California's Amazing Geology / Edition 1

by Donald R. Prothero

Overview

California has some of the most distinctive and unique geology in the United States. It is the only state with all three types of plate boundaries, an extraordinary history of earthquakes and volcanoes, and many rocks and minerals found nowhere else. The Golden State includes both the highest and lowest points in the continental US and practically every conceivable geological feature known. This book discusses not only the important geologic features of each region in California but also the complex geologic four-dimensional puzzle of how California was assembled, beginning over two billion years ago. The author provides an up-to-date and authoritative review of the geology and geomorphology of each geologic province, as well as recent revelations of the tectonic history of California’s past. There are separate chapters on some of California’s distinctive geologic resources, including gold, oil, water, coastlines, and fossils. An introductory section describes basic rock and mineral types and fundamental aspects of plate tectonics, so that students and other readers can make sense of the bizarre, wild, and crazy jigsaw puzzle that is California's geological history.

In this second edition, the book has an entirely new final section, “California’s Environmental Hazards and Challenges,” with new chapters on California’s landslides, air and water pollution, renewable energy, and the future of climate change in California.

Key Features

• Thoroughly updates the market-leading textbook on California's geology
• Is written by an author with 30 years of teaching geology and leading field trips in California
• Introduces California's unique geological history
• Covers fundamentals of geology
• Characterizes specific geographical regions of California
• Describes major geological resources of California
• Summarizes the paleontology of California
• Reviews the likely impact of climate change on California's environment

Related Titles

Hollocher, K. A Pictorial Guide to Metamorphic Rocks in the Field (ISBN 978-11380-2630-8)

Glavovic, B. et al. Climate Change and the Coast: Building Resilient Communities (ISBN 978-04154-6487-1)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781498707916
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	12/02/2016
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	496
Product dimensions:	7.20(w) x 10.20(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Donald Prothero has taught college geology and paleontology for 45 years, at Caltech, Columbia, Cal Poly Pomona, and Occidental, Knox, Vassar, Glendale, Mt. San Antonio, and Pierce Colleges. He earned his B.A. in geology and biology (highest honors, Phi Beta Kappa, College Award) from University of California Riverside in 1976, and his M.A. (1978), M.Phil. (1979), and Ph.D. (1982) in geological sciences from Columbia University. He is the author of over 50 books (including 8 leading geology textbooks, and several trade books), and over 400 scientific papers, mostly on the evolution of fossil mammals (especially rhinos, camels, and pronghorns) and on using the earth's magnetic field changes to date fossil-bearing strata. He has been on the editorial boards of journals such as Geology, Paleobiology, Journal of Paleontology, and Skeptic magazine. He is a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London, the Paleontological Society, and the Geological Society of America, and also received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and National Science Foundation. He served as President of Pacific Section SEPM (Society for Sedimentary Geology) in 2012, and served for five years as Program Chair of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. In 1991, he received the Charles Schuchert Award for outstanding paleontologist under the age of 40. In 2013, he received the James Shea Award of the National Association of Geology Teachers for outstanding writing and editing the geosciences. In 2015, he received the Joseph T. Gregory award for service to vertebrate paleontology. In 2016 he was named a “Friend of Darwin” by the National Center for Science Education. In 2023, he was named a “Distinguished Speaker” by the Palaeontological Association.  He has been featured on numerous TV documentaries, including Paleoworld, Walking with Prehistoric Beasts, Prehistoric Monsters Revealed, Monsterquest, Prehistoric Predators: Entelodon and Hyaenodon, Conspiracy Road Trip: Creationism, as well as Jeopardy! and Win Ben Stein's Money.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1        The Golden State     

Chapter 2        Building Blocks

Chapter 3        Dating California

Chapter 4        The Big Picture

Chapter 5        Earthquakes and Seismology     

Chapter 6        Young Volcanoes

Chapter 7        The Broken Land

Chapter 8        Gold, Glaciers, and Granitics

Chapter 9        Mantle Rocks and Exotic Terranes

Chapter 10      Oil and Agriculture

Chapter 11      The San Andreas Fault System     

Chapter 12      Mélanges, Granitics, and Ophiolites

Chapter 13      Compression, Rotation, Uplift

Chapter 14      Granitics, Gravels, and Gems

Chapter 15      Assembling California

Chapter 16      California’s Gold     

Chapter 17      California’s Oil and Gas     

Chapter 18      California’s Water     

Chapter 19      California’s Coasts     

Chapter 20      California’s Fossil Resources     

Chapter 21      California’s Slippery Slopes

Chapter 22      California’s Air and Water Pollution

Chapter 23      California’s Renewable Energy Resources

Chapter 24      Climate Change and California’s Future Environment

Editorial Reviews

"The amazing story of California's rich geologic diversity—from the San Andreas to Mt. Shasta from Yosemite to Death Valley, from the Gold Rush to the water wars—comes to life in Don Prothero's new book. Students will find the complexity of California's geology made clear and accessible here, in a way that makes readers hungry to visit the spectacular places described in this book."

Steven Newton
Professor of Geology
College of Marin

"There are three things you need to know about this book. First, it covers everything pretty completely … Second, it is very up to date … [and] Third, it is written by Don Prothero … [thus] complicated and nuanced scientific topics are explained in a way that a reasonably educated non-expert can understand."

Greg Laden post on Scienceblogs.com

"The amazing story of California's rich geologic diversity—from the San Andreas to Mt. Shasta from Yosemite to Death Valley, from the Gold Rush to the water wars—comes to life in Don Prothero's new book. Students will find the complexity of California's geology made clear and accessible here, in a way that makes readers hungry to visit the spectacular places described in this book."

Steven Newton
Professor of Geology
College of Marin

"There are three things you need to know about this book. First, it covers everything pretty completely … Second, it is very up to date … [and] Third, it is written by Don Prothero … [thus] complicated and nuanced scientific topics are explained in a way that a reasonably educated non-expert can understand."

Greg Laden post on Scienceblogs.com

From the Publisher