River Planet - by Martin Gibling (Hardcover)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

River Planet introduces readers to the epic geological history of the world's rivers, from the first drop of rain on the Earth to the modern environmental crisis.

The river journey begins with the first evidence of flowing water four billion years ago and continues with enormous rivers on the first supercontinents, after which terrestrial vegetation engineered new river forms in the Devonian period. The dramatic breakup of Pangea some 200 million years ago led to our familiar modern rivers as continents drifted and collided, mountains rose, and plains tilted.

Among many remarkable cases, the book explores the rapid carving of the Grand Canyon, the reversal of the Amazon, and the lost rivers of Antarctica. There are gigantic meltwater floods from the Ice Age, which may be linked to accounts of the Deluge, and river systems drowned by rising sea level as the ice melted. Early human civilizations sought to control rivers through agriculture and irrigation, leading in the nineteenth century to hydraulic mining, the rise of big dams, and the burial of rivers below cities such as London. Rivers are now endangered worldwide, and the book celebrates people who preserve rivers around the world, bringing hope to river ecosystems and communities.

River Planet is designed to be accessible for a general audience ranging from advanced high-school students to mature readers. The book will also interest professional scientists and students of geology, geography, and environmental science.

Review Quotes

'Water is our planet's lifeblood that has cycled across continents and through oceans for time immortal. Earth is called the "Blue Planet" for a reason. Water covers more than 70% of our home where rivers have acted as the circulatory system for billions of years. In River Planet, Martin Gibling brings this record to life. Having explored this circulatory system, first-hand, from the depths of time to the present, Gibling educates us on how geologic processes have acted on rivers and, conversely, how rivers have acted on broader Earth Systems. His personal stories and depth of insight from decades of field studies sets the stage to explore how humanity, in a geologic instant, has impacted this network. River Planet ends with a cautionary tale of what our circulatory system faces, and should be read by anyone, and everyone, who has a concern for the environment.' Robert A. Gastaldo, Whipple-Coddington Professor of Geology, Emeritus, Colby College

'From the earliest days of our planet, through past continents and civilizations, to rivers of the present and the future, Martin Gibling's book is a much-needed bridge between the dry, analytical language of academia and the prose of non-fiction writers. The book weaves cornerstones of modern geoscience, personal experience from the author, and historical narrations seamlessly with an ample set of illustrations in support. It is a must-read for the environmentally conscious citizen and students in natural sciences alike.'
Alessandro Ielpi, Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of British Columbia

'Rivers play a fundamental role in global ecosystems, and nearly everyone has felt their impact in some way. We rely on rivers for water, food, energy, or transport, and rivers also improve our well-being through recreation and spirituality. In River Planet, Martin Gibling takes us on a rousing and very personal journey, where he shares stories and anecdotes about rivers--from Earth and beyond, from urban to the remotest of settings, from unimaginably Deep Time to the present day--in an entertaining and accessible manner. This book is for anyone who has ever witnessed the spectacle of a river, wondered about the size or strength or course of a river, or worried about the health of a river. River Planet is a fount of information about these critically important and increasingly endangered features on Earth.
Arden Bashforth, Natural History Museum Denmark, University of Copenhagen

"From the earliest days of our planet, through past continents and civilizations, to rivers of the present and the future, Martin Gibling's book is a much-needed bridge between the dry, analytical language of academia and the prose of non-fiction writers. The book weaves cornerstones of modern geoscience, personal experience from the author, and historical narrations seamlessly with an ample set of illustrations in support. It is a must-read for the environmentally conscious citizen and students in natural sciences alike." - Alessandro Ielpi, Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of British Columbia

'Gibling takes readers back to the first raindrops reaching Earth more than four billion years ago. Tracing the development of continents through geologic time, he sites the major rivers and describes successive changes worked on them by the combined forces of tectonics and volcanism... He celebrates his joy in this history by humanizing the personalities and behaviors of explorers, scientists, engineers, and decision-makers whose ideas and actions developed knowledge of rivers to where it is today. Highly recommended.' CHOICE

'Professor Gibling has written a world geography and geology of rivers. He starts with the first drop of water on Earth and flows through the ages right down to the present day. He describes the advent of water on the Earth in 'deep time' and continues through the development of rivers as water collected and began to shape the landscape, to ancient times and all the way to modern time as humans began to settle by, interfere with, redirect, use, pollute and even begin to restore rivers. Professor Gibling is a well-read man. His book is peppered with literary references to books and titles that allude to or have a relevance to rivers he is discussing. From biblical Noah to modern novels and newspaper articles, his writing seems light and easy while being dedicated and informative. The palaeogeographical maps in this book are astounding examples of geological and geographical reconstruction, which I regard as highlights throughout the book.' David M. Jones, Proceedings of the Open University Geological Society

'River Planet examines the world's rivers from the perspective of a geologist. Written in an engaging and accessible style, Gibling takes on the huge task of exploring rivers large and small throughout the planet's history, including the last few thousand years of human alteration of Earth's surface... River Planet is unique in providing an integrated view of rivers in the context of geologic and human history. Gibling describes rivers as endangered species. This insight grows from a geologist's understanding of deep time, geological history, and biological evolution. Gibling also writes with a humanists scholar's appreciation of the individual personalities of famous historical scientists and engineers. The heartfelt writing makes the text a pleasure to read, and the abundant, visually appealing colour photographs and diagrams effectively illustrate concepts described in the text. Gibling also brings himself into the book, opening and closing the text with descriptions of his own experiences with rivers and deftly weaving personal narrative into technical material throughout the book. In a sense, River Planet is a personal retrospective on a successful life and a career that included rivers across the planet and from contemporary environments to those interpreted from the rock record... The book succeeds as a collection of brief explorations of the diverse rivers of the world. As such, it engages both the professional scientist and the reader interested in natural history and provides a distinctive, geological perspective on the world's rivers.' Ellen Wohl, Colorado State University, Geoscience Canada

'River Planet is deliberately designed to be accessible for a general audience, ranging from advanced students to mature readers. It will also interest professional scientists and students of geology, geography, and environmental science. A scientifically sound but personal account of rivers from the beginning of Earth history to their present predicament, River Planet: Rivers from Deep Time to the Modern Crisis is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, school, college, and university library Geology collections and supplemental studies curriculums.' Midwest Book Review

'River Planet not only introduces readers to the fascinating palaeo-history of the world's rivers (both existing and disappeared), but also reveals the author's personal account of his experience of rivers, together with a bit of history and interesting (and relevant) anecdotes, in the most entertaining of ways. In fact, the breadth of topics that it covers is staggering - from the first drop raindrop on the Earth (figuratively speaking) and rivers in Deep Time, to the environmental crisis that is all around us now. It even refers to the clear evidence of rivers on Mars... The book is aimed at a general audience ranging from advanced students to mature readers. However, it is also of considerable interest to professional scientists and students of geology, geography and environmental science. I really do recommend it.' Jon Trevelyan, Deposits

'Rivers are usually thought of in relation to present contexts and forms, or, perhaps, the sequences of events that have led to those contexts/forms. That perspective limits the view to the period since Pangaea broke up, however. The story of rivers, as a "species", is much longer than that. This book provides an informed, integrated and roughly chronological view of their "history" on Earth, from the earliest known evidence of flowing water about four billion years ago... The strength and quality of the book's main thread are further increased by the many revealing and relevant stories about the scientists and engineers of the relatively recent past - just a few hundred years in several billion - who contributed to knowledge of them... Rivers are endangered worldwide now - the connecting topic of the last few chapters. The focus there is largely on those who try to preserve rivers, bringing help to and stabilising riverine ecosystems and communities... This is a good book and well worth owning.' Jeremy Jospeh, Geoscientist

'This classic work is a much needed knowledge source for a wide range of readers, from students and teachers of geology and geography to professional researchers, engineers, and environmental scientists. Rivers, large and small, always tell a fascinating story. Always!' G. Shanmugam, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Texas at Arlington, in Journal of Palaeogeography

'Through each chapter Gibling brings the rivers to life through fascinating stories of the early geologists, geographers and explorers who traced their routes and began to understand the processes controlling them... The largest section of the book is about our modern rivers. But this is very much a geologist's idea of 'modern' as their history takes us back to Pangea and the Carboniferous. It is a story of continental break up, rifting, subduction, and plumes; stories of river capture, diversion, reversing flow direction and new rivers forming. The oldest rivers? Think passive margin and large continents... the Mississippi (Carboniferous), the Orinoco (Cretaceous) the Volga (possibly Carboniferous). But not the Amazon (the most water flow) or the Nile (the longest)? Read the book to find out why these are younger rivers... Gibling's tales add to a book that demonstrates the history of our rivers and the role geological processes have in their evolution. There is an excellent short glossary of geological terms and a comprehensive reference list for students and others who want to know more. I thoroughly recommend this book.' Robert Gatliff, The Edinburgh Geologist

About the Author

Born in the UK, Martin Gibling, Emeritus Professor, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada has studied rivers and river sediments around the world. This book is a scientifically sound but personal account of rivers from the beginning of Earth history to their present predicament.