Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents v
3. Preface vii
4. About the Author xi
5. Chapter one. Sleuthing the Past 1
6. Chapter two. The Birth of the Universe, the Galaxy, the Solar System, and Earth 14
7. Chapter three. Early Attempts 24
8. Chapter four. Clocks in Rocks: How Radiometric Dating Works 54
9. Chapter five. Earth’s Most Ancient Rocks 82
10. Chapter six. Moon Rocks: Samples from Our Nearest Neighbor 103
11. Chapter seven. Meteorites: Ancient Wanderers of the Solar System 130
12. Chapter eight. Lead Isotopes: Hourglass of the Solar System 156
13. Chapter nine. The Formation History of Earth and Meteorites: Sorting Out the Details 178
14. Chapter ten. The Ages of the Universe, the Galaxy, and the Elements 188
15. Chapter eleven. Summing Up and Looking Ahead 205
16. Recommended Reading 215
17. References 216
18. Glossary 221
19. Index 239