Rough-Hewn Land

Rough-Hewn Land PDF Author: Keith Heyer Meldahl
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520275772
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 320

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Book Description
"Rough-Hewn Land tells the geologic story of the American West--the story of its rocks, rivers, mountains, earthquakes, and mineral wealth, including gold. It tells it by taking you on a 1000-mile-long field trip across the rough side of the continent from the California coast to the Rocky Mountains. This book puts you on the outcrop, geologic hammer in hand, to explore the evidence for how the spectacular, rough-hewn lands of the West came to be. When North America broke free from Eurasia and Africa some 200 million years ago, it triggered a cascade of violent geologic events that shaped the West we see today. As the west-moving continent crunched across the seabed of the ancient Pacific, islands and assorted pieces of ocean floor collected against its prow to build California--and plant gold there too. Meanwhile, mountains squeezed upward from California to Colorado, and vast quantities of molten rock seeded the crust with precious metals while spewing volcanic fire across the land. Later, the land stretched like an accordion to form the washboard-like Basin and Range province and Great Basin within it, while California began to crackle along the San Andreas fault. Throughout the West today, a near-constant drumroll of earthquakes testifies to a world still reshaping itself in response to the ceaseless movements of the Earth's tectonic plates. Rough-Hewn Land weaves these stories into the human history of the West. As we follow the adventures of John C. Frémont, Mark Twain, the Donner party, and other historic characters, we see how geologic forces have shaped human experience, just as they direct the fate of the West today"--

Rough-Hewn Land

Rough-Hewn Land PDF Author: Keith Heyer Meldahl
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520275772
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 320

Get Book Here

Book Description
"Rough-Hewn Land tells the geologic story of the American West--the story of its rocks, rivers, mountains, earthquakes, and mineral wealth, including gold. It tells it by taking you on a 1000-mile-long field trip across the rough side of the continent from the California coast to the Rocky Mountains. This book puts you on the outcrop, geologic hammer in hand, to explore the evidence for how the spectacular, rough-hewn lands of the West came to be. When North America broke free from Eurasia and Africa some 200 million years ago, it triggered a cascade of violent geologic events that shaped the West we see today. As the west-moving continent crunched across the seabed of the ancient Pacific, islands and assorted pieces of ocean floor collected against its prow to build California--and plant gold there too. Meanwhile, mountains squeezed upward from California to Colorado, and vast quantities of molten rock seeded the crust with precious metals while spewing volcanic fire across the land. Later, the land stretched like an accordion to form the washboard-like Basin and Range province and Great Basin within it, while California began to crackle along the San Andreas fault. Throughout the West today, a near-constant drumroll of earthquakes testifies to a world still reshaping itself in response to the ceaseless movements of the Earth's tectonic plates. Rough-Hewn Land weaves these stories into the human history of the West. As we follow the adventures of John C. Frémont, Mark Twain, the Donner party, and other historic characters, we see how geologic forces have shaped human experience, just as they direct the fate of the West today"--

Hard Road West

Hard Road West PDF Author: Keith Heyer Meldahl
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226923290
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 352

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Book Description
The dramatic journeys of the 19th century Gold Rush come to life in this geologist’s tour of the American West and the events that shaped the land. In 1848, news of the discovery of gold in California triggered an enormous wave of emigration toward the Pacific. The dramatic terrain these settlers crossed is so familiar to us now that it is hard to imagine how frightening—even godforsaken—its sheer rock faces and barren deserts once seemed to them. Hard Road West brings their perspective vividly to life, weaving together the epic overland journey of the covered wagon trains and the compelling story of the landscape they encountered. Taking readers along the 2,000-mile California Trail, Keith Meldahl uses settler’s diaries and letters—as well as his own experiences on the trail—to reveal how the geology and geography of the West shaped our nation’s westward expansion. He guides us through a landscape of sawtooth mountains, following the meager streams that served as lifelines through an arid land, all the way to California itself, where colliding tectonic plates created breathtaking scenery and planted the gold that lured travelers west in the first place. “Alternates seamlessly between vivid accounts of the 19th-century journey and lucid explanations of the geological events that shaped the landscape traveled.”—Library Journal

Surf, Sand, and Stone

Surf, Sand, and Stone PDF Author: Keith Heyer Meldahl
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520280040
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 236

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Book Description
"Meldahl tells the scientific story of the Southern California coast by blending research from geology and oceanography with a compelling narrative and clear illustrations that take readers out in the field with the author to learn about the processes that have generated the coast as it exists today and how the region will change in the future. The author's geographic scope spans from San Diego to Point Conception, taking in coastal portions of San Diego, Orange, Ventura, Los Angeles, and Santa Barbara counties"--Provided by publisher.

Geology of Southeast Alaska

Geology of Southeast Alaska PDF Author: Harold Stowell
Publisher: University of Alaska Press
ISBN: 1602231338
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 154

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Book Description
The most powerful forces on earth have shaped the landscape of Southeast Alaska. Scientists and visitors from around the world trek north to experience wild rivers, powerful glaciers, and breathtaking mountain peaks. Now, for the first time, a handy guide to the region is available. Complete with color illustrations revealing millions of years of geological history and in-depth descriptions of Sitka, Juneau, and Glacier Bay, Geology of Southeast Alaska is essential reading for anyone fascinated by rock and ice in motion. Written by a geologist with over twenty-five years of experience in the north, Geology of Southeast Alaska will entertain and inform with abundant photographs and detailed drawings. Whether you want to understand the forces that shaped the state of Alaska, or you want to learn the basics of glacial movement, this compact, authoritative book is for you.

Stone Canyons of the Colorado Plateau

Stone Canyons of the Colorado Plateau PDF Author: Charles Bowden
Publisher: ABRAMS
ISBN:
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 136

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Book Description
Color photos of the Escalante and the Paria river canyons and the adjacent plateau into which these rivers, with the help of rain & wind, have sculpted surreal, brightly colored galleries. The text by Charles Bowden deals with Mormon heroes, the Hole-in-the-Rock migration, and with John D. Lee, infamous for his part in the Mountain Meadows Massacre.

Geology of Death Valley National Park

Geology of Death Valley National Park PDF Author: Marli Bryant Miller
Publisher: Kendall Hunt
ISBN: 9780757509506
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 144

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Book Description
Explorea the geologic history, landforms, and geologic processes of Death Valley, which is the hottest area in the US and also features many rock types. Maps and photographs accompany the descriptions of rock types, mining, faults, and topography.

East of the Cascades

East of the Cascades PDF Author: Phil F. Brogan
Publisher: Binford & Mort Publishing
ISBN: 9780832300059
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 348

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Book Description


A Land of Two Halves

A Land of Two Halves PDF Author: Joe Bennett
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 074326357X
Category : New Zealand
Languages : en
Pages : 324

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Book Description
After ten years in New Zealand, Joe Bennett asked himself what on earth he was doing there. Other than his dogs, what was it about these two small islands on the edge of the world that had kept him - an otherwise restless traveller - for really much longer than they seemed to deserve? Bennett thought he'd better pack his bag and find out. Hitching around both the intriguingly named North and South Islands, with an eye for oddity and a taste for conversation, Bennett began to remind himself of the reasons New Zealand is quietly seducing the rest of the world.

Show Me Your Rocky Mountains!

Show Me Your Rocky Mountains! PDF Author: Thelma Hatch Wyss
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
ISBN: 9780877479208
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 150

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Book Description
A twelve-year-old collier leaves England in 1856 with his mother and brother and travels by chartered ship across the Atlantic and by train and handcart across America to the Promised Land of the Mormons.

Water, Rock, & Time

Water, Rock, & Time PDF Author: Robert L. Eves
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780915630424
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
This long-awaited book by Dr. Robert Eves, professor of geology at Southern Utah University, tells the story of the formation of Zion Canyon in 132 pages, and contains more than 120 of the most inspiring photos of Zion National Park ever published. This is one of Zion Natural History Association's most popular publications.