Book review: Grand Canyon Geology by Price
In preparation for this summer's rafting trip down the Grand Canyon with my father & two brothers, I checked out the book An Introduction to Grang Canyon Geology from the NOVA library. The author is L. Greer Price. It's a slim little book, in full color, with lots of little boxes inserted amid the main text. These boxes explore smaller subtopics like stromatolites or rock color. The main text emphasizes the chronological sequence of steps to create the bedrock of the Canyon, and then a detailed discussion of how rock structure and erosional effects combine to carve the land into a shape as varied as the Grand Canyon. It's a book a lot like the one I'm working on for the C&O Canal.
I've visited the Grand Canyon four times, so I've managed to get a lot of the upper stratigraphy down. I picked up this book to bulk up my understanding of the deeper gorge (where my family & I will be spending our time in June). While a lot of the book was geological boiler-plate about plate tectonics and superposition, I learned some new details. For instance, I had no idea the Cenozoic was represented at all in the Canyon, but apparently the remains ("still pungent") of a Shasta Ground Sloth were discovered in Rampart Cave (a cave in the Mauv Limestone) in the western Canyon.
The writing style is balanced. I could see how the author struggled with being technically accurate but also accessible to the wide audience he was writing for: the Mazatzal Orogeny (~1.7 Ga) is described, but it's not called the "Mazatzal Orogeny." Another example would be in describing Mesozoic subduction on the west coast, Greer swaps out the technically-correct name Farallon plate for the more recognizable "Pacific" plate, even if that's not technically correct.
The book is short (59 pages), and it's 50% pictures -- an easy read in an afternoon.
I've visited the Grand Canyon four times, so I've managed to get a lot of the upper stratigraphy down. I picked up this book to bulk up my understanding of the deeper gorge (where my family & I will be spending our time in June). While a lot of the book was geological boiler-plate about plate tectonics and superposition, I learned some new details. For instance, I had no idea the Cenozoic was represented at all in the Canyon, but apparently the remains ("still pungent") of a Shasta Ground Sloth were discovered in Rampart Cave (a cave in the Mauv Limestone) in the western Canyon.
The writing style is balanced. I could see how the author struggled with being technically accurate but also accessible to the wide audience he was writing for: the Mazatzal Orogeny (~1.7 Ga) is described, but it's not called the "Mazatzal Orogeny." Another example would be in describing Mesozoic subduction on the west coast, Greer swaps out the technically-correct name Farallon plate for the more recognizable "Pacific" plate, even if that's not technically correct.
The book is short (59 pages), and it's 50% pictures -- an easy read in an afternoon.
Labels: books, grand canyon
1 Comments:
I appreciated your review; the book was certainly a better work than the Creationist book that is apparently still for sale in the NPS and History Association. A lot of controversy over the presence of "The Grand Canyon: A different view", all about the formation of Grand Canyon 5 or 6 thousand years ago. NAGT, GSA, and other geo organizations have asked for it's removal. Next time, look for it (in the inspirational books, at least it is not in the science section), and be saddened.
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