Customer Reviews

The Geology of the Parks Monuments & Wildlands of Southern Utah

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

fillmore spends the first 2/3's of the book discussing, via geologic time periods, the formations laid down in so. utah, and the conditions which created the formations - it is wonderfully written for the layperson to the non-professional but very interested geologist - the final third is dedicated to describing roadside geology starting from east of capital reef and traveling to just west of zion - overall an excellent book and definitely worth the read for anyone interested in understanding more about the beautiful areas that are so. utah

Being a Geology major learning under Professor Fillmore, his book helped me many times in my research. Not only does he do a great job describing the geology of southern Utah, but his enthusiasm for the area shines through in his writing. Fillmore also has a knack describing very technical processes in ways which anyone can understand.

The first chapter in his book consists of basic principles of geology. This covers most of the forces behind the deposition of the various formations in Utah. These include the geologic rock cycle, basic igneous and sedimentary classifications, rock deformation, monoclines/anticlines/synclines, and the geologic time scale.

The second part consists of a chronological description of the geology of southern Utah, starting from the Pennsylvanian (about 12,500 million years ago) and running all the way to the Quaternary (present). This is the part which comes in really useful for research, because not only does Fillmore write in very easy to understand language, but he also cites all of his sources, mostly from scientific papers, in an easy to look up GSA format.

The third part comes in handy for the tourist and fossil hounds out there! Once you are familiar with the geology of Southern Utah, Fillmore takes you through a mile-by-mile tour, pointing out various rock outcrops and explaining what caused them to form. This is a wealth of knowledge which can make any drive through southern utah an educational experience for the whole family.

This book is a must have for anyone wanting to know about the geology of southern Utah. The material within is very well researched by a college professor of geology, who has a love for the area he is writing about.

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Christoph

Robert Fillmore is most gifted in his abilites to cogently describe the unique geology that yields this region's unsurmounted depth and beauty.

No one, geologist or casual traveller, should enter Utah without this compelling guide.

Fascinating and authoritative. And small enough that you can lug it around in a pack or keep it in the glove compartment.

Lots of illustrations, informative and beautiful pictures. Lots of coverage: Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon, Escalante, and (of course) Zion National Park. My favorite aspect of this book is that you can use it on the road because it has mile-by-mile descriptions.

Does a fair job on the basics, but too much east-coast liberal attitude. The bad cattle, bad dams, people building houses.

Another case of lock up the west and keep it a playground for the coasts.