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I) Geological Sciences - Focus
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Click cover to enlarge
Ken Alder
The Measure of All Things: The Seven-Year Odyssey and Hidden Error That
Transformed the World
ISBN: B000094P57
Major Science Points: The metric system, geodetic surveying, triangulation, precision, systematic error, atmospheric refraction.
Review: During the reign of Napoleon, the epic contest to determine the exact length of a meter was begun. This entertaining account takes us through the dangers and hardships encountered by two French astronomers who were trying to determine the longitude from Paris to the equator. Using this distance, they would then calculate the distance between the North Pole and the equator and use it to establish the natural, exact length of a meter. Politics, disease, wars, scientific philosophy, history, and interesting personalities combine to make this book both enjoyable and enlightening. Recommended by Dr. Steve Day, April 2003. Reviewed July 2003 by Bev Carson.
John Eliot Allen, Marjorie Burns, Samuel C. Sargent, Sam Sargent.
Cataclysm On The Columbia
ISBN: 0881922153
Major Science Points: Glacial flooding, scablands of Washington State, geologist Harlan Bretz, geological history and hazards, and Pacific NW resources. River and flood processes, hydrology, glaciers, Ice Age climate, climate change.
This is a book about the triumph of a good field geologist over distant science bigots. It covers the life of geologist J. Harlan Bretz and the adamant rejection he endured when he hypothesized that a huge, catastrophic Ice Age flood event occurred in the Northwestern United States. Eastern establishment geologists, who had never visited the area, rejected Bretz’s hypothesis out of hand, and kept him down because this sounded too much like the great biblical flood that had only recently been put to rest. However, the development of his theory concerning the defining event(s) that shaped the Northwest U.S. were based upon solid geological observations. A half century later, the geological community changed its mind, and accepted Bretz’s hypothesis, which is that a enormous glacial ice dam broke, sending floods 1,000 feet deep, and hundreds of cubic miles of water sweeping across the landscape that carved out the many distinctive features of that area. Maps, directions, and photos help us “see” the remarkable evidence that led Bretz to his hypothesis.
Recommended by Dr. Mike Walawender. Reviewed June 2003 by Dr. Clive Dorman and Bev Carson.
Richard B. Alley
The Two-Mile Time Machine
ISBN: 0691004935
Major Science Points: Reading and interpretation of ice-cores, climatic changes, glacial records, wind and oceanic currents, continental drift, the Arctic.
Lively, detailed and lucid discussion of climatic changes over the past 100,000 years, determined by Alley’s examination of ice cores taken through two miles of the Greenland ice-shelf. Revelations regarding just how quickly the Earth’s climate has altered in the past gives a strong message. The author discusses the ocean’s “conveyor belt system” for moving large water masses and its relationship to world climate. He also discussed how continental drift changes our planet’s environments, and why wind patterns alter the worlds vast yet interrelated systems and help to tell the history within the ice. A look at how the scientific method is used in the world and the limitations scientists face. Recommended 2003 by Dr. Monte Marshall. Reviewed July 2003 by Bev Carson.
David Alt and Donald Hyndman
Northwest Exposures: A Geologic Story of the Northwest
ISBN: 0878423230
Major Science Points: Continental divergence and accretion, tectonic processes, volcanism, earthquakes, and catastrophic flooding.
Underneath the stunning scenery of the Pacific Northwest lies an assemblage of physical leftovers indicative of complex and varied geological processes. Ancient island chains, massive mountains such as Rainier, Baker, Hood and St. Helens, vast calderas, glacial lakes and valleys, volcanic chains, columnar basalt, lava fields, earthquakes, batholiths, and Puget Sound are part of the amazing story recorded in rock and relayed to us by Alt and Hyndman. Recommended l 2003 by Dr. Mike Walawender. Reviewed July 2003 by Bev Carson.
No Apparent Danger-
The True Story of Volcanic Disaster at Galeras and Nevado del Ruiz, Colombia
ISBN: 0060958901
Major Science Points: Volcanology, Ring of Fire, mudslides, glacial melts, eruption types, seismology.
Review: Two volcanoes and their eruptive events in 1985 and 1993 are examined in this book. It also provides glimpses into the magnitude of consequences of bungled half-measures, and what forceful, arrogant personalities can instigate when determined to overshadow the modest yet brilliant scholars around them. It expands on volcanism, the geology of Colombia, the need for disaster planning, and the application of seismology to understand these unpredictable, conical forces of nature. This story is not very well done, and includes way too much superfluous, minute detail. The author’s fawning acceptance of geologists who walk around inside volcanic calderas getting ready to blow brings to question the judgment of both the geologists and the author. Nevertheless, the book does give a look at the human side of a town-burying mud flow, and an idea of how difficult it is to get a complete grasp of what is going on during a volcanic event as it unfolds. Recommended 2003 by Dr. Monte Marshall. Reviewed July 2003 by Bev Carson.
Dinosaur Hunters:
A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric
World
ISBN: 1857029631
Major Science Points: Paleontology, fossils, geology, sedimentary rocks.
A global detective story about the search for dinosaur fossils awaits the reader of Dinosaur Hunters. Adversarial paleontologists Cope and Marsh duke it out as each tries to outfox the other to make the next big dinosaur bone discovery, complete with press releases. However, this 19th century rivalry and infighting resulted in the loss of valuable records, with both men making a hash of the fossil record in their haste to be first. This is the story of these men and the searching, finding, interpreting and then the reinterpreting of the fossil remains of these animals. This account is filled with human adventure, rivalry beyond reason, and facts. The scientific interpretation of taxonomy and anatomy also make this book intriguing and informative. Paleontology and some of its most memorable characters come to life once again in David Spalding’s book Dinosaur Hunters.
Recommended by Dr. Clive Dorman. Reviewed April 2003 by Dr. Clive Dorman and Bev Carson.
The Great Arc
ISBN: 0060932953
Major Science Points: Gravity, isostasy, triangulation survey chains, pioneering mapping work, maps and illustrations.
After grabbing India, the British need to survey their large colonial prize. In addition, an accurate triangulation-based survey along the North-South extent of India would contribute to basic science by determining if the Earth was a true sphere or a somewhat flattened sphere. The project was led by Sir George Everest, who used specially prepared 19th century instruments with painstaking care to determine meridians of arc across a continent under such brutal conditions of heat, swamps, tropical diseases, snakes and noxious insects that most of the young male British surveyors only lasted a season or two before being sent back to Europe in broken heath. The physical mapping of India was a mammoth project that took half a century to accomplish and covered almost 2,400 km. The measurements were sufficiently accurate not only for conventional purposes, but to infer the fundamental structure of the upper portion of the Earth, which is the basis of the geological concept of “isostasy,” now prominent in all basic textbooks on geology and oceanography. The project also identified and measured the Earth’s highest point which, of course, is Mt. Everest, named after the British surveyor-general in charge of the survey from 1823 to 1843. The accurate measurement of India is an account well worth discovering in The Great Arc. Recommended and reviewed by Dr. Clive Dorman, April 22, 2003.
Gaia, a New Look at
Life on Earth
ISBN: 0192862189
Major Science Points: Earth as a complete, self-regulating biological system, principle of optimization. Physical science, ecology, and biology.
Lovelock names the interconnected, interdependent, replenishing systems of our planet GAIA. Taking an aboriginal and even spiritual view of the planet, he discusses the systems of salinity, temperature, atmosphere, and pH of oceans and how they defy the combination with chemical and biological components on the planet to rejuvenate and replenish the environment. It is a unique view of large-system theory and opens the discussion about our existence on a living planet. Recommended and reviewed by Dr. Clive Dorman.
John McPhee
Annals of the Former
World
ISBN: 0-374-51873-4
Major Science Points: Geological theory, North American geologic history, maps.
McPhee offers us histories of a continent and its human inhabitants in this composite work. He develops a geologic map of the U.S. in this amalgam of 20 years of travels, interviews, and publications. In the section Basin and Range, he travels from Utah to California with Kenneth Deffeyes, professor of geology. The next journey encompasses the geology from Brooklyn to Indiana with USGS’s Anita Harris and is titled In Suspect Terrain. Covering the geology of the vast and unique state of Wyoming is done with David Love and is titled Rising From the Plains. California in its complexity is described by tectonicist Eldridge Moores and discussed in Assembling California, and the final essay is Crossing the Craton, which explores the middle of the nation and its Precambrian geology with geo-chronologist Randy Van Schmus. Recommended 2003 by Dr. Monte Marshall. Reviewed July 2003 by Bev Carson.
Assembling California
ISBN 0374523932
Major Science Points: Plate tectonics, coalescence of terrains, parallel faults, mining, ophiolites, sea-floor spreading, geophysics, sedimentary formations, metamorphic rock processes, volcanism.
In the company of Eldridge Moores of UC Davis, McPhee travels across the State of California. The two also make journeys to Macedonia and Cyprus to walk on land known as ophiolites that was once a part of the ocean floors. Visits to Gold Country yield information on the devastation from the use of hydraulic mining to yield the precious mineral from Eocene river beds that had been uplifted to become the Sierra Nevada. Also, traversing the state, McPhee and Moores discuss and travel along the unique and massive San Andreas fault complex and discuss California’s history and the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. The complex geological processes of California take shape within the pages of John McPhee’s Assembling California. Applying plate tectonics theory to the “lithospheric driftwood” that is California, McPhee discusses the processes that have helped shape California in the past and continue to make California an active geological landmass today. McPhee also relates a complex hypothesis for why California is such a unique place to live and study geology, which is both meaningful and didactic.
Recommended 2003 by Dr. Mike Walawender. Reviewed July 2003 by Bev Carson.
Rising From the Plains
ISBN: 0374520658
Major Science Points: Geology, Wyoming topography, Yellowstone, Tetons, tectonics, overthrusting, nature, environment.
A look at the unique strata, history, and geology of Wyoming, guided by a local field geologist, David Love. As McPhee and Love travel along the 40th Parallel, they familiarize us with the high plains and the ascents of mountain ranges in current-day Wyoming. Though some of the science may be dated, every geologist should read this! The story also covers the Love family history in Wyoming, as well as prehistoric geologic evidence, Native American life in the region, and the geologic hot-spot widely known as Yellowstone National Park. Recommended April 2003 by Dr. Lindsey Leighton. Reviewed July 2003 by Bev Carson.
The Map That Changed The
World
ISBN: 0060931809
Major Science Points: Basic geology, stratigraphic techniques, fossils, sedimentary rocks, survey techniques.
This is a charming little book about William Smith, a self- taught geologist. His day job was surveying for canal routes that were being built all over England. While carrying out surveys in many different parts of England, he observed the sedimentary record revealed by cuts through hills and tunnels. He noticed the trends between the types of sedimentary rock and the fossils associated with each, and mapped the strata and fossil records that he found. This is the foundation of modern geology. Yet Smith faced a life-long struggle to refine the science of geology and suffered many rebuffs by the Geological Society. The Map That Changed The World is filled with Smith’s struggle to reveal the secrets of the Earth and have his work gain acceptance. Eventually Smith, and science, triumphed. Simon Winchester details a story of a thoughtful, insightful man who used his powers of observation to develop sequence stratigraphy and lived to see his work accepted and appreciated in his lifetime. Recommended 2003 by Drs. Steve Day and Clive Dorman. Reviewed July 2003 by Bev Carson.
Beyond The Hundredth Meridian
Major Science Points: Geology, hydrology, USGS, first boat trip down the Grand Canyon, production of topographical maps, and sensible allocation of land for drainage and canals.
An insightful account of the history of the West and John Wesley Powell’s impact on this region. Powell influenced the formation and growth of the USGS, and served as its second director. Powell’s inspiration and leadership led to the development and use of the 7.5 Minute Topographical Maps we use today. Powell wanted to use topographic maps to determined drainages and canal placement for sensible allocation of land and water for agriculture. While the topographic maps did become a stock function of the USGS, Western state senators had Powell promptly fired for trying to link land allocation with a sensible water policy. He got some of his water experience first-hand by leading the first boat voyage ever down the untamed Colorado River, which is one of the great hair-raising adventures in the West. This saga of John Wesley Powell, a self-taught and eccentric man, and his explorations of the American West with its unique geology and scarcity of water resources is an exploration of a region and one man who was captivated by it. This is a well-written story with good balance, which touches on a range of complex issues. Recommended by Dr. Clive Dorman. Reviewed April 2003 by Dr. Clive Dorman and Bev Carson.
II) Geology - Applied
Rise and Fall of Diamonds. The Shattering of a Brilliant Illusion.
Major Science Points: Geological setting for diamonds, diamond mining and marketing.
The diamond industry is exposed for the harsh, deadly treatment of the mine workers. The geological setting for diamonds is discussed, along with mining practices. The selling of diamonds involves a highly successful advertising campaign to first establish and then maintain a new “tradition” of the carbon crystal as an inseparable part of love and romance. Even more remarkable is the suppression of the acceptance of artificially created diamonds that can be produced at a tiny fraction of the cost of natural diamonds, even though it is hard to tell the difference between the two. Monopolies are nothing new, but the scope and control of the worldwide diamond industry by a single entity, the deBeers, is. Recommended by Dr. Clive Dorman. Reviewed June 2003 by Bev Carson.
Daniel Yergin
THE PRIZE. The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, and Power
ISBN: 0671799320
Major Science Points: Sedimentary rocks, petroleum formation processes, recovery, techniques, gas formations, natural resources.
THE PRIZE won the 1992 Pulitzer Prize for nonfiction. The story details the history and rise of oil in the world over the past 200 years. Geological conditions for oil are reviewed. The history of war that revolves around oil, the vast fortunes made by its production and products are examined, and the politics that have arisen around this commodity are all discussed with insight and candor. An example of one of the founders of the oil industry is J.P.Getty, who fired his entire staff one day during the Depression, then hired them all back the next day at reduced salaries – a real sweetheart. Commanding men, corruption, huge conglomerates, powerful cartels, and governments seeking control of this resource are an integral part of oil’s history. An amazing mix of history, personality, economics, greed, geopolitics, and technical information makes this a fascinating book. Recommended by Dr. Clive Dorman. Reviewed April 2003 by Clive Dorman and Bev Carson.
III) Geology - Adventure
The Last Spike. The Great Railway
Major Science Points: Sedimentary and metamorphic formations in Canada, engineering in various sediment types, Canadian Rockies, trestles and bridge building, rivers and erosion.
The difficulties and solutions created by the building of the Trans-Canadian Railway System are the theme of this book. The railway completely changed western and central Canada, which at the time had no real roads. The Last Spike is an account of the railway’s construction through the greatly varied terrain of Canada. The deep soils of the central prairie required little preparation and allowed rails to be laid about as fast as a human can walk. Eastern Canada was a hard-rock driller’s worst nightmare alternated with bottomless bogs unable to support a trestle footing. The route through the Fraser Valley and portions of the Rockies had to be blasted out or filled with elaborate bridges and wall supports. Politics and tight government budgets made the project touch-and-go. The tracks were being laid into central Canada before a route through the Canadian Rockies had been found. Thousands of workers from all over the world toiled to make the railroad a reality, and it was completed in less than half the time granted. To keep the workers out of too much trouble, the RCMP first enforced a five-mile no-booze zone on either side of the track, then extended it to 10 miles. Those willing to walk the round-trip could have an evening nightcap.The Last Spike details the adventure and the lives of countless individuals from financiers, to laborers, surveyors, and construction geniuses who collectively created this railroad. Recommended by Dr. Clive Dorman. Reviewed April 2003 by Clive Dorman and Bev Carson.
IV) Geology - Water
John M. Barry
Rising Tide
ISBN: 0684810468
Major Science Points: Hydrology, theories on levies and flood control, the Mississippi River, levee breaks and serial flooding.
This is a well-written, engaging account of the Mississippi River which for generations has dominated the bottom land and the people with its succession of floods. The two competing hypotheses on river erosion and sedimentation are examined. The most dramatic is the account of the great 1927 flood in Greenville, Mississippi and the alterations this single natural disaster created in the topography and the American social fabric. These elements combine and are eloquently recounted in this featured book. Rising Tide is a look at the incredible effects of decadence, greed, segregation and the human audacity that contributed to the dramatic alteration of the countryside around the river. Vivid descriptions of entire populations fleeing to the river’s levies to escape the waters that overflowed for months give John Barry’s dramatic story a sense of the magnitude of the impact this single environmental incident had on millions of people. More than 800,000 people were left homeless. The dynamics of this massive flood not only transformed the land, but it also changed the economic, racial, and political climate in this country once the waters subsided. Recommended by Dr. Clive Dorman. Reviewed April 2003 by Dr. Clive Dorman and Bev Carson.
Jonathan Har
A Civil Action
ISBN: 0679772677
Major Science Points: Groundwater contamination, health risks, pollution, hydrology.
Synopsis: This book exposes the problems of industrial waste contamination in Wolburn Massachusetts’s water supply by Beatrice Foods and W.R. Grace Company. Recommended April 2003 by Dr. Kathy Thobjarnarson. Reviewed July 2003 by Bev Carson.
Encounters With the
Archdruid
ISBN: 0-374-51431-3;
Major Science Points: Environmental philosophies, ecology.
Synopsis: Discourses of a mineral engineer, resort developer, dam builder, and militant conservationist as they encounter one another in three different wilderness areas. Recommended April 2003 by Dr. Kathy Thobjarnarson. Reviewed July 2003 by Bev Carson.
Cadillac Desert
ISBN: 0140178244
Major Science Points: Hydrology, river systems, aquifers, geology, climate of Southwest United States, water resources, water legal issues/development in the US.
A brilliantly told story of water, geology, and the west is found within the covers of Cadillac Desert. In the West, water has always been a limiting commodity, and water rights and wrongs flow through this ambitious story. Floods, geology, soil complexity, politics, taxes, and the massive egos that have driven the building of the West, its dams, and the growth of its cities all permeate Cadillac Desert. Marc Reisner takes us through a history rarely explored and educates us about these issues that still plague the West. Silting of reservoirs, draining of aquifers, varying geology, matters of practicality, economics, ecology, and social issues surrounding water in the West are linked for us by the formation of the water projects that have defined the West. These issues continue to gain importance as the Western U.S. gains population and the sources of water continue to dwindle. A fascinating, thoughtful book, the award winning Cadillac Desert is as entertaining as it is enlightening. Recommended by Dr. Clive Dorman, 2003. Reviewed May 2003 by Bev Carson.