Interpreting the Landscape: Recent and Ongoing Geology of Grand Teton & Yellowstone National Parks

by John E.G. Good

Interpreting the Landscape of Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks takes us into the natural world we see today through the prism of geology. It is difficult to gaze upon the Teton Range, the high plateaus of Yellowstone, the lakes, canyons, and land forms of the two parks and their immediate environs without asking how and when they were formed. This book answers these questions, and more.

The text, photography, and graphics demonstrate that most of what we see today is young, geologically speaking - the product of volcanic eruptions, profound glaciation, and earth movements.

Perhaps the most interesting of all, the book describes how processes originating half way to the earth's center seem to be the primary force which created volcanic fires, glacial ice, and the mountain ranges of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

Genres: Geology, Science

66 pages, Paperback

First published December 12, 1951

Reviews

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up in the Grand Teton National Park gift shop because I like to read about the geology and history of a place I am visiting. The ranger in the store said that the authors give talks to people in their educational programs there and she highly recommended it. I found it informative and well written but some of the writing and maps were more technical than my layperson understanding could stretch. Still, I got their big points and gained a deeper appreciation of the billion year drama that created the Tetons and Yellowstone.

[Rich · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's really hard to write a readable geology book for non-geologists. I've read many of them, and this isn't it.
Occasional jargon words, but mostly fails the simple test of listing off dozens of place names without including them on the accompanying maps.

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an easily read "scholarly" analysis of how and when the Teton Range, the high plateaus of Yellowstone, the lakes, canyons, and land forms of the two national parks came into being.

[Ryan Mishap · Rating 3 out of 5]

A surprisingly technical tome given the gorgeous photography and the fact it was sold at one of Yellowstone's visitor centers. As the title indicates, not much time is spent on ancient time, sticking to more recent events (ha! for geologists that differs from most normal people--50 million years ago to present).

Informative and probably better reading while visiting or just leaving the parks!

[Dawn Stricker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pick this up just before you visit the parks and read it on your trip.