My immediate impression is that this gracefully spectacular book would
made a fine Christmas present. If you know anyone interested in
landscapes, nature, photography or geology, you could hardly do better
than to gift a copy of AERIAL
GEOLOGY. Subtitled: "A High-Altitude Tour of North America's
Spectacular Volcanoes, Canyons, Glaciers, Lakes, Craters, and Peaks,"
the book does what it says on the back. Many of the visually stunning
photos are from NASA, so a very high altitude indeed.
First up is a volcano in the Aleutian Islands, trailing a massive plume of
smoke. We get information about the processes causing volcanism,
earthquakes and other violent changes, but mostly the photos speak
for themselves. I was fascinated to learn that Mount Denali, shown in a
pure white Alaska, is the tallest mountain on Earth when measured from
base to summit, as Mount Everest has a smaller distance but stands
high on the Tibetan Plateau. A Hawaiian volcano is taller if measured up
from the seafloor.
Across Alaska and Canada we see glaciers and mountains, then the
famous Burgess Shale where fossils are preserved of early life forms.
Granite towers don't need fossils to attract climbers. On to the
awesome Cascade volcanic chain, and the terminology of volcanism
like magma, shield volcanoes, lahars, pyroclastic flow. Geology is
current as well as distant; there's a photo of Mount St. Helens erupting
mightily in 1980, with before and after shots. From deep canyons and
sea stacks on the Oregon coast to a vivid blue Crater Lake, this part of
the continent is extremely rugged.
After an explanation as to how Death Valley was formed, you may skip
ahead to somewhere greener and wetter. The beauty of the book is that
it is set out north to south and west to east, but you can dip in at any
point of interest. I like that flight paths are suggested to see the
physical features, so if you are going on a trip you can look it up ahead
of time. From the Salt Lake of Utah to the square fields of Texas, the
looping meanders of the Mississippi and the publicly mined Crater of
Diamonds in Arkansas, the Florida Everglades, Blue Ridge Mountains
and Finger Lakes, this aerial journey certainly taught me a great deal
and has given me an appreciation for the AERIAL GEOLOGY shown by Mary Caperton Morton, a
graduate, hiker, photographer and travel writer.
Aerial Geology is an up-in-the-sky exploration of
North America’s 100 most spectacular geological formations.
Crisscrossing the continent from the Aleutian Islands in
Alaska to the Great Salt Lake in Utah and to the Chicxulub
Crater in Mexico, Mary Caperton Morton brings you on a
fantastic tour, sharing aerial and satellite photography,
explanations on how each site was formed, and details on
what makes each landform noteworthy. Maps and diagrams help
illustrate the geological processes and clarify scientific
concepts.
Fact-filled, curious, and way more fun
than the geology you remember from grade school, Aerial
Geology is a must-have for the insatiably curious,
armchair geologists, million-mile travelers, and anyone who
has stared out the window of a plane and wondered what was
below.
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