"This book gives all California mountain lovers another reason to head for the hills. Guyton explains in layman's terms the subtle differences between glaciers, glacierets, and permanent snowfields . . . and takes us on a superlative 'glacier tour' of Yosemite National Park. This is a great addition to the mountainliterature of the Golden State." (Steve Roper, author of Sierra High Route)
"Geologist Bill Guyton explains clearly how glaciers work, how they form and move and what they do to the landscape. With excellent illustrations . . . this book is an eye-opener." (Mary Hill, author of Geology of the Sierra Nevada)
"Guyton brings alive the ancient courses of glaciers into modern pathways for understanding. He transforms today's icy relics on the shadowed heights of the Golden State into crystalline visions of a very different past--and perhaps future--when global cooling reigned over the highlands." (Galen Rowell, photographer, author of Poles Apart)
Author Biography: Bill Guyton is Professor Emeritus of Geosciences at California State University at Chico. He has hiked, backpacked, fished, and climbed in the High Sierra for over 45 years.
| List of Illustrations | ||
| Preface | ||
| Pt. 1 | California and Glaciers | 1 |
| 1 | California, Glaciers, and the Ice Age | 3 |
| Pt. 2 | Ice Age Glaciers | 19 |
| 2 | Discovery and Glacial History | 21 |
| 3 | Ice Age Glaciers of the Sierra Nevada | 42 |
| 4 | Origin of Yosemite Valley | 64 |
| 5 | Ice Age Glaciers Outside the Sierra Nevada | 87 |
| Pt. 3 | Modern Glaciers and Holocene Climate | 99 |
| 6 | Discovery of Modern Glaciers and their Age | 101 |
| 7 | Modern Glaciers | 111 |
| 8 | Trees, Lakes, Pollen, and Packrats | 144 |
| Pt. 4 | Seeing for yourself | 151 |
| 9 | A Field Trip | 153 |
| Glossary | 181 | |
| Additional Reading | 187 | |
| Index | 189 |
Overview