Comments on: California’s Amazing Geology

By: guthrie

guthrie — Fri, 23 Dec 2016 19:14:48 +0000

Great, another book to buy!
I’ve been interested in Californian geology since I went out there to see some friends. Coming from arguably the birthplace of geology, Scotland, I was familiar with most of the basics, but California has such a variety and all sorts of things all of it’s own that Scotland hasn’t.

By: Greg Laden

Greg Laden — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 17:15:07 +0000

Roadside Geology of Southern California and Roadside Geology of Northern and Central California are both recently updated roadside books, and they are good. Neither is a proper geology text and though they are cheaper, they are a different thing. The roadside geology books are essential if you are going to go out and look at geology. Having said that, Prothero's book would serve as a roadside book if you have a reasonable sense of the local geography and a map. But I strongly recommend both for the serious geologizer. I'll be carrying both with me in on an upcoming trip to the state!

By: Greg Laden

Greg Laden — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 17:12:27 +0000

Lyle, yes, as I said, Minnesota has great geology, very complex, very interesting. I’m in to glacial geology, so really, most of the state is interesting for that. But, much of that ancient history has been smoothed over (by glaciers among other things)

I live in the canyon lands, where the numerous plateaus (buttes, mesas) are typically hundreds of feet above the steep sided cliff flanked arroyos and river valleys that snake almost randomly through the region. That’s very interesting geology.

The fact that it is all covered with glacial till so it now looks like low rolling hills and many marshes is a bit misleading!

By: lyle

lyle — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 17:01:25 +0000

Actually for California there was a new edition of the Roadside Geology of Northern and Central Ca and a new book Roadside Geology of Southern Ca. Among the interesting facts in the Southern Ca book is that there are actually holes in the upper plate that expose parts of the farralon plate (Pelona Schist).
I would recommend both and the combo is still cheaper California’s Amazing Geology.
In general the Roadside Geology series is good

By: lyle

lyle — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 16:57:22 +0000

Actually reading the roadside geology of Minnesota, you find that Mn has an interesting geology, in particular in the Northeast and Southwest areas. Both are far older than most of Northern Ca (Not so much the Death Valley area). The northeast has both the western part of the mid continent gravity high, as well as several iron deposits (including the Mesabi). Iron deposits only really occurred before there was much oxygen in the atmosphere. Then the southwest has among the oldest rocks in the US at 3.5 billion years old, as well as the Souix Quartzite (pipestone).
Interestingly Southeast Mn as well as NE Iowa and adjacent parts of Wi are areas that were not glaciated during the Wisconsin event and suggest how much of the upper midwest looked before that event.

By: Michael Kelsey

Michael Kelsey — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 05:56:04 +0000

“Assembling California” is also the title of John McPhee’s fourth book in his “Annals of the Former World” series. It covers mostly the Sierra Nevada, Great Central Valley and Coast Ranges, but in an obviously far different style 🙂 The Basin and Range is covered separately and eponymously.

By: Karst

Karst — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 03:33:24 +0000

CRC Press has it on Holiday sale for 20% off, so $72. Publish date was Dec 2, 2016.