Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).

1. Introduction -- 2. The Warm Mode: early Cambrian to late Ordovician. Age and distribution of the latest Precambrian glaciation. Lithological indicators. Other indicators. Evidence of climates from palaeontology. Other factors possibly relating to climate. Chronology of the Warm Mode -- 3. The Cool Mode: late Ordovidan to early Silurian. Distribution and age of the glacials. Palaeolatitude of the glaciations. Other sedimentary indicators. Palaeontological indicators. Chronology of the Cool Mode. Other factors bearing on climate -- 4. The Warm Mode: late Silurian to early Carboniferous. Trends from oxygen isotopes. Distribution of lithological indicators. Late Devonian and early Carboniferous glaciation. Palaeontological indicators. Chronology of the Warm Mode. Other factors bearing on climate -- 5. The Cool Mode: early Carboniferous to late Permian. Distribution and age of the glacials. Palaeolatitudes of the glacials. Other climatic indicators. Rhythmic sedimentation. Other sedimentary indicators. Palaeontological indicators. Chronology of the Cool Mode. Other factors bearing on climate -- 6. The Warm Mode: late Permian to middle Jurassic. Oxygen isotopes. Biogenic reefs and carbonate abundance and distribution. Variations in humidity. Evidence of climates from palaeontology. Other factors possibly related to climate. Chronology of the Warm Mode -- 7. The Cool Mode: middle Jurassic to early Cretaceous. Geological setting. Ocean temperatures. Ocean faunal realms. The carbon record. Evidence of ice. Climate significance of fossil floras. Clay minerals and climate change. Seasonal climates. Chronology of the Cool Mode -- 8. The Warm Mode: late Cretaceous to early Tertiary. Sea-level fluctuations and circulation. Ocean temperatures. Organic-rich sediments. Land temperatures. Chronology of the Warm Mode -- 9. The Cenozoic Cool Mode: early Eocene to late Miocene. The onset of polar glaciation. Ocean records. The carbon record. Ocean faunas. Tectonic events. Continental climates. Chronology of the Cool Mode -- 10. The Late Cenozoic Cool Mode: late Miocene to Holocene. Summary of marine climates from oxygen isotopes. Late Neogene climates. Quaternary climatic events. Late Quaternary climatic history -- 11. Causes and chronology of climate change. The search for cyclical climate change. The development of Cool Modes. The onset of Warm Modes. The carbon record in Warm and Cool Modes. Climate forcing. Conclusions.

The changes in the Earth's climate over the past 600 million years, from the Cambrian to the Quaternary, come under scrutiny in this book, first published in 1992. The geological evidence for ancient climates is examined, such as the distribution of climate-sensitive sediments. The Earth's climate has changed many times throughout the Phanerozoic. Thus in this book the climate history has been divided into Warm and Cool modes, intervals when either the Earth was in a former 'greenhouse' state with higher levels of atmospheric CO2 and polar regions free of ice, or the global climate was cooler and ice was present in high latitudes. The studies presented here highlight the complex interactions between the carbon cycle, continental distribution, tectonics, sea level variation, ocean circulation and temperature change as well as other parameters. In particular, the potential of the carbon isotope records as an important signal of the past climates of the Earth is explored. This book will be useful to all students and researchers with an interest in palaeoclimates and palaeoenvironments.