Rough-hewn land : a geologic journey from California to the Rocky Mountains / Keith Heyer Meldahl.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Meldahl, Keith Heyer.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Geology--West (U.S.).

Geology.

West (U.S.)--History.

West (U.S.).

Physical Description:

1 online resource (317 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Berkeley : University of California Press, c2011.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

"Unfold a map of North America," Keith Heyer Meldahl writes, "and the first thing to grab your eye is the bold shift between the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains." In this absorbing book, Meldahl takes readers on a 1000-mile-long field trip back through more than 100 million years of deep time to explore America's most spectacular and scientifically intriguing landscapes. He places us on the outcrops, rock hammer in hand, to examine the evidence for how these rough-hewn lands came to be. We see California and its gold assembled from pieces of old ocean floor and the relentless movements of the Earth's tectonic plates. We witness the birth of the Rockies. And we investigate the violent earthquakes that continue to shape the region today. Into the West's geologic story, Meldahl also weaves its human history. As we follow the adventures of John C. Frémont, Mark Twain, the Donner party, and other historic characters, we learn how geologic forces have shaped human experience in the past and how they direct the fate of the West today.

Contents:

Frontmatter

CONTENTS

Preface

1. Golden Gate

2. Mother Lode

3. Rivers of Gold

4. A Traverse across the Range of Light

5. Where Is the Edge of the North American Plate?

6. Where Rivers Die

7. The Growing Pains of Mountains

8. Wealth and Magma

9. Water and Salt

10. Evolution's Big Bang

11. Range-Roving Rivers

12. Up from the Basement

13. At the Frontier

Appendix I: Deep Time: Fathoming the Rock Record

Appendix II: Seeing for Yourself

Acknowledgments

Notes

Glossary

Bibliography

Figure Sources and Credits

Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 267-279) and index.

Description based on print version record and CIP data provided by publisher; resource not viewed.

ISBN:

9786613520517

9781280099533

1280099534

9780520949942

0520949943

OCLC:

782875584