本书以小故事的形式科普了地球46亿年的地质史。内容包括地球是怎样出生、长大并成为今天的样子的；高大的山脉是怎样从海里慢慢升起的；大陆是怎样慢慢地合拢又慢慢地分开的；那些陨石砸向地球的深坑、火山喷发留下的湖泊都是怎样的；三叶虫的世界、始祖鸟的家园、冰河时期的猛犸象，以及我们感兴趣的恐龙王国是怎样的；还有奇形怪状的岩石、五光十色的矿物、冰川流过的痕迹、动植物们留下的化石，以及沉到海底的陆地、还在缓慢上升的山峰、可能存在过的史前文明；等等。
Characterization in Optica/ Materia/s provides information for understanding the properties and performance of optical materials under the influence of the various characterization techniques. Surface and interfacial properties are key to the optical response of a material， and their control and modification during materials processing is necessary to achieve desired behavior. Characterization of Optica/ Materia/s focuses on how surface morphology， microstructure， and chemical bonding influence the optical response of a material， and it illuminates methods used to characterize thin films， multilayer structures， and modified surfaces，
