Florinsky I. Man and the Geosphere (Earth Sciences in the 21st Century) 2021

Textbook in PDF format

Humankind is under the permanent influence of the geological environment. Roles of some geological biotropic factors, such as volcanic explosions, strong earthquakes, and geochemical anomalies, have been well studied. Little is known about biotropic effects of the Earth's fluid degassing, geomagnetic activity, natural background radiation, fluid migration and gas emission within fault zones, mild seismicity, cyclicity of tectonic and climatic processes, etc. This book is the first attempt to synthesise the interdisciplinary knowledge on all geogenic factors influencing humans, society, and civilisation.
The book consists of two parts. The first part represents the state-of-the-art in the field of geo-bio-interactions. Chapter 1 demonstrates mutual relations between the fluid degassing of the Earth's liquid outer core and the origin of oil, life, and the biosphere. Chapter 2 looks at the stable isotope fractionation in the human body and the role of natural background radiation in natural selection. Chapter 3 discusses health effects of geochemical anomalies. Chapter 4 investigates the potential of geopsychology, the study of the impact of geophysical and geochemical variables on human behavior. The second part of the book introduces particular examples of the influence of the geological environment on the biosphere and anthroposphere. Chapter 5 considers the seismically-induced dependence of plant intrapopulation variability within active fault zones. Chapter 6 probes into geological and geophysical peculiarities of fault zones influencing human health in the urban environment. Chapter 7 considers health effects of mild seismic events causing local variations of geophysical and geochemical parameters. Chapter 8 investigates the role of geomagnetic activity and seismicity in the occurrence of mystical experience and sacralization of the landscape. Chapter 9 presents a broad picture of historical development displaying periodicity synchronous with cycles of climate and endogenous activity. Chapter 10 discusses multiple biotropic impacts of the Earth's deep hydrogen degassing, which is responsible for seismic and volcanic activity, fluid migration and gas emission within rift and fault zones, ozone depletion, and climate fluctuations.
This book, written by leading international experts, will be of interest to a wide audience of geologists, geochemists, geophysicists, biologists, biochemists, biophysicists, medical scientists, psychologists, anthropologists, archaeologists, and historians