CCGO ARMCHAIR GEOLOGIST READING LIST

carThis is a partial list of books and resources for those interested in the earth sciences. Please feel free to contact us if you want to add to this list!

• Basin and Range, 1981, which describes the geology traversed along Interstate 80 through Utah and Nevada;

• In Suspect Terrain, 1983, which provides a cross section of North America along the 40th parallel;

• Rising from the Plains, 1986, which focuses on the high-country geology of the Rocky Mountains.
  

GEOLOGY OF OUR NATIONAL PARKS

LOCAL GEOLOGY

Geologic History of Middle California. Arthur D. Howard, University of California Press, Berkeley, CA, 1979.  ISBN 0-520-03874-6. - This California Natural History Guide from UC Press tells the story of how plate tectonics worked to create features such as the San Andreas Fault and the Coast Ranges of middle California.

Roadside Geology of Northern and Central California. Donald W. Hyndman and David D. Alt.  Mountain Press Publishing Company; Missoula, MT, 2000.  ISBN: 0878424091. - This book is part of the "Roadside Geology" series and includes descriptions and explanations for the rocks and landforms you might see as you travel along the highways of northern and central California.

Geologic Trips:  San Francisco and the Bay Area.  Ted Konigsmark, GeoPress, Gualala, CA, 1998.  ISBN 0-9661316-4-9 - Includes seven geologic trips to Bay Area landmarks, including Alcatraz Island, Fort Point, the Cliff House, the Marin Headlands, Angel Island, Fort Funston, Crystal Springs Reservoir, and the Point Reyes Peninsula.  On these trips you will learn about the geologic processes that have formed the rocks and landscape of the Coast Ranges of northern California.

Assembling California. John McPhee, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, 1993.  ISBN 0374523932. - A general account of California's geologic history written after McPhee accompanied geologist Eldridge Moores on many field trips across California. The result of their treks is a cross-section of the state in both human and geologic time, from the Sierra Nevadas to the Great Central Valley, from wine country to the fault lines

Geology and Natural History of the San Francisco Bay Area:  A Field-Trip Guidebook - Edited by Philip W. Stoffer and Leslie C. Gordon. US Geological Survey Bulletin 2188, 2001. http://geopubs.wr.usgs.gov/bulletin/b2188/ - This report consists of six field trip guides and five articles touching on many aspects of the geology and natural hazards of the Bay area, especially urban problems associated with living on an active tectonic plate margin: earthquake faults, coastal erosion, landslides, and the utilization of land and natural resources. Each guide and article can be downloaded separately here or the entire field guide can be downloaded as one document.

Geologic Field Trips in Northern California:  Centennial Meeting of the Cordilleran Section of the Geological Society of America. David L. Wagner and Stephan A. Graham, editors.  Special Publication 119.  California Division of Mines and Geology, Sacramento, CA, 1999.   [Order from CDMG at http://www.consrv.ca.gov/dmg/pubs/pub_idx/gbooks.htm or call 916-445-5716. - This guide book provides more information about field trips, including:
o The Hayward Fault-Source of the Next Big Quake?
o Earthquakes on the Calaveras Fault: Fact or fiction? The
o Geology, Seismology and Paleoseismicity of the Calaveras Fault
o The San Andreas Fault Zone Near Point Reyes
o Geology and Natural History of the Central Coast Ranges

Geology of San Francisco and Vicinity:  Field Trip Guidebook T105. Clyde Wahrhaftig (coordinator).  28th International Geological Congress, San Francisco Bay Region, California, July -1-7, 1989.  American Geophysical Union, Washington, DC, 1989. ISBN 0-87590-663-X, AGU CODE IG105663X.  [This book can be ordered directly from the AGU (1-800-966-2481) via the web at http://earth.agu.org/cgi-bin/agubookstore.  Do a search for T105 under Field Trip Guides in the pulldown menu.] - This guidebook includes field trip guides to a variety of Bay Area locations, including the Berkeley Hills, Hayward Fault, Angel Island, and the Napa Valley plus background information about the rocks and geological setting. 

A Streetcar to Subduction and Other Plate Tectonics Trips by Public Transport in San Francisco. Clyde Wahrhaftig. American Geophysical Union, Washington, DC., 1984.   ISBN 0-87590-234-0.  ASIN: 0875902340.  [This book can be ordered directly from the AGU (1-800-966-2481) via the web at http://earth.agu.org/cgi-bin/agubookstore.  Do a search for "Wahrhaftig."] - This guidebook describes the rocky outcrops seen in the City, many of which can be reached by public transport. Also included are trips to Marin Headlands, Angel Island, and the Hayward fault. To help the nonspecialist understand the history and context of the different  rock types, an introductory section provides background on the theory of plate tectonics.