the knowledge is truly learned and retained. In this
way, LearnSmart goes beyond simply getting students to memorize CourseSmart is a new way for faculty to
material–it helps them truly retain the material in their long term find and review eBooks. It’s also a great
memory. Want proof? Students who use LearnSmart are 35% more option for students who are interested in accessing their course
likely to complete their class; 13% more likely to pass their class; materials digitally and saving money. CourseSmart offers thou-
and have been proven to improve their performance by a full letter sands of the most commonly adopted textbooks across hundreds of
grade. To learn more log onto http://learnsmartadvantage.com courses. It is the only place for faculty to review and compare the
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xx Preface

Acknowledgments We would like to thank the following individuals who wrote and/or
reviewed learning goal-oriented content for LearnSmart.
The authors would like to express their appreciation for family, Northern Arizona University, Sylvester Allred
friends, colleagues, and students who provided encouragement Roane State Community College, Arthur C. Lee
throughout the writing process for the book. In particular, we State University of New York at Cortland, Noelle J. Relles
would like to thank Tom Angelo who guided us through a detailed University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,
course on teaching and learning, and gave us many of the tools Trent McDowell
that helped us link together our teaching goals with a­ ppropriate University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee, Tristan J. Kloss
learning exercises. We will always be grateful for what we learned University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee, Gina Seegers
under his thoughtful instruction. In addition, we are grateful for Szablewski
the enthusiasm and support of the McGraw-Hill development and Elise Uphoff
production teams whose names appear on the copyright page and
the support of all the ­reviewers who helped improve the quality of
the text and illustrations.

Third Edition Reviewers

Special thanks and appreciation go out to Heartland Community College, Robert L. Dennison Northwest Missouri State University, Jeffrey D.
all reviewers. This edition (through sev- Hillsborough Community College, Marianne Bradley
O’Neal Caldwell Purdue University, Lawrence W. Braile
eral stages of development) has enjoyed Indian River State College, Paul A. Horton Sierra College, Alejandro Amigo
many constructive suggestions, new ideas, Johnson State College, Dr. Leslie Kanat Southwestern Illinois College, Stanley C. Hatfield
and invaluable advice provided by these Laredo Community College, Glenn Blaylock St. Petersburg College, Paul Cutlip
­reviewers: Laredo Community College, Sarah M. Fearnley State College of Florida, Jay C. Odaffer
Lock Haven University, Thomas C. Wynn University of Arkansas, Fort Smith, Christopher
Broward College, Neil M. Mulchan Methodist University, Dr. John A. Dembosky Knubley
Cal State Univ Northridge, Doug Fischer Middle Tennessee State University, Mark Abolins University of North Carolina—Greensboro,
Central Michigan University, Karen S. Tefend Middle Tennessee State University, Dr. Clay Harris Michael Lewis
Cerritos College, Tor BjÖrn Lacy Missouri State University, Jill Black University of North Carolina—Greensboro, Jeffrey
East Los Angeles College, Randall J. Adsit Montgomery County Community College, George C. Patton
Emporia State University, Susan Aber Buchanan, P.G. University of North Florida, Jane MacGibbon
Florida State College, Jacksonville, Rob Martin Murray State University, George W. Kipphut Western Oregon University, Don Ellingson
Florida State College, Jacksonville, Betty Gibson Murray State University, Haluk Cetin
M.Ed.

Second Edition Reviewers

Bucks County Community College, Cristina Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana, Donald Pasadena City College, Bryan C. Wilbur
Ramacciotti L. Eggert Pensacola Junior College, Kathleen Shelton
California University of Pennsylvania, Swarndeep Kingsborough Community College, Cyrena Anne St. Petersburg College, Paul G. Cutlip
Gill Goodrich St. Petersburg College, William C. Culver
Cal State University–Northridge, Doug Fischer Methodist University, John A. Dembosky San Jose State University, Paula Messina
Central Connecticut State ­University, Kristine Middle Tennessee State ­University, Mark Abolins Santa Ana College, Claire M. Coyne
Larsen Middle Tennessee State ­University, Melissa Santiago Canyon College, Debra Ann Brooks
Charleston Southern University, Peter B. Jenkins Lobegeier State University of New York, College at Potsdam,
C. W. Post-Long Island University, Vic DiVenere Missouri State University, Jill (Alice A.) Black Michael C. Rygel
Eastern Michigan University, Maria-Serena Poli Murray State University, Haluk Cetin ­ ollege, Stanley C. Hatfield
Southwestern Illinois C
Eastern Michigan University, Steven T. LoDuca North Carolina A & T State University, Godfrey A. University of Dayton, Heidi S. McGrew
Florida State University, Neil Lundberg Uzochukwu University of Dayton, Michael R. Sandy
Georgia Institute of Technology, L. Gregory Huey Northern Oklahoma College, Eugene A. Young University of Indianapolis, Thomas L. Chamberlin
Heartland Community C ­ ollege, Robert L. Dennison Northwest Missouri State University, C. R. Rohs University of Michigan–Dearborn, Patricia
Hillsborough ­Community College, Marianne Northwest Missouri State ­University, Jeffrey D. Hartshorn
O’Neal Caldwell Bradley Western Oregon University, Jeffrey Templeton
The Ohio State University, Lindsay Schoenbohm
about the authors The original version of The Good Earth was a product of a team of edu-
cators from the geosciences, science education, and cognitive psychology
whose combined expertise created this text to teach essential earth science
content in an engaging and cognitively supportive way. We wish to thank
our colleagues Kathie Owens, Cathy Knight, and Lisa Park to their contri-
butions to the textbook through the first two editions. The writing team has
been reduced to the two principal authors for the third edition of the book.

David McConnell grew up in Londonderry,

Northern Ireland, and was hooked on geology
when he took his first course in high school with
an inspirational teacher. His earliest geological
exercises involved examining rocks along the rug-
ged coastlines of Ireland. He graduated with a de-
gree in geology from Queen’s University, Belfast,
before moving to the US to obtain graduate de-
grees from Oklahoma State and Texas A&M Uni-
versities. David spent much of his career at the University of Akron, Ohio,
where he met David Steer, beginning a research partnership that eventually
resulted in the book you are now holding. David relocated to North Caro-
lina State University to build a geoscience education research group that
continues to examine how to improve the student learning experience in
large general education science classes.
David has taught a dozen different courses from introductory geo-
science classes to advanced graduate courses. He has received several
teaching awards, and he and his collaborators and graduate students have
made many presentations and published articles on their educational re-
search. When pressed for some personal information, David will tell you
that he loves collecting vinyl records, is way too attached to Tottenham
Hotspur football club, and enjoys spending weeks each summer hiking
trails through a mountain range somewhere.

David Steer was fascinated with rocks as a child

in Ohio. That interest was nurtured by his par-
ticipation in a National Science Foundation–spon-
sored geology field camp for high school students
that took him to the Black Hills of South Dakota.
David’s plan to become a geologist had to wait
when he accepted an appointment to West Point
and then served for a decade as an Army Corps
of Engineers officer. While in the military, David
attended Cornell University, earning a Master’s of Engineering ­degree.
He was then assigned to West Point Military Academy, where he taught
­physics. After leaving the service, David returned to Cornell ­University to
pursue his early geological interests at the Ph.D. level, albeit in the field of
geophysics. He began his appointment at the University of Akron in 1999.

xxi
xxii about the authors

Several years ago, David began employing student-centered learning She has devoted more than 25 years to the study of how students
techniques in his large introductory earth science classes. He has e­ xtensive learn and develop, and how instructors can effectively teach, given the
experience in using conceptual questions, physical models, and other ac- characteristics of both students and the concepts and content to be learned.
tive learning techniques. His education research, allowing him to identify This collaboration of earth science and pedagogical science ­results in a
at-risk students very early in the course so that effective intervention can powerful tool to support teaching and learning in fundamentally new and
occur, has produced scholarly publications in the Journal of Geoscience excitingly effective ways.
Education and numerous national and regional conference presentations. When Cathy can grab some spare time from teaching, research, and
David has been recognized for his extensive research and teaching schol- writing, she kicks back with her Shelties or her cello, or best of all, on a
arship at the institutional and national levels. He and David McConnell Caribbean cruise ship where the only “requirement” is to do nothing!
were recognized together as National Association of Geoscience Teachers
Distinguished Speakers and travel the country making presentations about Katharine Owens or Kathie, as she’s called infor-
their educational research. mally, is the other education member of the team.
On a more personal note, David frequently experiments with using Kathie says that being a member of The Good
golf clubs as seismic energy sources and travels the country with his family Earth writing team is one of the highlights of her
with a goal of visiting every national park in the continental United States. long career in education. Kathie started out teach-
David brings military discipline to the team and is one of the principal geo- ing mathematics in junior high and, after getting
science content writers. David made this comment about his participation: her master’s ­degree in science education at Texas
“Writing this text has been both rewarding and humbling. That endeavor A&M University where she learned a lot of ge-
constantly reminded me how much I still have to learn about our planet.” ology, quickly found another love—teaching sci-
ence in middle schools both in New York State and in Mississippi (Ed.D.,
University of Southern Mississippi). She reports that her interest in science
Contributing Authors began when she watched the Apollo 8 astronauts circle the moon and greet
Catharine Knight originally hails from Min- everyone on “the good Earth” from their vantage point millions of miles
neapolis, Minnesota. Cathy began her career away. When she was chosen as a Mississippi finalist in the Teacher in Space
in teaching while a teenager, achieving national program and later as a Christa McAuliffe Fellow, she knew that for the rest
recognition in training her Shelties for obedience of her teaching career, earth science would dominate. Currently, Kathie
competition. Cathy has become an expert in effec- focuses on teacher education in science at the University of Akron, where
tive teaching and learning, and in cognitive sup- she teaches methods courses to future teachers and develops science and
port of learning for humans, as well. With a mas- technology lessons for the Akron Global Polymer Academy.
ter’s degree and clinical certification in speech Kathie is convinced that how a subject is taught is equally as impor-
science and audiology from St. Cloud State Uni- tant as what is taught and that, if the instructor’s methods make the content
versity, Cathy brings a facility in the concepts of “hard science” to the sci- dull and boring or the students are not challenged to think through the
ence of learning and teaching: pedagogy. Her Ph.D. research in educational content, much is lost. When she’s away from her teaching job and education
psychology and human development at Arizona State University and her projects, she’s traveling around the United States to add to her rock collec-
research in cognitive development as a postdoctoral National Institutes of tion, tending her garden, playing with her grandchildren, or whipping up
Health Research Fellow at the University of Denver began her dedication some goodies in the kitchen.
to making the science of cognitive development accessible, practical, and
­applicable to teachers and instructors in the real world.
The Good Earth
Although we have long understood Earth’s position in space, the unique nature of our planet
was not fully appreciated until we were able to look at our home from some distance. The
astronauts aboard the Apollo 8 spacecraft were the first people to travel to the moon and were
the first to glimpse our home planet from distant space. This view of Earth, commonly known as
“Earthrise,” was one of the most well-known images of the twentieth century. The photograph
was taken by astronaut William Anders during Apollo 8’s fourth orbit of the moon on Christmas
Eve 1968. (The original image was actually rotated so that the moon’s surface was near-vertical
and to the right of Earth.) A few hours after snapping the photograph, the Apollo crew read
the first 10 verses of the book of Genesis during a broadcast to Earth. At the end of the reading,
Commander Frank Borman closed communications with “. . . Merry Christmas, and God bless all
of you, all of you on the good Earth.” For many at home, those early views of the planet from the
inky darkness of space illustrated the unique wonders of the fragile environment we share on
spaceship Earth.
“The materials of science are the materials of life itself. Science is part of the
reality of living; it is the what, the how, and the why of everything in our
experience. It is impossible to understand man without understanding his
environment and the forces that have molded him physically and mentally.
The aim of science is to discover and illuminate truth.”
—Rachel Carson, marine biologist
Other documents randomly have
different content
 and who told us that in both cases they found the heart
empty. That gets rid of that matter. As death takes place from
one or other of these causes, so will be the appearance of the
heart, the brain, and the body after death. There is nothing in
this for a single moment to negative the conclusion which you
would otherwise arrive at from the other symptoms.”

For the difficulty which he admitted arose from

the non-discovery of strychnia by the analyst, he
assigned another reason besides that of the
condition of the stomach and other parts from the
negligence imputed to those who had conducted the
post mortem examination—namely, the probable
smallness of the fatal dose. In all the cases of
experiments on animals in which the poison had
been detected, the doses had been one or even two
grains, yet half a grain would prove fatal; and where
so little as that had been given in experiments, Dr.
Taylor and Dr. Rees had failed to detect it. On the
partisanship of Mr. Herapath, sitting by the side of
the prisoner’s counsel, prompting questions, and on
his assertion that he believed that Cook had been
killed by strychnia and that Taylor could and ought to
have detected it, his remarks were those rather of a
French Public Prosecutor than an Attorney-General.
“I do not say that alters the fact; but I do say that it
induces one to look at the credit of those witnesses with a
very great amount of suspicion. I reverence a man who, from
a sense of justice and a love of truth—from those high
 considerations which form the noblest character of man—
comes forward in favour of a man against whom the world
may turn in a torrent of prejudice and aversion, and who
stands and states what he believes to be the truth. But I
abhor the traffic in testimony to which, I regret to say, men of
science sometimes permit themselves to condescend.”

Whether Newton was believed or not—and he

showed how his statement was confirmed by
Roberts’s account of Palmer’s conduct at the time of
the second purchase of poison, he urged that of the
latter fact there could be no doubt, and asked what
was done with that strychnia. That Palmer obtained
this strychnia was not controverted, and what he did
with it was not attempted to be satisfactorily
accounted for.
“Purchased for whom? for what? If for a patient why is he
not produced? If for any other purpose, let us at least have it
explained. Has there been a shadow of an explanation? Alas,
I grieve to say, none at all. Something was said, in the outset
of the case, about dogs that had been troublesome in the
paddocks, but that was in September. If there was any
recurrence of this, why are not the grooms here to prove
this? Some one must have assisted Palmer to destroy these
dogs. Where are those persons? Why are they not called? Not
only are they not called, they are not even named. My
learned friend does not venture to breathe even a
suggestion.”[69]

As for the witness called to disprove the incident

of the brandy and water at Shrewsbury, his solitary
evidence, that of one of the prisoner’s associates, he
urged, would not stand for a moment against those
of the witnesses who had spoken for the
prosecution. As for the attempt to prove that Palmer
could not have been in Rugeley at the time when
Newton swore that he purchased the strychnia, Mr.
Jeremiah Smith’s antecedents, the disgraceful part
he had played in the insurance transactions, let alone
his exhibition in the witness-box, he added, deprived
his evidence of credit.
Again, antimony was undoubtedly discovered in
the body, and yet no one is known to have given it to
Cook, unless Palmer did so in the broth, the toast
and water, and the coffee that he pressed him to
take, and provided for him. On the question of
motive so anxiously laboured by the defence, it was
enough simply to repeat, the amounts of the debts
pressing on Palmer, and to bear in mind how
drowning men will catch at a straw. Cook’s bets,
which Palmer had collected, staved off immediate
pressure; and had not Mr. Stevens, whose conduct as
Cook’s relative the Attorney-General earnestly
defended, insisted on the post-mortem, and thus
brought about the inquest and this inquiry, it was
possible that the insurance office might have paid
the policy on Walter’s life, and the forged bills been
thus redeemed in time to save exposure. Cook also
was valueless to help Palmer to keep these bills alive;
even Pratt, the 60 per cent. money-lender, would not
discount his acceptance for £500 without the security
of a bill of sale on his horses.
Better acquainted with turf doings than his
opponent, the Attorney-General smiled at the idea,
that because a man was another’s confederate on
the turf therefore he made himself responsible for his
debts, or that Cook, with all his friendship for Palmer,
would beggar himself for his sake.
“Joint engagement they had but one, the £500 bill secured
on Sirius and Polestar, and it was to meet this, and free his
horses, that Cook gave £300 out of his receipts at Shrewsbury
to Palmer to send up to Pratt, and wrote to Fisher to advance
the other £200. No £300 was sent up, and the £200, with the
bets collected by Herring, went not to free this bill, but to
stop Pratt’s action on the forged bill of £2000 of Palmer’s. It
was no doubt true that after a man’s death, his bets were
irrecoverable and his betting-book useless. It was, however,
useful to enable Palmer to give a list of bets to Herring to
collect, the proceeds of which were turned to his own use,
and the previous collection of which Palmer withheld from
Stevens. In the same way would have gone the cheque for
£350 for the stakes—whether a forgery or not—but for the
accident of their not having paid over in time. Had Cook lived,
the closely approaching claim on his £500 acceptance, which
he believed to have been settled, would have revealed the
whole transaction.” [Again, the Attorney-General pressed for
the production of the £350 cheque filled up by Cheshire.]
“Why should Cheshire be asked to fill it up? Just about this
time Palmer was to meet Dr. Bamford and Jones in
consultation—why not ask Mr. Jones, the trusted friend of
 Cook, tell him the same story as he did Cheshire, and not
send for the latter? From the day that this cheque was drawn
till he was arrested on the bill, Palmer had undisturbed
possession of his own papers—from the day of his arrest till
his trial the papers had been in safe custody. Why, then, is it
not produced? Can you help drawing the inference that the
transaction will not bear the light? Look, again, at the claim of
£3000 or £4000 of bills on Cook’s estate, the document
Cheshire refused to witness, which is also not produced—the
letter to Pratt that he must have Polestar, and the instructions
not to give any information on Cook’s affairs. Can you doubt
that they were all part of one fraudulent and flagitious design,
for the full completion of which the death of Cook was a
necessary thing?”

Palmer’s conduct at the post-mortem, the

tampering with the cover of the jar—by whom?—his
anxiety to upset Mr. Stevens when in charge of it,
because, it had been urged, of “his prying
meddlesome curiosity;” his presents and letters to
the coroner; his prompting Cheshire to tamper with
the letter from Dr. Taylor; his anxiety to know, and to
let the coroner know, that strychnia had not been
found; his suggestion to call Smith (what a witness
Jeremiah would have made!); his assertions of
previous epileptic fits, and his hope “that the verdict
to-morrow would be that he died of natural causes,
and thus end it,” were all dwelt upon: “little things, if
taken individually, but taken as a whole,” said the
Attorney-General, “as I submit to you, leading
irresistibly to the conclusion of the guilt of this man.”
 In concluding this masterly speech, though in
some parts too like fighting for a verdict, the
Attorney-General criticised the assertion by Serjeant
Shee of his belief of the prisoner’s innocence:—
“You have, indeed, had introduced into this case one other
element, which I own, I think, had better have been omitted.
You have had from my learned friend the unusual, I think I
may say the unprecedented, assurance of his conviction of
the innocence of his client. I can only say upon that point that
I think it would have been better if my learned friend had
abstained from giving such an assurance. What would he
think of me if, imitating his example, I should at this moment
declare to you, on my honour, as he did, what is the intimate
conviction which has followed from my own conscientious
consideration of this case? My learned friend also, in his
address, of which all admired the power and ability, adopting
a course which is sometimes resorted to by advocates, but
which, in my mind, involves more or less a species of insult to
the good sense or good feeling of the jury—endeavoured to
intimidate you, by an appeal to your consciences, from
discharging firmly and honestly the great and solemn duty
which you are called upon to perform. My learned friend told
you that, if your verdict in this case should be ‘guilty,’ the
innocence of the prisoner would one day be made manifest,
and that you would never cease to regret the verdict which
you had given. If my learned friend were sincere in that—and
I know that he was, for there is no man in whom the spirit of
truth and honour is more keenly alive—if he said what he
believed, I can only answer that it shows how, when a man
enters upon the consideration of a case with a strong bias on
his mind, he is liable to err. I think then that my learned
friend had better have abstained from making any assurance
which involved his conviction of the prisoner’s innocence. I
think, further—in justice and consideration to you—that he
 should have abstained from representing to you that the
voice of the country would not sanction the verdict which you
might give. I say nothing of the inconsistency which is
involved in such a statement, coming from one who but a
short hour before had complained in eloquent terms of the
universal torrent of passion and of prejudice by which he said
that his client would be borne down; but in answer to my
learned friend I say this to you:—Pay no regard to the voice
of the country, whether it be for condemnation or for
acquittal; pay no regard to anything but to the internal voice
of your own consciences, and to that sense of duty which you
owe to God and man upon this occasion, seeking no reward
except the comforting assurance that when you look back to
the proceedings of this day you will feel that you have
discharged to the utmost of your ability and to the best of
your power the duty which it was yours to perform. If on a
review of this whole case, comparing the evidence on one
side and on the other, and weighing it in the even scales of
justice, you can come to the conclusion of innocence, or can
even entertain that fair and reasonable amount of doubt of
which the accused is entitled to the benefit, in God’s name
acquit him; but if, on the other hand, all the facts and all the
evidence lead your minds, with satisfaction to yourselves, to
the conclusion of his guilt, then—but then only—I ask for a
verdict of ‘guilty’ at your hands. For the protection of the
good, for the repression of the wicked, I ask for that verdict
by which alone—as it seems to me—the safety of society can
be secured, and the demands, the imperious demands of
public justice, can be satisfied.”

THE JUDGE’S CHARGE.

As the learned Judge’s charge occupied the whole

of the eleventh and until half-past four on the twelfth
day, and was necessarily protracted by his reading in
detail nearly all the voluminous evidence to the jury,
it would be impossible to give it in full. I shall,
therefore, limit this report to such of his
observations, as have not already been given in the
notes to the evidence of the various witnesses to
whom they applied.
Contrasting the practice in foreign countries of
raising the probability of guilt, from the fact of the
previous commission by a prisoner of other crimes
against other persons, and even of a totally different
character to that with which he then stands charged,
Lord Campbell warned the jury that they must deal
with him now as if he were an entirely innocent man,
and confine their attention solely to the evidence
bearing on the crime itself. He warned them also that
the expression of his counsel’s opinion, that the
prisoner was innocent, meant no more than the plea
of “Not Guilty,” and that the most inconvenient
consequences would follow from regarding it in any
other light. Neither was it necessary, as a point of
law, that the poison by which it was charged that the
murder was effected, should be found in the body, or
seen to be administered. They must look to the
medical evidence to see whether the death was from
that poison, or from natural causes, and to the moral
evidence, whether that showed that the prisoner not
only had the opportunity, but that he actually availed
himself of that opportunity, and administered the
poison. He then proceeded to read over the
evidence, commencing with that showing the
indebtedness of Palmer to Pratt, in which Cook had
no liability, and then taking up the joint liability of
Palmer and Cook to the same person in connection
with the loan secured on Cook’s horses. With
reference to the former transactions he called
attention to Palmer’s letter to Pratt, “not to let Cook’s
friends know what money Cook had ever had from
him,” remarking, “that it was written at a time when
the stepfather was making inquiries of a nature
certainly very disagreeable to Palmer.” On the latter
correspondence he called attention to the cheque for
£375, sent by Pratt for Cook, on which Palmer wrote
the endorsement, and admitted “that it was very
properly argued for the defence, that it was possible
that Cook had authorised some one else to write it;”
but coupled with it the circumstance that on the 13th
of November Palmer was in a state of
embarrassment, and that on the 20th he could pay
Armshaw two £50 notes, and that on the 22nd he
could pay a further £50.
After next reading the evidence of Wright, the
attorney of Birmingham, to show how heavily Palmer
was indebted to his brother, besides to Pratt, and
alluding to the bill of sale of all his property, he laid
great stress on the non-production of the cheque on
Weatherby for £350, the production of which would
have settled the question whether or not it was
forged with the intention of appropriating it to his
own use. Mr. Serjeant Shee here interposing with the
remark that Weatherby thought the signature
genuine, Lord Campbell replied:—
“Mr. Weatherby said the body of the cheque was not in
Cook’s handwriting, and he had paid no attention to the
signature. You, gentlemen, must consider the evidence with
regard to this part of the case. The cheque is not produced,
though it was sent back by Weatherby to Palmer. It is not
produced” [here the judge read the evidence of the search for
papers at Palmer’s]. “It might have been expected that the
cheque so returned to Palmer, who professed to set store
upon it, and to have given value for it, would have been
found, but it is not forthcoming. It is for you to draw
whatever inference may suggest itself to you from this
circumstance.”

The judge then alluded to the fact of Palmer

remaining in the neighbourhood after suspicion had
been excited against him, as of importance, and
worthy of being taken into consideration, though, as
he added, “he might have done so, perhaps, thinking
that from the care he had taken nothing would be
discovered against him,” and that neither the bills nor
the document by which Cook was said to have
admitted his liability on them were produced, and
closed this portion of the evidence.
On the incident of the brandy-and-water at
Shrewsbury, the learned judge remarked, “What a
mysterious circumstance it was, that Cook, after he
had stated his suspicions, still retained his confidence
in Palmer—was still constantly in his company—
during the few remaining days of his life, still sent for
him whenever in distress; and, in fact, seemed to a
great extent to be under his influence.” In a
subsequent part of his charge, when dealing with the
evidence for the defence, he contrasted the evidence
of Myatt in contradiction to that of Brooks and Fisher,
and left the jury to draw their own conclusion which
they would believe. Cook’s letter to Fisher to pay
Pratt the £200 was also here read and commented
on, and the jury left to infer why he did not go to
London as he proposed, and why he put the
collection of his bets in Herring’s hands instead of
Fisher’s—“if he did so.”
Coming now to the illness at Rugeley, he said, “he
was bound to declare that not one fact had been
adduced to prove that Mills had been bribed, or that
Mr. Stevens had read over the newspaper to her, to
influence her evidence in a particular direction: it was
a gratuitous assertion, unsupported by evidence, and
distinctly denied.” Whether the difference of Palmer’s
dress when he ran over, as described by Mills or
Barnes, was of sufficient importance, was a question
for the jury, and also whether Mills’s deposition
before the coroner, and her evidence in Court (the
deposition was read) was not substantially the same.
On the letter from Palmer calling in Jones, cited by
the defence as a proof of innocence, he said:—
“It is important, however, to consider at what period of
Cook’s illness Jones was sent for, and in what condition he
was when Jones arrived. Palmer’s assertion in the letter was,
that Cook had been suffering from diarrhœa, and of this
statement we have not the slightest confirmation in the
evidence. When Jones, looking at Cook’s tongue, observed it
was not the tongue of a bilious attack, Palmer’s reply was,
‘You should have seen it before.’ What reason could Palmer
have for using these words, when there is not the slightest
evidence of Cook having suffered from such an illness?” Then,
having had Jones’s deposition before the coroner read, he
added, “It is for you to say whether in your opinion this
deposition at all varies from his evidence given here: I
confess that I see no variation, and no reason to suppose that
his evidence is not the evidence of sincerity and truth.”

After observing that the evidence of Dr. Savage

showed that previous to his departure for
Shrewsbury Cook was in better health than he had
been for a long time, the learned judge read the
evidence of Newton, and his deposition before the
coroner. Remarking on his omitting to mention the
first purchase of strychnia until the Tuesday morning,
when coming to London, he said:—
“You will observe that though there has been an omission,
there is no contradiction. You are then to consider what is the
probability of his inventing this wicked lie—a most important
lie, if lie it be. He had no ill will towards the prisoner at the
bar, he had never quarrelled with him, and had nothing to get
by injuring him. I cannot see any motive for his inventing a lie
to take away the life of the prisoner. No inducement was held
out to him by the Crown. He says himself that no inducement
was held out to him, and that at last he disclosed this
circumstance from a sense of duty. If you believe his
evidence, it is very strong against the prisoner.” And then,
reading the evidence of Roberts and remarking that he was
not cross-examined or in any way contradicted, he added—“If
you couple that with the statement of Newton—believing that
statement—you have evidence of strychnia having been
procured by the prisoner on the Monday night before the
symptoms of strychnia were exhibited by Cook; and by the
evidence of Roberts, undenied and unquestioned, that on
Tuesday six grains of strychnia were supplied to him.
Supposing you should come to the conclusion that the
symptoms of Cook were consistent with strychnia, then a
case is made out for the Crown. The learned counsel did not
favour us with the theory he had formed in his own mind with
respect to that strychnia. There is no evidence—there is no
suggestion—how it was applied; what became of it.[70] That
must not influence your verdict, unless you come to the
conclusion that Cook’s symptoms were consistent with death
by strychnia. But if you come to that conclusion, I should
shrink from my duty—I should be unworthy to sit here—if I
did not call your attention to the inference, that if he
purchased that strychnia, he purchased it for the purpose of
administering it to Cook.”
 Then, after vindicating the conduct of Mr. Stevens
in relation to the loss of the betting-book, Lord
Campbell alluded to the pushing of the jar, at the
post-mortem, as probably an accident, and its
removal as “nothing more than the pushing, were it
not coupled with evidence afterwards given, which
might lead to the inference that there was a plan to
destroy it and prevent the analysis of its contents.”
He saw no reason to doubt the evidence of the
postboy, and did not believe that Stevens had given
Palmer such provocation as to induce him to offer
Myatt a bribe to upset him. “That is not indeed a
decisive proof of guilt, but it is for you to say
whether the prisoner did not enter on that
contrivance to prevent an opportunity of examining
the jar, which might contain evidence against him.”
Cheshire’s evidence as to filling up the cheque,
and being asked to witness Cook’s signature, as if he
was present, to the document professing to admit his
liability on Palmer’s bills; his subsequent dealing with
Dr. Taylor’s letter to Mr. Gardner; Palmer’s letter to
the coroner stating the result of the analysis; his
presents to the coroner; and his instructions to Bate
not to let anyone see him deliver his letter to Mr.
Ward, together with the instructions to Herring about
Cook’s bets, were then carefully reviewed before
entering on the medico-scientific evidence offered on
the part of the prosecution.
The evidence of this class of witnesses has been
so fully reported, that it is needless to repeat the
Judge’s passing comments on their descriptions of
the symptoms of tetanus as consistent with those in
Cook’s case, and with those exhibited in the cases of
undoubted poisoning by strychnia, detailed by the
medical men who had attended the several patients.
With reference to the results of the analysis by Drs.
Taylor and Rees, and of the effect of their evidence,
the learned Judge made the following comment on
their experiments on animals:—
“There is here a most important question for your
consideration. Great reliance is placed by the prisoner’s
counsel, and very naturally so, upon the fact that no trace of
strychnia was detected in the stomach of Cook by Dr. Taylor
and Dr. Rees, who alone analysed it and experimented upon
it. But, on the other hand, you must bear in mind that we
have their own evidence to show that there may be and have
been cases of death by strychnia in which the united skill of
these two individuals has failed to detect the presence of the
strychnia after death. Both Dr. Taylor and Dr. Rees have
stated upon their oaths that in two cases where they knew
death to have been occasioned by strychnia—the poison
having, in fact, been administered with their own hands—they
failed to discover the slightest trace of the poison in the dead
bodies of the animals on which they had experimented. It is
possible that other chemists might have succeeded in
detecting strychnia in those animals and strychnia also in the
jar containing the stomach and intestines of Cook; but,
however this may be, it is beyond all question that Dr. Taylor
and Dr. Rees failed to discover the faintest indications of
strychnia in the bodies of two animals which they had
themselves poisoned with that deadly drug. Whatever may be
the nature of the different theories propounded for the
explanation of this fact, the fact itself is deposed to on oath;
and, if we believe the witnesses, does not admit of doubt.”
With regard to the letter from Dr. Taylor to Mr. Gardner,
stating that neither strychnia, prussic acid, nor opium had
been found in the body, his lordship said, “this letter was
written before Cook’s symptoms had been communicated to
them; but they had been informed that prussic acid,
strychnia, and opium had been bought by Palmer on the
Tuesday. They searched for all these poisons, and found
none. The only poison they found was antimony, and they did
not, therefore, in the absence of symptoms, attribute death to
strychnia, as they could not at that time; but they say it might
have been produced by antimony, as they say that the
quantity found in the body was no test of the quantity taken
into the system.”—“For the discovery of strychnia Dr. Taylor
experimented upon the bodies of animals which he had
himself killed by this poison, but in them no strychnia could
be found. I do not know what interest Dr. Taylor could be
supposed to have to give evidence against the prisoner. He
was regularly employed by the Crown, and knew nothing of
Palmer until he was called upon by Mr. Stevens, and the jar
was given to him. He could have no enmity against the
prisoner and no interest whatever to misrepresent facts.” [On
being reminded that Dr. Taylor’s experiments on the two
rabbits were not made until after the inquest,] “that,” said
Lord Campbell, “makes no difference. If that experiment was
made this morning the fact would be the same. Against Dr.
Rees there is not even the imputation of having written an
indiscreet letter to a newspaper. Yet Dr. Rees concurs with Dr.
Taylor, that these rabbits were killed by strychnia; that they
did whatever was in their power, according to their skill and
 knowledge, to discover strychnia, as they did with the
contents of the jar, and that no strychnia could be discovered.
As to antimony, he corroborates the testimony of Dr. Taylor.
Antimony is a component of tartar emetic; tartar emetic
produces vomiting, and you will judge from the vomiting at
Shrewsbury and Rugeley whether antimony may have been
administered to Cook at those places. Antimony may not have
produced death, but the question of its administration is a
part of the case which you must most seriously consider.”

Having then read the evidence of Professor

Brande, Dr. Christison, and Dr. John Jackson, Lord
Campbell, at eight o’clock, reserved the evidence for
the defence to the next day.
On resuming his charge the next morning, Lord
Campbell commenced by a brief summary of his
previous remarks.
“The evidence for the prosecution certainly did present a
serious case against the prisoner. It appeared that in
November last he was most seriously embarrassed, and that
he had to make payments for which he was entirely
unprepared. There were actions against himself and his
mother, and he had no credit left in any quarter. Cook by the
races at Shrewsbury became master of £1000, and the
inference had been drawn that Palmer formed a design of
appropriating it to his own purposes, in order to relieve
himself from his embarrassments. Again, it was proved that
the prisoner drew a cheque in the name of Cook which was a
forgery, for the purpose of appropriating to himself Cook’s
property. What would have been the effect of the survival of
Cook under those circumstances it would be for the jury to
consider. No doubt, if Cook had lived, that cheque would have
 been brought forward, and would have led to an exposure of
all Palmer’s delinquencies. With respect to the joint liability of
Cook and Palmer, it was said that it was disadvantageous to
Palmer that Cook should die; but there seemed to be some
doubt whether it was not the intention of Palmer to possess
himself of the whole of Cook’s property, and in that case he
had a direct interest in his death. Then as to the medical
evidence which had been adduced for the prosecution. The
jury had heard the evidence of able and honourable men,
who said that the deceased did not die a natural death, and
that the symptoms were consistent with death by strychnia,
and not consistent with death by ordinary tetanus. There was
no point of law which required that the strychnia should be
found in the body of the deceased, and it would therefore be
for the jury on this point to consider whether the evidence of
the prosecution was sufficient, or whether they could rely
upon the answer which had been put in by the defence.
There was direct evidence that the prisoner procured the
poison of strychnia on Monday and Tuesday. What he did with
it was not for him in that place to affirm. It was impossible for
the jury not to pay attention to the conduct of the prisoner
before and after the death of Cook, and they would not fail to
consider, as part of those circumstances, his very remarkable
proceedings in reference to the betting-book, which had
never been discovered.”

He then proceeded to consider the evidence

tendered by medical and scientific experts for the
defence.
“Then as to the evidence which had been put in for the
defence, the jury had had before them gentlemen of great
ability and high honour, who had given in detail the results of
their experience. With that evidence he would now proceed to
deal.” [The learned judge read in extenso the voluminous
evidence of Mr. Nunneley, the surgeon, of Leeds.] “The jury
had heard the manner in which Mr. Nunneley had given his
evidence, and they must form their own opinion of it.
Certainly he seemed to display an interest in the case not
altogether consistent with the character of a witness. He
differed very much from several witnesses who were
examined for the prosecution, and particularly in reference to
rigidity being produced by strychnia after death. These and
similar questions were for the jury. The next witness who was
examined was Mr. Herapath, of Bristol, a very eminent
analytical chemist, who had paid great attention to the
subject of poisons. That gentleman said that where there had
been death by strychnia it ought to be discovered. But it
appeared, on cross-examination, that he had expressed an
opinion, on another occasion, that Cook died from strychnia,
but that Dr. Taylor had not taken the proper means to find it.
After adverting to the evidence of Mr. Rogers, his lordship
read that of Dr. Letheby, of the London Hospital, the medical
officer of the City of London, of whom he said that he seemed
to prove that cases of this sort were very variable, and that
he admitted that the Romsey case was an exception. Now,
while these exceptional cases existed, it could hardly be said
that the principles laid down by Dr. Letheby were sufficient to
rebut the evidence in chief. His lordship next referred to Mr.
Gay’s case of the omnibus conductor. This, he said, was a
case of idiopathic tetanus. The jury would say, on comparing
it with the symptoms in Cook’s case, whether his was also a
case of idiopathic tetanus. The great weight of evidence
seemed to show that Cook’s was not a case of idiopathic any
more than it was a case of traumatic tetanus. Mr. Gay’s case
differed altogether from that of Cook, and as far as he could
see there was no analogy between them. Passing next to the
evidence of Mr. Ross, and to his case of a man, who died
from ulcers, his lordship remarked that he did not see why
this case was brought before the Court unless to prove that
Cook’s was of the same sort. This was a case, whether of
idiopathic or traumatic tetanus, in which it was sought to
prove that death was caused by bruises on the body. But
there were no bruises of any sort about Cook, and therefore
the analogy failed. In reference to the important evidence of
Dr. Wrightson, who said he had detected strychnia in
putrifying blood and decomposed matter, and that strychnia
did not under such circumstances decompose, he must say
that this witness was a scientific and honourable man, and
had spoken throughout with proper caution. According to Dr.
Wrightson, the discovery of the poison should have been
proved, but at the same time his evidence did not overthrow
the case for the prosecution; and it would be for the jury to
say whether, in the event of poison actually being in the body,
the tests employed to detect it were sufficient. Referring to
the evidence of Mr. Partridge, his lordship said that the
witness had stated that the symptoms in Cook’s case did not
correspond with what he should have expected to have found
from strychnia, but he spoke from his own experience, and he
admitted that the symptoms were very variable; and he did
not seem, therefore, to speak with any degree of certainty
upon the subject. Mr. Gay’s case of a boy who suffered from
tetanus from an injury to his toe was, his lordship thought,
not at all analogous to that of Cook; nor was that of the
young woman who had an attack of tetanus without any
apparent cause, and recovered, as deposed to by Dr.
McDonald. The last witness had given his opinion that Cook
died from epileptic convulsions, accompanied with tetanic
complications, and this he thought might have been produced
by mental or sensual excitement. The jury would see to what
length this witness went, and it would be for the jury to say
what weight they attached to his evidence. Having adverted
to several cases adduced by the defence, and which his
lordship considered bore no analogy to Cook’s, he read the
evidence of Dr. Robinson, of Newcastle-on-Tyne, who ascribed
the death to epilepsy. He then passed on to Dr. Richardson,
who narrated the particulars of a remarkable case of angina
 pectoris, to the symptoms of which disease he said Cook’s
bore a remarkable resemblance. The witness, his lordship
said, seemed a most respectable man, and he said that the
symptoms in this case were consistent with those arising from
strychnia, and that if he had known as much of strychnia at
that time as he did now, he should have searched for it in
that case. It would be for the jury to consider whether Cook’s
symptoms were consistent with strychnia, and if so, that
ought to lead them as to the opinion they should form on the
case. His lordship having adverted to the evidence of
Catharine Watson, the girl who was attacked with tetanus in
Scotland, and to other witnesses who were recalled, said this
was all the medical evidence that had been adduced by the
counsel for the defence of the prisoner. But then, gentlemen,
said Lord Campbell, comes that most important question,
whether the symptoms of the deceased were consistent with
death by poisoning with strychnia. You will say whether your
opinion upon that subject is altered by the evidence given on
the part of the prisoner. Several of the witnesses called by the
prisoner seem to admit (although, of course, you will form
your own judgment upon it) that those symptoms were
consistent with strychnia, although, in the absence of
evidence to show that strychnia was administered, they could
not come to such a conclusion.”

Lord Campbell’s subsequent remarks on the

witnesses who were called to contradict those for the
prosecution as to the state of Cook’s health, the
incident of the brandy and water at Shrewsbury, and
the possibility of Palmer arriving in Rugeley from
London at the time spoken to by Newton, have
already been given in previous notes. In conclusion,
he said,
 “The conduct of the prisoner in requesting to have the
body fastened up, with respect to the betting book, and the
tampering with the coroner, remained unanswered, as did
also the bribe offered to the postboy. No explanation was
offered as to the strychnia purchased by the prisoner on the
Tuesday morning, the proof of which stands uncontradicted;
no evidence has been given of any purpose to which it was to
be applied, and no explanation of what became of that
poison. The case was now before the jury. They must not act
upon suspicion, or even strong suspicion, and they must only
pronounce a verdict of guilty if their minds were made up. If,
however, they could come to the conclusion that he was
guilty, they would return such a verdict unfettered and
undeterred by any intimidation.”
Mr. Serjeant Shee objected to the question put to the jury
by the judge. He submitted that the question, whether the
symptoms of Cook’s death were consistent with death by
strychnia was a wrong one, unless coupled with the words
“and inconsistent with death from natural causes,” and that
the question should then be “whether the medical evidence
established beyond all reasonable doubt that the death of
Cook was attributable to strychnia.”
Baron Alderson.—“That is the question that has been put.”
Mr. Serjeant Shee submitted that the question whether the
symptoms were consistent with strychnia ought not to have
been put.
Lord Campbell.—“ I have told the jury that, unless they
think the symptoms described agree with the supposition that
the deceased died from strychnia, they must acquit the
prisoner.”
Baron Alderson.—“That has been stated in the speech.”

After some further remarks from Mr. Serjeant

Shee, Lord Campbell told the jury that not only must
they be satisfied that the symptoms described
agreed with the supposition that the deceased died
from strychnia, but that it was administered by the
prisoner.
The jury retired at 2.20, and at 3.45 returned a
verdict of guilty, and Lord Campbell passed sentence
of death, to be carried out at Stafford jail.
The prisoner heard the sentence perfectly
unmoved. At one time he drew himself up, as if
about to make some remark, but did not attempt to
speak. He stood quite calm, and when his Lordship
had concluded, turned round and walked from the
dock with the same coolness as he had shown during
the whole of his protracted trial.
Contrasting the procedure in this memorable trial
with what it might and no doubt would have been in
a criminal court in France, Mr. Justice Stephen makes
the following remarks:—“Not less remarkable than
the careful way in which all topics of prejudice were
avoided was the extreme fulness and completeness
of the evidence as to facts really relevant to the
case. Nothing was omitted which the jury could
properly want to know, nor anything which the
prisoner could possibly wish to say. No case could set
in a clearer light the characteristic features of English
Criminal Law—namely, its essentially litigious
character, and the way in which it deals with
scientific evidence. A study of the case will show,
first, that evidence could not be more condensed,
more complete, more clearly directed to the point at
issue; secondly, that the subjection of all the
witnesses, and especially the scientific witnesses, to
the most rigorous cross-examination is absolutely
essential to the trustworthiness of their evidence.
The clearness and skill with which the various
witnesses, especially those for the defence, were
cross-examined, and forced to admit that they could
not really distinguish the symptoms of Cook from
those of poisoning by strychnia, was such an
illustration of the efficiency of cross-examination as is
rarely indeed afforded.”
“The defence was by far the least impressive part
of the trial, but that was mainly because there was
nothing to say. It was impossible to suggest any
innocent explanation of Palmer’s conduct. It was
proved to demonstration that he was in dire need of
money in order to avoid a prosecution for forgery;
that he robbed his friend of all he had by a series of
devices which he must instantly have discovered if
he had lived; that he provided himself with the
means of committing the murder just before Cook’s
death; and that he could neither produce the poison
he had bought, nor suggest any innocent reason for
buying it. There must have been some mystery in
the case which has never been discovered. Palmer, at
and before his death, was repeatedly pressed to say
whether he was guilty or not, and told that everyone
would believe him guilty if he did not emphatically
deny it. He could only say Cook was not poisoned by
strychnia, and I have reason to know that he was
anxious that Mr. Herapath should examine the body
for strychnia, though aware that he could detect the
1-50,000th part of a grain. He may have discovered
some way of administering it which would render
detection impossible, but it is difficult to doubt that
he used it; for if not, why buy it?”[71]

THE LEEDS POISONING CASE.

Before Baron Bramwell, Northern Circuit, York, July 16, 17, and
18, 1856.

For the Prosecution: Mr. Overend, Q.C., Mr. G. Hardy, and

Mr. L. H. Bayly.
For the Defence: Mr. Bliss, Q.C., Mr. Serjeant Wilkins, and
Mr. Middleton.[72]

William Dove, aged 30, was indicted for the murder of his
wife, on the 1st of March, 1856, at Leeds.

EARLY LIFE OF THE PRISONER.

 The prisoner, the son of a respectable leather
manufacturer at Leeds, had been, from his childhood
to his seventh year, more than usually fractious,
mischievous, ill-natured, and irrational in his tricks:
putting lighted candles more than once in a basket
and locking them in a cupboard: pouring some kind
of spirits on his bedroom curtains and setting them
on fire: chasing his sisters with a red-hot poker and
threatening to burn them: hanging a cat by its tail
out of window: cutting himself with knives and
writing his name with his blood: an irregular and
inapt scholar, especially in his religion.[73] The usher
at his first school, where he was from the age of ten
to thirteen years, regarded him “as a boy of very low
intellect, great inability of mind, great want of moral
power, evil and vicious propensities. Once, when he
had got a pistol, he told his schoolfellows he was
going to shoot his father—a dull boy, and a had boy.
I then thought him insane, but did not feel myself in
a position to object to his being flogged.”[74] Mr.
Highley, the master of this school, spoke strongly of
Dove’s bad conduct, which he attributed to his
reasoning powers being very limited. “He appeared,”
said the witness, “to have no idea of any
consequences; to be deprived of reason. I am
satisfied he was labouring under an aberration of
intellect.”[75] Having been expelled from his school,
his father took the opinion of a Mr. Lord, a
schoolmaster, as to what was best to be done with
the boy. “I could make no impression on his heart or
his head,” said Mr. Lord. “He could not appreciate
what I said. He listened, but I could make no
impression—get no rational answers. When I heard
of his engagement I told his future wife’s brother-in-
law that inquiry ought to be made about Dove on
account of his unaccountable irrational conduct.” By
Mr. Lord’s advice, he was sent to learn farming, for
more than five years, with a Mr. Frankish. Here again
his mischievous and cruel propensities were
exhibited—putting vitriol on the tails of some cows,
burning half-grown kittens with it, putting it into the
horse-trough, and setting fire to the gorse. He was
as unapt a scholar at farming as at religion and
grammar. Again, when he went to another farmer for
a year, he was the same dull unpractical pupil. He
was now sent to America for a short visit, returning
with travellers’ stories of his adventures of unusual
wildness and incredibility. Still, however, he was
deemed by his father capable of being trusted with a
farm, where his mischievous and extravagant
conduct astonished his servants, and made them
regard him as “not of a sound mind.”[76] At this time,
1852, he married, quarrelling or playing with his wife
like a child, and changed his farm more than once,
without apparent reason. Other witnesses spoke to
the incoherence of his conversation: of his lying on
the ground and crying without a cause; complaining
of noises in his house; trying to reap his own corn in
a green state; exhibiting conjuring tricks, and talking
of having put a spell on the steward of the proprietor
of one of his farms. Eventually, in consequence of his
intemperate habits, he had to give up farming and
remove into the outskirts of Leeds, where he lived on
an annuity of £90 a year, left to him by his father,
who died in 1854. With nothing to do, he became an
habitual drunkard, aggravating his eccentricities,
stimulating his mischievous propensities, and
stupefying himself as to the consequences of his
actions to himself.[77] With such propensities, it may
be conceived that his wife led a wretched life; that
quarrels were frequent; that at one time he
threatened her with a pistol; and that eventually,
after a very few years, they occupied separate beds,
and rarely met, except at meals. Unfortunately for
both of them, an arrangement for a separation was
broken off by the interposition of injudicious friends,
and until the beginning of 1856 they endured their
miserable life together.

HISTORY OF THE CASE.

 It was at this time that the enquiries into the
death of Cook at Rugeley were filling the
newspapers, and the evidence on the inquest
became matter of popular discussion. Among Dove’s
friends was one Harrison, known as the Witchman of
Leeds, who, according to his own account, was “a
dentist, a water caster, a caster of nativities, and a
believer in the stars.” On hearing this man read, in a
public-house, the results of the analytical
examination of Cook’s body by Dr. Taylor, as related
at the inquest, and that gentleman’s statement of
the difficulty, if not impossibility, of discovering
strychnia by chemical analysis, Dove appears to have
been forcibly struck by the revelation. He asked
Harrison either to make or get him some strychnia,
and, when he refused, said he could get it
elsewhere. Probably at that time the idea of
poisoning his wife was first entertained by him.
Unfortunately he had no difficulty in obtaining the
necessary poison, as he was intimately acquainted
with Mr. Morley, the surgeon of Leeds, who had
attended the Dove family for many years, and was a
constant visitor to his surgery. Subsequently,
therefore, to his acquiring knowledge of what had
happened in Palmer’s case, he had repeated
conversations with one of Mr. Morley’s pupils about
strychnia; and on the 10th of February, on the plea
that his house was infested by rats, and that he was
worried by his neighbour’s cats, he obtained from
him ten grains of this deadly poison. This he placed
about the house in a careless way, and destroyed a
cat, the body of which he buried in the midden.
Again on the 17th he got four or five grains more of
strychnia, promising the pupil who gave it to him the
skin of a grey cat which he professed to be about to
poison with it. At this time, the pupil was of opinion
that Dove noted whereabouts on the shelf the bottle
of strychnia was placed. A few days after he was
seen by Mr. Morley’s coachman in the surgery alone,
with the gas turned up, which, as the coachman
came near, he turned down, and in an apparent
flurry, meeting him at the door, gave as his excuse
that he had come to light his pipe.[78] The suggestion
of the prosecution was that at this time, knowing
where the bottle of strychnia was kept, he took the
opportunity of helping himself to some more of the
poison. During all this time it was evident, from his
conversations on strychnia and the impossibility of its
detection, that he had studied Palmer’s case.
Previously to Sunday, the 24th of February, Mrs.
Dove had not been well, but on that day appeared
quite recovered. On the Monday, however, when she
went upstairs with her servant to make the beds, she
was suddenly taken ill, staggered, became paralysed,
twitched and jumped, and when put on the bed, on
the slightest touch either of her body or the
bedclothes, had renewed convulsions. Dove, who
was downstairs, was sent for, and went for the
doctor, to whom he said that his wife had been ill all
night, and asked if his wife died would there be a
coroner’s inquest?[79] After two or three hours the
convulsions passed away, and the patient remained
free from pain. Dove’s attention to his wife was
suspiciously marked. He gave her medicine with his
own hands; called in a neighbour to attend to her,
and seemed greatly distressed at her condition.
Three days after, a second attack of the same nature
occurred, and again he told the doctor he was sure
his wife would die. She was seen to cry bitterly, and
heard to say that she was sure the medicine, of the
bitter taste of which she complained, was killing her.
Next evening a third attack came on, with the same
symptoms. And on the 28th Dove predicted that she
would have another attack about ten that evening; at
that hour he gave her the medicine, and in half an
hour afterwards another and more severe attack
came on, so severe that she said, “Oh dear, I
thought it was all over.” In all these attacks after a
time the spasms and convulsions passed away, and
she was apparently only suffering from exhaustion
after them, and otherwise quite well. On Saturday