Having described the Earth, Boulvain takes a look at its history ... taking care to address the issue about the measurement of time in geology, or the art of establishing a stratigraphic scale, translating the succession of geological events which have adorned the history of the Earth. A history illustrated with diagrams showing the spectacular formation and establishment of the continents up to the present day.

In the final chapter of the book, the author finally introduces mankind; a history which, if we imagine the history of the Earth in a single year, would last all of ... thirty seconds before the year ended! Nothing at all. However, man is dependent upon georesources (coal, oil, gas, clays, sands, minerals, etc.) and is at the mercy of georisks, some of which could put an end to man's adventures on the planet.

L’Académie en poche

Frédéric Boulvain has also coauthored, with Jacqueline Vander Auwera (another University of Liège professor), another book entitled 'Voyage au centre de la Terre' (2). The title, a homage to Jules Verne, captures the approach well: starting on the surface of our planet, the authors take their readers right to its very centre. The journey is as rich and as interesting as that imagined by Jules Verne ... except this time, it isn't science fiction but a summary of the most recent scientific theories. In a few richly illustrated pages, the authors show us how to calculate the radius, mass and density of the Earth, explain plate tectonics and dive deep into the centre of the Earth by showing how scientists can draw out the secrets of a place which is inaccessible to them. Readers discover, with the delight of the layperson, that meteorites from far in space can provide information about the internal layers of our planet. But it is the widely feared earthquakes which remain for geologists the strongest method for investigating the internal structure of the Earth.  When we read Frédéric Boulvain and Jacqueline Vander Auwera's book, we no longer look at earthquakes in the same light.

(2) Voyage au centre de la terre, Frédéric Boulvain et Jacqueline Vander Auwera, Bruxelles, Académie royale de Belgique, Editions l’Académie en poche, 85 p., several illustrations.

We recommend reading these books from this collection which, through the Académie Royale, of which Frédéric Boulvain is a member, provide a long awaited and welcome attempt to popularise this subject. Around twenty books have already been published, covering a vast range of subjects. Information: www.academie-editions.be