Geology of the Sierra Nevada / Mary Hill.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hill, Mary, 1923-

Series:

California natural history guides ; no. 80.

California natural history guides ; no. 80

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Geology--Sierra Nevada (Calif. and Nev.).

Geology.

Sierra Nevada (Calif. and Nev.).

Physical Description:

1 online resource (467 p.)

Edition:

Rev. ed.

Place of Publication:

Berkeley : University of California Press, c2006.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Writing with verve and clarity, Mary Hill tells the story of the magnificent Sierra Nevada-the longest, highest, and most spectacular mountain range in the contiguous United States. Hill takes us from the time before the land which would be California even existed, through the days of roaring volcanoes, violent earthquakes, and chilling ice sheets, to the more recent history of the Sierra's early explorers and the generations of adventuresome souls who followed. The author introduces the rocks of the Sierra Nevada, which tell the mountains' tale, and explains how nature's forces, such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, faulting, erosion, and glaciation formed the range's world-renowned scenery and mineral wealth, including gold. For thirty years, the first edition of Geology of the Sierra Nevada has been the definitive guide to the Sierra Nevada's geological history for nature lovers, travelers, hikers, campers, and armchair explorers. This new edition offers new chapters and sidebars and incorporates the concept of plate tectonics throughout the text. * Written in easy-to-understand language for a wide audience. * Gives detailed information on where to view outstanding Sierra Nevada geology in some of the world's most beloved natural treasures and national parks, including Yosemite. * Provides specific information on places to see glaciers and glacial deposits, caves, and exhibits of gold mines and mining equipment, many from Gold Rush times. * Superbly illustrated with 117 new color illustrations, 16 halftones, 39 line illustrations, and 12 maps, and also features an easy-to-use, interactive key for identifying rocks and a glossary of geological terms.

Contents:

Front matter

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction: The Ever-Changing Sierra

Geological Features And Where To See Them

1. Geology: Of Time And Rocks

2. The Range Today

3. Being First

4. Plate Tectonics Puts The Sierra Nevada In Its Place

5. Seas Of Long Ago

6. Great Is Granite

7. Treasures From The Earth

8. Landscapes Of Yesteryear

9. Days Of Fire

10. Days Of Ice

11. Mono Lake: The "Dead Sea" Of The West

12. The Yosemite "Problem"

13. The Mountains Tremble

Coda

Glossary

Suggestions For Further Reading

Quotation References

Figure References

Plate Credits

Index

About The Author

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 423-434) and index.

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

ISBN:

9786612762833

9781282762831

1282762834

9780520936942

0520936949

OCLC:

794663668