Customer Reviews

Geology Underfoot in Southern California

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

 

 

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.

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).

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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

A nice guide if you plan on going out into the field and exploring the world around you. It inspired me to get out of the car and do more walking so I could see geology at work for myself. If you were just looking for a book to explain geological places and processes in California it probably would not suffice. I would compare it to a travel book about the hidden places in a certain area rather than a general guide.

This well-prepared and engaging work provides an excellent way for the layman to appreciate points of geological interest in the area. The style is approachable and seeks to simplify, without over-simplifying, and to solicit the reader to use his or her imagination. It is well researched and practical, giving no problems finding places, parking and so on. This book is recommended.

I was delighted with this easy-to-read guide. It is well written, at times humorous and clear as regards directions and what to look for. It's going in my suitcase on my next trip to Cal. Carole

Very readable book, despite the complexity of the topic. Not as simplified as McPhee, but fascinating enough I got through the science. My particular interest was where the little slip of California that is Pacific Plate came from--Central America? Some ocean island? I found lots of hints in this book, though as with everything that is pre-historic, it's impossible to say for sure. Overall, if you read this book because of an interest in geology, you'll enjoy the ride.