Geology Underfoot in Southern California [Paperback]

Robert P. Sharp (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1993

Reading the rocks like pages in a book, Geology Underfoot in Southern California offers an inside view of the southland's active and sometimes enigmatic landscape. Twenty vignettes each weave a geologic story of a particular scene, relationship, or feature. Some spotlight well-known landmarks, while others describe subtle relationships among the earth's awesome forces. Together these snapshots introduce readers to southern California's rich, dynamic, and even flamboyant geology.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Written in a lucid style that is easily understood by anyone with even a smattering of interest in geology, this book is illustrated by scores of helpful photographs and maps. It is a dandy companion for any glovebox." --Lee Dye, Westways --Lee Dye, Westways

About the Author

Robert P. Sharp first visited Death Valley and Owens Valley as a child around 1920, and he continues to lead geology field trips to the are. Sharp is a professor emeritus at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena and received the Penrose Medal of the Geological Society of America. He and Allen Glazner cowrote Geology Underfoot in Southern California. Allen F. Glazner holds a Ph.D. in geology from the University of California at Los Angeles and is currently a professor of geology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. A native Californian, he has done geological research in the Sierra Nevada and the Mojave Desert since his undergraduate days at Pomona College.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Mountain Press Publishing Company; 1st edition (April 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0878422897
• ISBN-13: 978-0878422890
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #169,090 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #5 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Earth Sciences > Geology > Specific Locations
  • #58 in Books > Travel > United States > States > California

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, but different from "Roadside" series, February 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Geology Underfoot in Southern California (Paperback)

If you've used the "Roadside Geology of..." series, this is a bit different. It's more of a "sites of interest" type of book. It lists 20 sites in the southern California area, from Mammoth Lakes out to the coast, and south to Needles and San Diego. The sites are wonderfully explained, with aerial photos, illustrations, and maps. This is definitely aimed at the casual tourist, with very little knowledge of geology necessary. As a professional Geologist, it's one of those books I'd give a non-Geologist friend.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Like Rocks? Wonder about the Landscape?, January 14, 2002

By 

Elderbear (Loma Linda, Aztlan) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Geology Underfoot in Southern California (Paperback)

This book has triggered day-trips & camping expeditions in our family. I've had the pleasure of leading my children and their friends to moments of discovery and learning & shared wonder and beauty with my father--all based on this book.

It starts with a six page description of SoCal's geological history, then jumps into 20 sites of interest. A glossary, "Sources of Supplementary Information," and an index round out the book.

Each site receives its own chapter, replete with photographs, maps, geological diagrams, and even driving directions, as needed. I'm not a serious geologist, but landscape features fascinate me. The explanations that the authors give work well for me: I can understand them well enough to explain them to children.

If you're interested in how the land has been shaped, if you're willing to turn off the tube & make contact with the natural world, then this book is for you. One of the best "field guides" to geology I own. One of my favorites, too. (The companion volume, GEOLOGY UNDERFOOT IN DEATH VALLEY AND OWENS VALLEY, is also an excellent book).

(If you'd like to dialog more about this book or review, click on the "about me" link above & drop me an email. Thanks!)

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent reading for the amateur or layperson geologist., August 26, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Geology Underfoot in Southern California (Paperback)

This is one of the best designed books of it's kind. Full of maps created by the author to help the reader locate interesting sites described along with easy to understand explanations of the covered material. Makes geology fun for all