Roadside Geology of Arizona

Roadside Geology Series #3

by Halka Chronic

The rise of mountains and the spread of deserts has marked the geologic history of Arizona. Landscapes that we see today are here because of landscapes of the past, and because of tremendous forces deep within the earth, forces that carry continents into collisions and then drag them apart again, forces of heat and pressure and the slow churning boil of the earth's interior. Landscape features result, too, from more comprehensible, more recent forces: the unending attack of water and wind and frost, the building of volcanoes, the short-term geologic happenings like landslides and rockfalls, earthquakes and floods, and a gopher digging a hole.

Genres: Geology, Science, Reference, Nonfiction, Travel

322 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1983

Reviews

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

My traveling companion.
People accuse me of acting the professor so I shut up. The Hills are Alive w Stories. I live in the Central Highlands where limestone deposits are as much as a mile deep from shallow lakes, not deep ones. Typically I was driving onto the Colorado Plateau twice a month. Up to the Utah border, Lake Powell. Magnificent fields of vision. Grand plate tectonics. The Colorado River cutting down as the plateau was lifting. Cross hatched wind lain sand dunes,.

I haven't traveled the Navajo Nation yet. (on my bucket list.)

[Suzanned99 · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s a broad overview. I’d like more details of rocks and minerals along the routes. For instance, the Muggins Mountains have quite a bit of agate. Why? It also leaves out much of my area. There’s no coverage of the Kofa NWR, a huge swath of southwest Arizona. And nothing much south of I-8 in the southwest corner, although there are many interesting formations and mines.

[Pat Rolston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply a must have for anyone living in Arizona. Fantastic education regarding our regional geologic history. Presented for the traveler or just anyone wanting to better understand what surrounds them in this incredible state. Extremely well written with lots of clear pictures allowing optimum geological appreciation.

[Quinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book on the geography and geology of Arizona. Organized by road numbers, it provides endless answers to why there are such distinct stripes in the Vermillion Cliffs, or why there are rounded gray hummocks between Flagstaff and Tuba City, or why there are dark pointed cinder cones between Phoenix and Tucson.

This is a great reference book that explains the science behind the landscape of Arizona. This book is one in a series, there are similar books for other states.

A must-have reference books for vacationers, the curious, and those interested in the landscape of the desert and Colorado Plain.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good reference book but a bit heavy if you are a novice...a geology background and geotechnical backgrond however makes it fascinating

[Al Maki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've used six of this series now, this is the first one by this writer and it was by far the most readable.

[Peter Tillman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh. Not horrible. 2.5 stars.

[Brian Beatty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, I didn't read it all. But I'd reviewed much of our route through Arizona and it really made a difference.
Love it!!