★A world of surprise, treasure, danger and disappearance revealed by geology.
★Geology provides us humanity with the tools to know about our pretty planet. For us, today more than ever, requires us to enhance our understanding of the past, change and future of the earth.

How do we measure the age of the earth? How are fossils and minerals formed? Where can we find natural resources? How dynamic is our planet? How has the climate changed? What does it mean to predict earthquakes?

These are some of the big questions that we can seek answers through geology, the science that studies the phenomena that characterize our planet. Geology is the youngest science dealing with nature: in just two centuries of its existence, it has given us the tools to understand our beautiful planet, but it has remained timidly on the fringe of our knowledge, somewhat neglected. However, we have arrived at a time in the history of our species where it has become essential to pay attention to the planet, its resources and the impact that eight billion Homo sapiens have on the environment. Understanding the earth and all that it gives us is as crucial as understanding how, when and why it has changed in the past and, more importantly, how it may change in the future. With this knowledge, we will be able to decide how to behave without the mistakes we have made so far.

Fabrizio Berra has been teaching geology for many years at the Department of Earth Sciences of University of Milan. During his career, he has had the opportunity to study rocks of different ages in different mountain ranges and countries. His research focuses on reconstructing the landscape of a vanished past and analyzing the phenomena and environmental changes recorded in sedimentary succession. He has also participated in the creation of numerous geological maps, the most common medium used by geologists to tell the story of our planet. He enjoys sharing his passion for geology through seminars, outreach activities and, also, with this book.