Windows into the Earth: The Geologic Story of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks [Hardcover]

Robert B. Smith (Author), Lee J. Siegel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 25, 2000

Millions of years ago, the North American continent was dragged over the world's largest continental hotspot (a huge column of molten rock rising from the earth's interior), tracing a 5 mile wide, 500 mile long path northeastward across Idaho and generating huge volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. The hotspot lifted the Yellowstone plateau to more than 7000 feet and pushed the Northern Rockies to new heights. This book is the story of those events and how the landscape of two great national parks was shaped by earthquakes, volcanoes, geysers and, in the uplifed Rocky Mountains, mountain glaciers. The story is also a 'window' into the earth's interior, revealing the dynamic processes within

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I love this book not only for its ground-breaking science, but for its insight and empathy into these beloved wildlands that offer so many of us sanctuary."--Terry Tempest Williams

"The terrifying birth of these glorious places of mountain vistas, geysers and hot springs is brought to life by geophysicist Smith and science writer Siegel in this magnificently illustrated book."--Denver Rocky Mountain News

"The spectacular geysers and hot springs of Yellowstone are the world's best. They are in part the remains of a gigantic volcanic explosion 630,000 years ago that was a thousand times larger than the 1980 eruptions of Mount St. Helens. They also portend future volcanic action in this beautiful wonderland. Geologist Smith and science writer Siegel team up to tell the exciting story of how Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks came to be."--Bob Decker is Professor Emeritus at Dartmouth College and Barbara Decker is a science writer

"Only a tiny percentage of the 3.1 million people visiting Yellowstone National Park each year have the foggiest notion that they have driven into the maw of one of the greatest volcanic systems on Earth. Bubbling mudpots and jetting geysers provide clues that a vast reservoir of heat lies at shallow depth, but one might well ask, 'Where's the volcano?' Bob Smith and Lee Siegel answer this question and many, many more. In guiding readers through this geologic wonderland, they explain both hot spots and heat flow, and how thousands of huge earthquakes in the recent geologic past accompanied the rise of the magnificent Teton Range just to the south. Those who believe Earth to be an inactive place are in for a rude awakening here!"--Richard S. Fiske, Geologist and former Director of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History

About the Author

Robert B. Smith, Professor of Geology and Geophysics, University of Utah.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (May 25, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195105966
• ISBN-13: 978-0195105964
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,045,893 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Indiana Jones, Eat Your Heart Out, June 1, 2000

By 

Holly Hunt - See all my reviews

This review is from: Windows into the Earth: The Geologic Story of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks (Paperback)

This treasure will turn "topography" into a household word. Dedicated to a fellow geologist recently killed by an avalance while conducting fieldwork, "Windows" is a slick and dramatic feature presentation of volcanism, earthquakes, and geysers. Superb maps and graphs colorfully illustrate variable stratae formed through the eons. An informal and friendly text is scholarly without being stuffy. The writers establish a tone of substance and humor as they discuss multiple upheavals that created Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. This is the kind of book that will impress early rock-ologists and even be hoarded by their more secretive, sedimental parents. The writing never "dumbs down" but is lucid with factual attention to landscape formation without snubbing the human astonishment that continually witnesses it. Thanks to geologist Smith and naturalist journalist Seigel, the book is threaded with lively accounts from park rangers, tourists, and waitresses at the Old Faithful Inn. Appeals to romantics and literalists alike. Studded with beautiful, full-color photographs. Every page is hefty and sleek to the touch, a feast for the eye as well as the brain. Kind of a wonder-book for anyone who seeks the phenomenal in terra firma.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Windows is excellent, May 3, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Windows into the Earth: The Geologic Story of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks (Paperback)

Windows into the Earth is a fantastic book! It is excellent reading for geologist and non-geologist alike. Easy to understand descriptions of the geophysical processes that shape the Yellowstone area, and nice full color pictures and diagrams to help the explanations along. You'll have to visit Yellowstone after reading it to see it in a whole new light.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An indispensible visitor guide, March 9, 2002

By 

Jerald R Lovell (Clinton Township, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Windows into the Earth: The Geologic Story of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks (Paperback)

A friend loaned me this book two months ago. I haven't returned it yet. It is simply the best book on these two parks that I have ever read. The authors accurately portray the very considerable geological power present in each park, and yet do not manage to make either park a fearful place to be avoided. Instead, their writing is a persuasive invitation to visit these wonderful manifestations of nature for an extended period. I was particularly impressed by the visitor's tour set out near the end of the book. I took a part of that tour in 1994, and the narrative is very accurate. I will certainly use my OWN copy of the book when I go back again this autumn. (I don't want anyone to think I don't return borrowed books!) This book is an absolute musthave-mustread for anyone going to the parks or interested in the geological processes that have made the West. Enjoy.