Patterns of the Earth /

This handsome collection of photographs by Edmaier explores the beauty derived from the action of the strict physical laws of nature--the forces of water, wind, ice, and the molten flow of the earth itself. Aside from a brief introduction, a few maps, a glossary, and an index, it is simply a book of spectacular images. The introduction is by geologist Jung-Huttl, who explains the photos in terms of the mechanics of flow, abrasion, fracture, or natural growth. Whether the subject is a river carving a path through a plain, the warming and cooling of the permafrost, the ebb and flow of tides, or the natural increments of forest, coral, and crystal, one is struck by the fact that very different forces produce surprisingly similar forms--a lesson in natural fractals. Although many of the scenes might be available to the ordinary viewer, some of the more striking photos are of phenomena that can be seen only from the air, suspended over a pool of volcanic mud, or in a water-filled tunnel beneath a glacier, and they make it impossible not to think of the planet in a new, different way. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers; lower-division undergraduates through professionals. R. M. Davis emeritus, Albion College