Washoe County Library System

An updated title provides information on earth's origin, the shaping of the continents, the forming of rocks, erosion, earth's geological history, and the impact of the oceans and rivers.

Geology is thrilling. It's the Earth in all its splendor. Unfortunately, geology texts rarely communicate that sense of excitement. Enter Michael Collier, geologist, writer and one of America's premier aerial photographers. For over 20 years, he has piloted his Cessna 180 to inaccessible locations and returned with stunning photographs that lay bare the Earth's workings. Over the Mountains, the first book in Michael Collier's new series, focuses...

Provides an overview of igneous rocks including how they are formed, their characteristics, where they are found, and their uses throughout the world.

"The Great Basin, centering on Nevada and including substantial parts of California, Oregon, and Utah, gets its name from the fact that none of its rivers or streams flow to the sea. This book synthesizes the past 25,000 years of the natural history of this vast region. It explores the extinct animals that lived in the Great Basin during the Ice Age and recounts the rise and fall of the massive Ice Age lakes that existed here. It explains why trees...

Of all continents on Earth, none preserves a more spectacular story of its origins than Australia. With help from high-energy host and geologist Richard Smith, we meet titanic dinosaurs and giant kangaroos, sea monsters and prehistoric crustaceans, disappearing mountains and deadly asteroids. Epic in scope, intimate in nature, this is the untold story of the Land Down Under, the one island continent that has got it all. A look at the natural history...

Examines the natural forces that formed the continent of North American. Recounts ways in which the continent's unique geology affected indigenous biology, human evolution, and civilizaton.

The fascinating story of William Smith, the orphaned son of an English country blacksmith, who became obsessed with creating the world's first geological map and ultimately became the father of modern geology. In 1793 William Smith, a canal digger, made a startling discovery that was to turn the fledgling science of the history of the earth -- and a central plank of established Christian religion -- on its head. He noticed that the rocks he was excavating...