Roadside Geology Series Series by Halka Chronic, David D. Alt, Donald W. Hyndman

The geology of Washington is a story of islands--micro-continents--coming in from the sea. Two hundred million years ago most of Washington consisted of two large islands, each one a scrap of continent, lying somewhere in the vastness of the Pacific Ocean. One after the other they docked onto the North American continent, each adding its distinctive bit to the complex geologic and geographic mosaic of western North America.

The rise of mountains and the spread of deserts has marked the geologic history of Arizona. Landscapes that we see today are here because of landscapes of the past, and because of tremendous forces deep within the earth, forces that carry continents into collisions and then drag them apart again, forces of heat and pressure and the slow churning boil of the earth's interior... moreThe rise of mountains and the spread of deserts has marked the geologic history of Arizona. Landscapes that we see today are here because of landscapes of the past, and because of tremendous forces deep within the earth, forces that carry continents into collisions and then drag them apart again, forces of heat and pressure and the slow churning boil of the earth's interior. Landscape features result, too, from more comprehensible, more recent forces: the unending attack of water and wind and frost, the building of volcanoes, the short-term geologic happenings like landslides and rockfalls, earthquakes and floods, and a gopher digging a hole. less

Professional geologists write and edit the "Roadside Geology" books for people who are not geologists but would like to learn something about the rocks and landforms around them. Each book begins with an introductory chapter that briefly reviews the rocks and landscapes of its state. The remaining chapters provide a detailed discussion of state regions and end with a series of road guides.