Art meets earth science in Earthsong, a gallery of spectacular aerial photographs by Bernhard Edmaier. Reproduced in full color on oversized pages, the patterns of deserts, glaciers, volcanoes, and grassland often resemble abstract paintings. But the wisdom of this book lies in its pairing of beautiful images with brief explanations by geologist Angelika Jung-Huettl of the forces that produced these startling effects. Divided into four parts--Agua (water), Barren (tundra), Desert, and Green--Earthsong is full of surprises. The action ranges from the brilliant, firecracker-like explosion of lava fields on Mt. Etna in Sicily to the sci-fi shapes of boiling mud pools in Waiotapu, New Zealand, powered by sulphur gas. On Disko Bay in western Greenland, a delicate embroidery of fine-grained ice has been shaped by wind, waves and frozen fog. The pristine clarity of early morning light reveals huge swaths of rolling and rippling orange-red sand in the Namib Desert of southwest Africa. Subtly meandering patterns worthy of a master etcher are carved into the icy wastes of Iceland by the action of volcanic dust, snow, sun and wind. While most of the book surveys sparsely inhabited regions, geologic action is also observed next door to major population centers. Cutting a dark ribbon through a lush meadow in eastern Germany, the Tollense River and its hungry algae will eventually erode and conquer the entire valley. Quietly acknowledging the effects of global warning, Earthsong literally hovers above the earth to reveal the effects of the interconnected forces that continue to shape our planet. --Cathy Curtis |
