Rain Of Iron And Ice: The Very Real Threat Of Comet And Asteroid Bombardment

by John S. Lewis

Overview

Rain of Iron and Ice shows us the unmistakable evidence—from spaceprobe flybys of the planets to the scars on our own Earth—of cataclysmic comet and asteroid impacts. By comparing what we know about the earth's geology and paleontology with the ages of the other planets and moons in our solar system, Lewis makes the strongest case yet for sudden, dramatic extinctions and assesses the risks to planet Earth.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780201154948
Publisher:	Basic Books
Publication date:	04/25/1997
Series:	Helix Bks.
Edition description:	Revised ed.
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)
Lexile:	1350L (what's this?)

About the Author

John S. Lewis, author of Rain of Iron and Ice, is professor of planetary sciences and codirector of the Space Engineering Research Center at the University of Arizona-Tucson. He has chaired international conferences on space resources and is a globally recognized expert on the subject.

Editorial Reviews

This volume informally yet comprehensively surveys meteorites (which reach the surface of the earth) and meteors (which don't)-their origins, types, consequences and prospects for influencing future events. Author Lewis, codirector for science at a NASA/University of Arizona research center, is passionate and upbeat on the topic. Addressing the general reader, he recounts apt anecdotes in historical context while outlining a commonsensical framework for understanding the scientific scope and nature of the matter that comes to earth from space. Early chapters describe legendary meteorite falls. Subsequent chapters consider, for example, new knowledge from studies of nuclear explosions, cratering on Mars and Mercury, atmospheric effects on Venus and biological signatures of impacts in earth fossil records. Very interesting are results of computer simulations based on the accumulated discoveries, which project what we can expect from future encounters. Overall, Lewis presents an impressively readable and informative digest of current knowledge on the subject. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

News flash: After 200 years of touting the uniformity principle, scientists have discovered catastrophism. Of course, there has always been evidence of destruction coming from the heavens: The Book of Revelations, Charles Fort, medieval astrologers, Christian Millenialists, and Immanuel Velikovsky have all insisted upon it. But now, after centuries of debunking such theories, science proclaims its official dictum: cataclysm is possible, indeed probable. Rain of Iron and Ice traces the history of religious and scientific beliefs about meteorite falls, cometary eruptions, and asteroid near-misses and reviews eschatology (the literature of such catastrophes). Lewis, a noted planetary scientist and impact crater expert and author of Space Resources (LJ, 9/15/87), follows the fascinating study of bombardment on the Earth, Moon, Mercury, Venus, and Mars. He outlines the results of computer simulations and the implications for the future of life on Earth, offering suggestions as to "what we can do about it." Lewis does a fairly thorough job of reviling experts for scoffing at superstition and ignoring the vast quantities of eyewitness reports, but he stays within the bounds of establishment science (there are no footnotes to Velikovsky). Following Duncan Steel's more lay oriented Rogue Asteroids and Doomsday Comets (LJ 5/1/95), this scholarly history is suitable for academic libraries and informed science readers in public libraries.-Valerie Vaughan, Hatfield P.L., Mass.

Library Journal

Lewis (codirector, NASA/U. of Arizona Space Engineering Research Center; commissioner, Arizona State Space Agency) presents scientific evidence for past and possibly future dangers of comet and asteroid impacts. He integrates concepts from geology and paleontology with images of planets and moons, and examines the dangers of near-earth asteroids whose impact could end life on Earth. Includes b&w photos. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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