California Geology

by Deborah Harden

This interesting book uses plate tectonics as its central theme; it acquaints readers with California geology. Basic principles in the beginning of the book and tables of highlights for each province enable the reader to understand the whole picture of catastrophic national disasters, California history, mining methods, and societal impacts; it brings the lessons of geology closer to the everyday context of California life. KEY After a comprehensive overview of the basic principles of geology, this book then focuses on the geological highlights of California (young volcanoes, deserts, the Mojave Desert, the Sierra Nevada, the Klamath Mountains, water, the Great Valley, the coast Ranges, earthquakes, faults, and seismic safety, the transverse ranges, and the peninsular ranges). The inside back and front covers of the book contain a wealth of readily available information, with comprehensive geologic, fault, relief, and mountain range maps. A handy desk reference for geologists, this book is also a source of information for anyone interested in the evolution of California's terrain.

Genres: Geology

576 pages, Hardcover

First published November 14, 2003

Reviews

[Kirsten Mortensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book after I read Geology of New York by YW Isachsen, which colored my experience. The Isachsen book is a delight and I found the content easier to absorb. Harden's book is presented more in terms of what kind of rocks/formations you'll find where; I found that I had to re-read multiple times to piece together even a rudimentary/lay person's understanding of "how" the geology got to where it is today. Harden's is also more obviously a textbook. You can see it striving to be relevant in content about water rights etc.

That said, compared to NYS, geologically speaking California is ... a mess. Hahahahaha. So many plates crunching up into one another, subducting, etc. Even the pros are still sorting it all out. So maybe Harden simply had a harder task.

In any case, I'd recommend this book to anyone in Cali who is interested in what's under their feet.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is almost a text book, so you have to be into the topic. However, this is currently the most authoritative, comprehensive book on California geology. Deeply researched, thorough, this book gives the reader best reference with a really great narrative on the geology of the Golden State.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK, it's really a textbook. But as textbooks go, it's not too bad. A nice high-level introduction to the many landforms of the Golden State and a reasonably modern take on how they got there.

[Dayna · Rating 4 out of 5]

My latest obsession - rocks. My husband asked if I was studying for a midterm since I was reading a textbook. Great stuff, though, and helps explain some of the things Isee in my field study travels.

[Jonelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating. It was almost like reading a novel.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a text book. Read it to gain some information for the CA Geology registration exam.