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

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 hot and molten rock rising from the Earth's interior that traced a 50-mile wide, 500-mile-long path northeastward across Idaho. Generating cataclysmic volcanic eruptions and large earthquakes, the hotspot helped lift the Yellowstone Plateau to more than 7,000 feet and pushed the northern Rockies to new heights, forming unusually large glaciers to carve the landscape. It also created the jewel of the U.S. national park system: Yellowstone. Meanwhile, forces stretching apart the western U.S. created the mountainous glory of Grand Teton National Park. These two parks, with their majestic mountains, dazzling geysers, and picturesque hot springs, are windows into the Earth's interior, revealing the violent power of the dynamic processes within. Smith and Siegel offer expert guidance through this awe-inspiring terrain, bringing to life the grandeur of these geologic phenomena as they reveal the forces that have shaped--and continue to shape--the greater Yellowstone-Teton region. Over seventy illustrations--including fifty-two in full color--illuminate the breathtaking beauty of the landscape, while two final chapters provide driving tours of the parks to help visitors enjoy and understand the regions wonders. Fascinating and informative, this book affords us a striking new perspective on Earth's creative forces.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"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, former director of the U.S. Geological Surveys Hawaiian Volcano Observatory and Professor Emeritus, Dartmouth College, and Barbara Decker, science writer

About the Author

Robert B. Smith is a professor of geology and geophysics at the University of Utah and a fellow of the American Geophysical Union and the Geological Society of America. He has spent his career studying the Yellowstone-Teton region. Lee J. Siegel has written about science since 1976, most recently as science editor of The Salt Lake Tribune. He contributed to the Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption by The Daily News of Longview, Washington, and in 1996, he won the Utah Seismic Safety Commissions first annual Outstanding Contribution to Earthquake Safety in Utah Award.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (May 25, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195105974
• ISBN-13: 978-0195105971
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #631,725 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #45 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Earth Sciences > Geology > Volcanology
  • #49 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Earth Sciences > Geology > Physical
  • #79 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Earth Sciences > Seismology

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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.