Geology of the American Southwest
A Journey through Two Billion Years of Plate-Tectonic History

This 2004 book provides a concise, accessible account of the geology and landscape of Southwest USA, for students and amateurs.

W. Scott Baldridge (Author)

9780521016667, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 13 May 2004

314 pages, 175 b/w illus. 16 colour illus.
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.7 cm, 0.503 kg

'A nice feature in the inclusion of "boxes" that explain terminology in reasonable detail … One doesn't have to be specifically interested in the Southwest to find this book interesting. … The text is not confined to only the Southwest of the United States, as it explains how the geology is revealed by the lithology, texture, and sequence of rock units. It's also especially interesting because the accretion of many of the terranes that expanded North America are in this area.' The Leading Edge

Two billion years of Earth history are represented in the rocks and landscape of the Southwest USA, creating natural wonders such as the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, and Death Valley. This region is considered a geologist's 'dream', since its rocks provide a slice through a huge range of Earth history, and provide examples of many of the geologic processes shaping the Earth. For this reason, the region attracts a large number of undergraduate field classes, and amateur geologists. Geology of the American Southwest, first published in 2004, provides a concise and accessible account of the geology of the region, and will prove invaluable to students studying here. It will also appeal to anyone interested in geology and landscape, and is a valuable guide for visitors to the National Parks of the region.

Preface
Notes and abbreviations
Introduction
1. Growth of a continent: formation and stabilization of continental lithosphere
2. Tantalizing time
3. The international connection: breakup of a supercontinent
4. Stability to orogeny: transformation of the Western Margin
5. Pangea! Collision with Gondwana
6. Deserts to dinosaurs
7. Western orogeny
8. The modern Southwest
References
Glossary
Index.

Subject Areas: Earth sciences [RB]