Geology of the San Francisco Bay Region (California Natural History Guides) [Paperback]

Doris Sloan (Author), John Karachewski (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 27, 2006 | ISBN-10: 0520241266 | ISBN-13: 978-0520241268 | Edition: 1

Why does a bit of ocean floor lie on top of Mt. Diablo? Why is Red Rock, that small, knobby island in San Francisco Bay, red? Why is Loma Prieta high? This book is for San Francisco Bay Area residents and visitors who want to explore the geologic world of this spectacular area, to learn about its shapes, colors, and rocky foundations. Doris Sloan illuminates the colorful geologic mosaic that surrounds San Francisco Bay and lucidly explains the complex and fascinating processes that have forged it over millions of years.
In a lively and engaging style, Sloan describes forces such as the movement of tectonic plates, erosion, the waves on the coast, and human activity. She provides background information on the processes, time frame, and rocks that are the key to understanding the Bay Area landscape and geologic history, then turns to distinct regions of the Bay Area and to San Francisco Bay itself.
* Superbly illustrated with 139 color photographs, 41 drawings, and 29 maps
* Covers Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma counties
* Gives clear, nontechnical explanations of complex topics including plate tectonics and the Bay Area's fault systems
* Suggests locales in parks and open space preserves to view Bay Area geology in action

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is a fascinating look at some of the world's most complex and engaging geology. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in an understanding of the beautiful landscape and dynamic geology of the Bay Area." - Mel Erskine, geological consultant "You can't really know the place where you live until you know the shapes and origins of the land around you. To feel truly at home in the Bay Area, read Doris Sloan's intriguing stories of this region's spectacular, quirky landscapes." - Hal Gilliam, author of Weather of the San Francisco Bay Region"

From the Inside Flap

"You can't really know the place where you live until you know the shapes and origins of the land around you. To feel truly at home in the Bay Area, read Doris Sloan's intriguing stories of this region's spectacular, quirky landscapes."--Hal Gilliam, author of Weather of the San Francisco Bay Region

"This is a fascinating look at some of the world's most complex and engaging geology. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in an understanding of the beautiful landscape and dynamic geology of the Bay Area."--Mel Erskine, geological consultant

"This accessible summary of San Francisco Bay Area geology is particularly timely. We are living in an age where we must deal with our impact on our environment and the impact of the environment on us. Earthquake hazards, and to a lesser extent landslide hazards, are well known, but the public also needs to be aware of other important engineering and environmental impacts and geologic resources. This book will allow Bay Area residents to make more intelligent decisions about the geological issues affecting their lives."--John Wakabayashi, geological consultant

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press; 1 edition (June 27, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520241266
• ISBN-13: 978-0520241268
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 4.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #141,284 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Bay Area natural history book I have ever seen!, July 8, 2006

By 

Ryoji Watanabe - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Geology of the San Francisco Bay Region (California Natural History Guides) (Paperback)

I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, and as an avid amateur naturalist, I have collected many regional nature guidebooks-- maybe most of them. I just received this book, having ordered it just based on the title and little else. What a pleasant surprise!-- It is probably the best regional natural history book I have ever seen.

If you are an avid amateur naturalist like me, maybe the following is familiar: You pick up a nice general geology or rock atlas book, and find it beautiful and comprehensive; but when you try to match an actual local observation to this catalog of all possible rocks and structures in the world, you are left with uncertainty. And you quickly lose interest in this guesswork. Well, if you are in the Bay Area, you will feel extremely lucky when you get this book in your hands. It focuses on things you are likely to see here; it shows regional patterns to further help you understand what is what. As a result you will find the topic tangibly relevant, and your local explorations more interesting and fulfilling.

Another amazing aspect of this book is its fullness and quality. You would expect a regionally focused work to be a glorified pamphlet of highlights. On the contrary, this book has the feel of an expensively produced comprehensive geology introduction. (Judging by the cover photo you might not realize (I didn't) that it's a relatively thick (300+ page) book.) It ties everything to the big picture of geologic time. It is full of shiny color photos and color-coded maps. It is extremely well written!-- the writing shows obvious care in making explanations simple and intuitive to nonspecialists. So it is as if we have been given a full geology introduction text (and a great one at that!) written from scratch completely focused on the Bay Area. I might call it the nearest thing I've seen to a "scientific cosmology of the Bay Area"!

I'm not a specialist, but I can vouch for the contents in the following way. Over the years I've collected and bookmarked the most interesting and up-to-the-minute local geology content from the web. For instance, the USGS geologic quadrangle maps. This book seems to collect together all the same good stuff-- and reproduces them in summary form (but in color still!).

In summary, I have not seen a guide written more lovingly for the Bay Area explorer.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent for amateurs & pros alike!, May 13, 2007

By 

Kiyomi (El Cerrito, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Geology of the San Francisco Bay Region (California Natural History Guides) (Paperback)

If you have any interest in California geology, this is the book for you. The pictures are beautiful; the text is well written and easy to understand even for those with no background in geology. It is a wonderful source for planning weekend trips. A great gift for anyone interested in the outdoors.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT BOOK!, October 1, 2011

By 

Laura Jefferson "Rhyolight" (Henniker, NH United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Geology of the San Francisco Bay Region (California Natural History Guides) (Paperback)

I have no degree in a hard science but I found this book accessible and interesting (You know how few geology books I can say that about? I can think of one other). I was in CA for ten days and expected to spend them at museums and folk art shops, but I wanted to see some of the geography so different from New England. I ended up skipping most of the museums (and shops) to make field trips.This book was perfect for me; it gave me ideas where to go, decent maps (you will still need local roadmaps), and well-written explanations of what I was seeing. If I ever get back there, I will be taking my copy with me again.

The binding is excellent. The pictures are beautiful and useful. Californians are so lucky to have this series of nature guides.