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Vanished Ocean: How Tethys Reshaped the World
This is a book about an ocean that vanished six million years ago - the ocean of Tethys. Named after a Greek sea nymph, there is a sense of mystery about such a vast, ancient ocean, of which all that remains now are a few little pools, like the Caspian Sea. There were other great oceans in the history of the Earth - Iapetus, Panthalassa - but Tethys was the last of them, vanishing a mere moment (in geological terms) before Man came on the scene. Once Tethys stretched across theworld. How do we know? And how could such a vast ocean vanish? The clues of its existence are scattered from Morocco to China. This book tells the story of the ocean, from its origins some 250 million years ago, to its disappearance. It also tells of its impact on life on Earth. The dinosaurs were justbeginning to get going when Tethys formed, and they were long dead by the time it disappeared. Dorrik Stow describes the powerful forces that shaped the ocean; the marine life it once held and the rich deposits of oil that life left behind; the impact of its currents on environment and climate. It is rarely realized how very important oceans are to climate and environment, and therefore to life on Earth. The story of Tethys is also a story of extinctions, and floods, and extraordinary episodes such as the virtual drying up of the Mediterranean, before being filled again by a dramatic cascade of water over the straits of Gibralter. And in the telling of that story, we also learn how geologists put together the clues in rocks and fossils to discover Tethys and its history.
288 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 27, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 24, 2019
This was a surprisingly light and well written popular account of geology and paleontology, author Dorrik Stow taking what could have been a challenging subject to present to the lay reader and presenting it in a way that was informative and interesting, teaching the reader a great deal of geology and paleontology (making such things as the different types of deep sea sediment and the different groups of phytoplankton interesting and understandable) all while including intervening descriptions of his far flung travels throughout the globe to do research where along the way he encountered such things as ancient Roman ruins, north African markets, Brazilian wildlife, or almost got kidnapped one time.
The star of the book is a lost ocean, the Tethys Ocean, one that existed for about 250 million years of Earth’s history, first appearing about 260 million years ago. At one time this ocean covered large areas of what would become Europe, Asia, and North America to the north and Africa and South America to the south, reaching its maximum extent about 100 million years ago, but was eventually squeezed out of existence some 5 ½ million years ago though not before witnessing the entire Mesozoic (the “Age of the Dinosaurs”) and almost the whole Cenozoic (the “Age of the Mammals”), an ocean which began as a “large C-shaped ocean that straddled the equator east of Pangea” during the late Permian Period. Study of this ocean’s remains in terms of rocks, fossils, and existing landforms both illustrates to scientists (and readers) lost worlds and also illuminate key moments in the geological and biological evolution of the world from ancient times to the present day. Chapter by chapter Stow examined the Tethys Ocean at different points in Earth’s history, describing the physical geography of the ocean, what conditions were like there, the life that called it home, and key geological and paleontological events that occurred during that time period that would have lasting effects all the way to today’s world. Along the way he included maps, charts, diagrams, and black and white illustrations (drawings and photographs) of the fossils (including life reconstructions) found from that point in the long history of the Tethys. To my surprise there were some new organisms that I had not heard of, mainly at the rather small end of the scale, though even ones I had heard of before got some nice treatment and I learned a few things. Lots of geological terms are thrown at the reader but Stow not only defines them nicely in the text (and on occasion defines them again when they come up later in the book) but has also helpfully provided a glossary and an index. I never once felt lost when he discussed say turbidites (deep sea formed sediment layers formed by deep flowing, sediment dense currents on the seafloor), ophiolites (igneous rock segments formed on the ocean floor but now often high on continents thanks to plate tectonics), the Milankovitch Cycle (cyclic variations in climate with 20,000, 40,000, and 100,000 year periodicities dues to irregularities in the Earth’s rotation and orbit), or orogeny (the process of forming mountains) thanks to his patient teaching. Because of their importance as index fossils and their use in dating different rock strata as well as the actual composition and formation of various types of rock, one learns a good deal about the various plankton and other small marine invertebrates through Earth’s long history, including fusulinids (2 cm cigar shaped single-cell formaniferans, once incredibly common in the Permian) and nummulites (disc-shaped fossils a few millimeters to a few centimeters in diameter, also single-cell foraminifers but incredibly common between 40 and 50 million years ago, forming distinctive layers of limestone, looking like coins made of stone and indeed once used as currency).
Lots is covered in this book and even if one doesn’t really want to know about the Tethys Ocean per se there is a lot to absorb. The varied topics covered included mesosaurs (Permian reptiles that represent the first aquatic reptiles and may have been filter feeders), the salt domes and hollows on the floor of the Gulf of Mexico (formed by several cycles of flooding and evaporation of an arm of the Tethys during the Jurassic Period, forming layers of salt that later began to deform under thousands of meters of sediment), Mary Anning (famed early amateur fossil collector from Dorset who found a great many early Jurassic marine fossils), the “Black Death” of the Cretaceous Period (“It is the oceanic remains of the Mesozoic Era – preserved in sediments known as black shales, deeply buried and cooked by the Earth’s internal heat engine – that are the sources of between 60-70% of the world’s oil,” the result of “an ocean-wide period of severe oxygen depletion – what geologists term an anoxic event – which was perhaps even global in its reach”, partially the result from high temperatures and sluggish ocean circulation thanks to “restricted shelf areas and semi-enclosed marginal seas” due to much higher sea levels flooding broad areas of the continents), the huge chalk deposits of the Cretaceous (which gave the period its name from the Latin word “creta” meaning chalk, giving us among other things champagne – produced in the chalk uplands of the Paris Basin – and the Cliffs of Dover), how many animals were already in decline before the end of the Mesozoic (there “can be no doubt that the ammonoids show a distinct pattern of gradual decline over some 4 to 5 million years, with the very last fossil found about 12 meters below the top of the Cretaceous strata…[o]nly 20 ammonoid species are known from the last two million years before the end of the Cretaceous; about twice that number lived during the two million years before that”), the extremely productive fossil bearing sediments of Cenozoic age Monte Bolca in Italy (a 19 meter thick limestone succession that has yielded 250 species of fish in 82 families along with a crocodile, a sea snake, and many marine invertebrates), and the continual cycle of the world’s ocean flipping from today’s inter-polar deep-water circulation and an older equatorial circulation pattern, one which in the past “contributed to a more equable global climate, when warm seas lapped the poles and palm trees fringed the northern shores of Siberia,” the two systems changing as the Tethys and its currents changed alternately allowing and forbidding one circulation system or the other.
Most of the chapters were fairly short, which helped with the book’s pacing, and I liked the interspersed anecdotes of the author’s travels to examine different rock formations around the world, noting the things he said and did while there, whether on a deep sea oil drilling expedition in the Indian Ocean or walking through parts of Australia or the Yunnan Province of China or north Africa. There is a nice two-page list of suggestions for further reading too.
The star of the book is a lost ocean, the Tethys Ocean, one that existed for about 250 million years of Earth’s history, first appearing about 260 million years ago. At one time this ocean covered large areas of what would become Europe, Asia, and North America to the north and Africa and South America to the south, reaching its maximum extent about 100 million years ago, but was eventually squeezed out of existence some 5 ½ million years ago though not before witnessing the entire Mesozoic (the “Age of the Dinosaurs”) and almost the whole Cenozoic (the “Age of the Mammals”), an ocean which began as a “large C-shaped ocean that straddled the equator east of Pangea” during the late Permian Period. Study of this ocean’s remains in terms of rocks, fossils, and existing landforms both illustrates to scientists (and readers) lost worlds and also illuminate key moments in the geological and biological evolution of the world from ancient times to the present day. Chapter by chapter Stow examined the Tethys Ocean at different points in Earth’s history, describing the physical geography of the ocean, what conditions were like there, the life that called it home, and key geological and paleontological events that occurred during that time period that would have lasting effects all the way to today’s world. Along the way he included maps, charts, diagrams, and black and white illustrations (drawings and photographs) of the fossils (including life reconstructions) found from that point in the long history of the Tethys. To my surprise there were some new organisms that I had not heard of, mainly at the rather small end of the scale, though even ones I had heard of before got some nice treatment and I learned a few things. Lots of geological terms are thrown at the reader but Stow not only defines them nicely in the text (and on occasion defines them again when they come up later in the book) but has also helpfully provided a glossary and an index. I never once felt lost when he discussed say turbidites (deep sea formed sediment layers formed by deep flowing, sediment dense currents on the seafloor), ophiolites (igneous rock segments formed on the ocean floor but now often high on continents thanks to plate tectonics), the Milankovitch Cycle (cyclic variations in climate with 20,000, 40,000, and 100,000 year periodicities dues to irregularities in the Earth’s rotation and orbit), or orogeny (the process of forming mountains) thanks to his patient teaching. Because of their importance as index fossils and their use in dating different rock strata as well as the actual composition and formation of various types of rock, one learns a good deal about the various plankton and other small marine invertebrates through Earth’s long history, including fusulinids (2 cm cigar shaped single-cell formaniferans, once incredibly common in the Permian) and nummulites (disc-shaped fossils a few millimeters to a few centimeters in diameter, also single-cell foraminifers but incredibly common between 40 and 50 million years ago, forming distinctive layers of limestone, looking like coins made of stone and indeed once used as currency).
Lots is covered in this book and even if one doesn’t really want to know about the Tethys Ocean per se there is a lot to absorb. The varied topics covered included mesosaurs (Permian reptiles that represent the first aquatic reptiles and may have been filter feeders), the salt domes and hollows on the floor of the Gulf of Mexico (formed by several cycles of flooding and evaporation of an arm of the Tethys during the Jurassic Period, forming layers of salt that later began to deform under thousands of meters of sediment), Mary Anning (famed early amateur fossil collector from Dorset who found a great many early Jurassic marine fossils), the “Black Death” of the Cretaceous Period (“It is the oceanic remains of the Mesozoic Era – preserved in sediments known as black shales, deeply buried and cooked by the Earth’s internal heat engine – that are the sources of between 60-70% of the world’s oil,” the result of “an ocean-wide period of severe oxygen depletion – what geologists term an anoxic event – which was perhaps even global in its reach”, partially the result from high temperatures and sluggish ocean circulation thanks to “restricted shelf areas and semi-enclosed marginal seas” due to much higher sea levels flooding broad areas of the continents), the huge chalk deposits of the Cretaceous (which gave the period its name from the Latin word “creta” meaning chalk, giving us among other things champagne – produced in the chalk uplands of the Paris Basin – and the Cliffs of Dover), how many animals were already in decline before the end of the Mesozoic (there “can be no doubt that the ammonoids show a distinct pattern of gradual decline over some 4 to 5 million years, with the very last fossil found about 12 meters below the top of the Cretaceous strata…[o]nly 20 ammonoid species are known from the last two million years before the end of the Cretaceous; about twice that number lived during the two million years before that”), the extremely productive fossil bearing sediments of Cenozoic age Monte Bolca in Italy (a 19 meter thick limestone succession that has yielded 250 species of fish in 82 families along with a crocodile, a sea snake, and many marine invertebrates), and the continual cycle of the world’s ocean flipping from today’s inter-polar deep-water circulation and an older equatorial circulation pattern, one which in the past “contributed to a more equable global climate, when warm seas lapped the poles and palm trees fringed the northern shores of Siberia,” the two systems changing as the Tethys and its currents changed alternately allowing and forbidding one circulation system or the other.
Most of the chapters were fairly short, which helped with the book’s pacing, and I liked the interspersed anecdotes of the author’s travels to examine different rock formations around the world, noting the things he said and did while there, whether on a deep sea oil drilling expedition in the Indian Ocean or walking through parts of Australia or the Yunnan Province of China or north Africa. There is a nice two-page list of suggestions for further reading too.
February 9, 2014
A rather interesting book full of curiosities. Stow traces the rise and the fall (so to speak) of the Tethys Ocean, a major equatorial ocean that existed back in the dinosaur days, only to vanish completely due to plate tectonics. It's not all about rocks. There's plenty of discussion of the life that existed both on Tethys and its shores, and plenty of information on a range of topics - some of which was familiar (plate tectonics and evolution of cetaceans, for example) and some of which was novel (submarine waterfalls, and the vast gypsum deposits left behind in Tethys' final days).
This is one to read slowly - I'd recommend reading it at least a chapter at a time. Stow does a very good job of introducing each chapter and linking it to previous and future ones, which is necessary as there is a lot covered in the book.
This is one to read slowly - I'd recommend reading it at least a chapter at a time. Stow does a very good job of introducing each chapter and linking it to previous and future ones, which is necessary as there is a lot covered in the book.
February 2, 2017
I enjoyed reading about the birth and demise of the Tethys. The narrative flowed easily enough for a novice. Having known pretty much nothing about geology before reading this book, I feel like I've come away with a better understanding of how natural forces shape our planet. I was lost at points trying to visualise what was going on, but managed to get by with the glossary and Stow's explanations.
February 28, 2016
Fascinating subject, horribly written book. This book is a disjointed mish-mash of travelogue, personal anecdotes, aimless waffling and interesting science/paleontology/geology bits.
February 24, 2018
I liked the breadth of this book - the author connected environments, organisms, and rocks with huge geographic or time differences to create a coherent narrative of earth history. I liked that he made so many connections - after reading this book, I could use the Tethys Sea to explain phenomena as diverse as the formation of the atlas mountains, shifts in microfauna, and world hydrocarbon supplies.
However, this is not written like a standard academic work. There were large sections of memoirs, anecdotes, and interesting experiences that were not interesting to me. I didn't really care about the author; I grabbed this book because I wanted to read about the Tethys! Also the author doesn't think an asteroid caused the K-T Extinction, so caveat emptor.
However, this is not written like a standard academic work. There were large sections of memoirs, anecdotes, and interesting experiences that were not interesting to me. I didn't really care about the author; I grabbed this book because I wanted to read about the Tethys! Also the author doesn't think an asteroid caused the K-T Extinction, so caveat emptor.
March 4, 2026
This book was a great popular-science description of the Tethys Ocean. It touches on a lot of aspects of geology in an understandable way, and it was a lot of fun imagining the past eras of Earth and what it would have been like to have lived back then. My favorite part was reading about how Tethys circled the world in an ocean that crossed through every longitude rather than our current oceans that are more North and South. It was also cool reading about underwater waterfalls.
March 3, 2020
I have to agree with several other reviewers, the book illuminates a fascinating subject, but does so in a very inept, irritating way. The author has a tendency to ramble with innumerable asides and personal anecdotes that are out of place in a book such as this. One's ability to extract pertinent information from a fog of irrelevant musings will be of great utility here.
September 3, 2023
A bit rambling but in a good way - the geology could easily have been too dry for me without the personal interludes. Helped that the sections were short and after a slow start where it could have lost me, I was won over in the second half as the story came together. The maps kept me going as well.
And looks like the dinosaurs were on the way out long before the meteoroid and possibly climate change due to continental drift rearranging the earth and oceans may have done them in.
And looks like the dinosaurs were on the way out long before the meteoroid and possibly climate change due to continental drift rearranging the earth and oceans may have done them in.
July 31, 2012
Think you understand plate tectonics? Think again! Very interesting review of the geology surrounding an ancient, vanished ocean that helped shape life as we know it. Any lay reader will come away with a much deeper understanding and appreciation for what science has to say about reconstructing the past using sedimentary deposits, fossils, and microscopic evidence. Well written and informative.
July 30, 2011
"Insights on plate tectonics and evolution that the interested lay reader can learn from. Well written."
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews