Best Volcanology
Powerful economic and historical forces influenced the fates of those around the volcano that sunny Sunday morning, including the construction of the nation’s railroads, the harvest of a continent’s vast forests, and the protection of America’s treasured public lands. Rich with vivid personal stories of lumber tycoons, loggers, volcanologists, and conservationists, Eruption delivers a spellbinding narrative built from the testimonies of those closest to the disaster, and an epic tale of our fraught relationship with the natural world. “In Mr. Olson’s telling, [the survivors’] stories read like urgent fiction….These vignettes lend a human face to an event that has become associated largely with geology.”. - Michael O'Donnell, Wall Street Journal. “A first-class, meticulously crafted piece of reportage that is as exciting as it is informative―and will long stand as a classic of descriptive narrative of the biggest American volcanic eruption of all our lifetimes―or so we all hope!”. - Simon Winchester, author of Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded. This book, as welcome as it is amazing in the depth of its background and the strength of its storytelling, will stand as a stirring and stilling accomplishment.”. - Robert Michael Pyle, author of Wintergreen: Rambles in a Ravaged Land and Where Bigfoot Walks: Crossing the Dark Divide.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The mountain developed a rapidly (and constantly) growing bulge on its side for weeks leading up to the explosion but very few seemed to recognize the severity or significance of this... Olson put it best in regards to lessons learned at Mt. St. Helens: "No one will ever again blithely and knowingly watch the side of a volcano bulge out like a balloon ready to pop and expect to outrun the ensuing catastrophe." Olson took the timeline back and forth, both within the almost 2 months of activity leading up to the eruption and the personal stories of some of those affected by the blast. He started referring to certain people in the past tense, and as I had not memorized the list of those who died before reading this the deaths and survivals were genuinely surprising to me. Olson does a great job of creating a compelling narrative around this recent historical event and I really liked the book, learned a lot about volcanoes (now I want to be a volcanologist), and came to care for some of the real people highlighted in the personal stories. I know not everyone will want to share any of that (I can't begin to imagine how traumatic that was), but as a reader I am sorry Eruption did not include at least footnotes on more of the people it focused on in the earlier parts of the books."
"I love books about events where I (think) I know the outcome and I am still engrossed from the moment I pick up the book until I sadly reach the last page, and this book fits that description perfectly."
"The research is exhaustive, and the author appears to have gone to considerable lengths to talk to survivors, witnesses, scientists, policy makers and others who lived through the event and helped to shape the response. If you read the Wikipedia entry on Mount St. Helens, it makes it seem as if government did a lot to protect lives. The history of Weyerhaeuser at the start of the book runs, perhaps, a bit long but it's easy enough to read quickly through it to get the heart of the story."
"Having seen Mt St. Helens and all the other mountains in the Cascade Range in 1979 (Not even sure we knew they were volcanoes) Olson's story in very poignant."
"I didn't realize when I picked this book up how much the story would be about the social factors at work in the US at the time."
"The events surrounding the eruption and the people and land that were so drastically affected."
Simon Winchester, New York Times bestselling author of The Professor and the Madman , examines the legendary annihilation in 1883 of the volcano-island of Krakatoa, which was followed by an immense tsunami that killed nearly forty thousand people. “Brilliant...One of the best books ever written about the history and significance of a natural disaster.” (New York Times). “Supremely well told: a fine exception to the dull run of most geological writing.” starred Kirkus Review (Kirkus Review (starred review)).
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Lots and lots more information on Plate Tectonics, various earthquake and volcano eruption facts. Did you know the air wave/ shock pressure wave went around the world 7 times and the actual seismographic ground wave was felt over 3,000 miles away and that there was a 130 foot tidal wave that wiped out tens of thousands of people and whole towns! Beautiful colored sunsets across lots of the world due to the reflections off lots of dust in the atmosphere. For those who like history and culture of various people Simon Winchester also gives lots of information about the Java/Indonesia Muslim people and how the Krakatoa eruption added to the overthrow of colonial Dutch West Indies control."
"Like all of Simon's work, It's a outstanding read, but it's only what one expects from him."
"It takes some time to develop the patience to read anything Winchester writes. Thank you, Mr. Winchester, for your roundabout Krakatoa story."
"This is no less than a history of the Indonesian archipelago prior to, during, and immediately after the eruption of Krakatoa, with all of the attendant history of the Dutch East Indies Company and the rise of Islam in Southeast Asia. It took place at the dawn of modern communications, and the new capability of the telegraph brought the news and the magnitude to a waiting world, even as the eruption was progressing. Mr. Winchester carefully weaves the history and sets the scene for the eruption that we know is coming, but I, for one, didn't find the journey to be tedious, nor did I wish he'd just get on with the fireworks."
Powerful economic and historical forces influenced the fates of those around the volcano that sunny Sunday morning, including the construction of the nation’s railroads, the harvest of a continent’s vast forests, and the protection of America’s treasured public lands. Rich with vivid personal stories of lumber tycoons, loggers, volcanologists, and conservationists, Eruption delivers a spellbinding narrative built from the testimonies of those closest to the disaster, and an epic tale of our fraught relationship with the natural world. “In Mr. Olson’s telling, [the survivors’] stories read like urgent fiction….These vignettes lend a human face to an event that has become associated largely with geology.”. - Michael O'Donnell, Wall Street Journal. “A first-class, meticulously crafted piece of reportage that is as exciting as it is informative―and will long stand as a classic of descriptive narrative of the biggest American volcanic eruption of all our lifetimes―or so we all hope!”. - Simon Winchester, author of Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded. This book, as welcome as it is amazing in the depth of its background and the strength of its storytelling, will stand as a stirring and stilling accomplishment.”. - Robert Michael Pyle, author of Wintergreen: Rambles in a Ravaged Land and Where Bigfoot Walks: Crossing the Dark Divide.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The mountain developed a rapidly (and constantly) growing bulge on its side for weeks leading up to the explosion but very few seemed to recognize the severity or significance of this... Olson put it best in regards to lessons learned at Mt. St. Helens: "No one will ever again blithely and knowingly watch the side of a volcano bulge out like a balloon ready to pop and expect to outrun the ensuing catastrophe." Olson took the timeline back and forth, both within the almost 2 months of activity leading up to the eruption and the personal stories of some of those affected by the blast. He started referring to certain people in the past tense, and as I had not memorized the list of those who died before reading this the deaths and survivals were genuinely surprising to me. Olson does a great job of creating a compelling narrative around this recent historical event and I really liked the book, learned a lot about volcanoes (now I want to be a volcanologist), and came to care for some of the real people highlighted in the personal stories. I know not everyone will want to share any of that (I can't begin to imagine how traumatic that was), but as a reader I am sorry Eruption did not include at least footnotes on more of the people it focused on in the earlier parts of the books."
"I love books about events where I (think) I know the outcome and I am still engrossed from the moment I pick up the book until I sadly reach the last page, and this book fits that description perfectly."
"The research is exhaustive, and the author appears to have gone to considerable lengths to talk to survivors, witnesses, scientists, policy makers and others who lived through the event and helped to shape the response. If you read the Wikipedia entry on Mount St. Helens, it makes it seem as if government did a lot to protect lives. The history of Weyerhaeuser at the start of the book runs, perhaps, a bit long but it's easy enough to read quickly through it to get the heart of the story."
"Having seen Mt St. Helens and all the other mountains in the Cascade Range in 1979 (Not even sure we knew they were volcanoes) Olson's story in very poignant."
"I didn't realize when I picked this book up how much the story would be about the social factors at work in the US at the time."
"The events surrounding the eruption and the people and land that were so drastically affected."
Best Seismology
Simon Winchester, New York Times bestselling author of The Professor and the Madman , examines the legendary annihilation in 1883 of the volcano-island of Krakatoa, which was followed by an immense tsunami that killed nearly forty thousand people. “Brilliant...One of the best books ever written about the history and significance of a natural disaster.” (New York Times). “Supremely well told: a fine exception to the dull run of most geological writing.” starred Kirkus Review (Kirkus Review (starred review)).
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Winchester's book covers the history of the region, especially as a Dutch colony and gives a good working description of plate tectonics and the history of that discovery. At times it seemed to be a bit slow paced and there were a few times I wondered why the author had chosen to spend so much effort on points that probably needed little coverage."
"Simon Winchester's style takes concentration to read."
""Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded is in essence a scientific book, but written in the style of popular science that the general public is able to understand and to enjoy. As Winchester has had experience relevant to the events described in the book, his personal experience and injections of anecdote add color and extra details, such as his discussion of his excursions in Greenland as relevant to the reversal of the poles, which relates to Krakatoa and the magnetic stripes on the bottom of the seafloor. In addition, the book effectively presents the events of August 27, 1883 not simply as the majority of people remember it - the catastrophe that slaughtered tens of thousands in one blow - but as a calculated and quantifiable result of plate tectonics as it fits within the contexts of Dutch colonization and trading."
"What clung to my mind the most was that Krakatoa is NOT gone since this is a Subduction Factory, constantly drawing in source materials for the "Next" Krakatoa, which appeared and was nicknamed Son of Krakatoa, as mentioned in "National Geographic" in their article about the Angry Gods of Indonesia. For the lastest quake reports in your area go to: [...] , click the link at the top of the page that refers to Earthquakes, then follow the top link on the next page generated. Before 2009 we were having no more than 20 quakes per day but that has gone up to as high as 200 or more quakes daily throughout the world. The fact that stone buildings that had stood across from Krakatoa for hundreds of years were devastated in ONE wave is enough to beg homage to the great Earth Mother ... the fact that the sound wave went around the planet SEVEN times is incredible ... and the tsunamis that followed were gigantic. I definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in watching the current developments as 2012 comes up to speed, or is interested in the history of the Dutch and the East Indies Company, or how volcanoes are created and how Krakatoa was NOT your average volcano ... nor will be Krakatoa Jr. Buy this book and have your children read it when you are done."
Best Earthquakes & Volcanoes
The Great Quake: How the Biggest Earthquake in North America Changed Our Understanding of the Planet
New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice In the bestselling tradition of Erik Larson’s Isaac’s Storm , The Great Quake is a riveting narrative about the biggest earthquake in North American recorded history -- the 1964 Alaska earthquake that demolished the city of Valdez and swept away the island village of Chenega -- and the geologist who hunted for clues to explain how and why it took place. HENRY FOUNTAIN has been a reporter and editor at the New York Times for two decades, writing about science for most of that time.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Another main character is Kris Madsen, the teacher in a one-room schoolhouse in Chenega, a village that was hard hit by the earthquake. The author hints early on that much of the damage -- and most of the casualties -- were not due to the roiling landscape of the earthquake, but of the tsunamis that followed. The author recreates almost minute-by-minute where villagers in Chenega and other Alaskan coastal villages were when the earthquake hit, and what their ultimate fates were."
"A fast-paced read about one of the biggest U.S. natural disasters of the 1960s that many have never heard about or have gotten."
"It covers the history of the quake, the history of the research surrounding the quake, and the history of plate tectonics."
"Well written and scientific part is understandable for the everyday person."
"If you are interested in the personal stories of the participants-both victims and scientists it is a good read."
"Fountain builds the tension by introducing us to all the "characters" - scientists and citizens who witness or investigated the largest earthquake in modern history. The Great Quake is a fascinating mix of geology lesson and human interest, and the reader learns about not only the event, which is an earthquake so massive that it was felt across the globe, but about what it means for us and the world we live in."
"Human and scientific story told with skill."
"Very interesting book, learned much new in it."
Best Plate Tectonics
This interesting book uses plate tectonics as its central theme; it acquaints readers with California geology.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I enjoyed the final section that presented concepts from previous chapters in a grand-scheme California geologic history."
"It's also a perfect fit with my California geography textbook, approaching each area through the same province names, descriptions."
"Needed it for a class; therefore had to buy it."
"I'm not an expert in the subject matter but I thought the book was very well written."
"A novice's interest in geology lead me through elementary reading to this college text which has opened. the up the greater. world of geology to. me."
Best Limnology
With 40% new and expanded coverage, this text covers applied and basic aspects of limnology, now with more emphasis on wetlands and reservoirs than in the previous edition. Expanded coverage of the toxic effects of pharmaceuticals and endocrine disrupters as freshwater pollutants More on aquatic invertebrates, with more images and pictures of a broader range of organisms Expanded coverage of the functional roles of filterer feeding, scraping, and shredding organisms, and a new section on omnivores. In many ways, this textbook provides a really refreshing blend of ecological concepts as they apply to aquatic ecology, in addition to the basic knowledge of freshwater ecosystem organisms that a student would need to apply the concepts… We think that it is a successful, innovative and, for the most part, modern view of the study of inland waters. Over the years, Dodds has taught Limnology, Advanced Aquatic Ecology, Microbial Ecology, Principles of Biology, Conservation Biology, Environmental Problems, Origins of Life, Herbivory, Presentations in Ecology, Aquatic Ecology, Stream Ecology, Algal Identification, Algal Ecology, Bacteriology and Freshwater Biology. Dodds has grants from agencies including the National Science Foundation, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the United States Geological Survey, the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. Dodds’ recent research has focused on Aquatic Ecology on Konza Prairie, Nitrogen Uptake Retention and Cycling in Stream Ecosystems, Quality and Quantity of Suspended Solids in Kansas Rivers, and Nutrients and Algae in Streams.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"For the most part, I really enjoyed using this book for class."
"It's a text that I like to page through for the literature, and often will lend to others looking for a freshwater perspective."
"Looks great, perfect condition and came right on time."
"book in good condition as advertised."
"This text does a great job of covering a lot of material in an approachable way."
"Regarding quality of the book- if you actually plan on opening and reading the book, the binding is awful."
"Poorly bound."
Best Geomorphology
The bond that unites geomorphology with so many diverse disciplines is the common need to understand the processes of surface mechanics, which is exceedingly important as we struggle to comprehend the impacts of climate changes, tectonic events, and their effects on our physical environment. "Having used Process Geomorphology in the past, I intend to return to it for all of my future sections.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"On the more cheerful side: I bought this on Amazon for about $65 which was way cheaper than the $110 the college book store wanted, so that lessens the sting."
"Great condition for price."
"Very informative for the archaeologist, also."
"Exactly the book I needed for a process geomorphology class."
"This was a required book for my Earth Surface Process course."
Best Physical Geology
With its strong readability and engaging, instructive illustrations, this trusted bestseller returns with a hybrid and streamlined focus on core principles. The 12th Edition , Pearson Science’s first augmented reality, hybrid textbook, uses the BouncePages image recognition app (FREE on both iOS and Android stores) to connect students’ digital devices to the print textbook, enhancing their reading and learning experience. 0134074254 / 9780134074252 Earth: An Introduction to Physical Geology 0134182642 / 9780134182643 Mastering Geology with Pearson eText -- ValuePack Access Card -- for Earth: An Introduction to Physical Geology. Lutgens and Tarbuck published their first college text, Earth Science , in 1976. Not only do Tarbuck, Lutgens, and Tasa work well together creatively; they also enjoy spending time in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains near Tasa’s New Mexico studio.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Great price for renting and I recieved it right on time!"
"same thing, good books to read, use for school, better alternative to order with amazon rental."
"Needed for school."
"This is a very accessible tome for anyone interested in geology but without formal education in the subject."
"Super recommended 🖒 I bought a second hand book but it looks super new!"
"Great book of information!"
"I know the description said it may not contain access code but was hoping it would."
"i am very bothered by the fact that before ordering this i was not told that the access code was modified, and the modified version is not the one i need and there is no telling how i would have known this was modified prior to having placed my order."
Best Historical Geology
Students will learn and understand the underlying causes of why things happened and the way they did, and how all of Earth's systems and subsystems are interrelated. He is a past president of the American Association of Stratigraphic Palynologists and currently a councilor of the International Federation of Palynological Societies and chair of the Acritarch Subcommission of the Commission Internationale de Microflore du Paleozoique.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"My husband bought this book for his Geo 102 class and he says is is a very good book.Explains things very well."
"I like the Kindle version."
"Just as expected, but very expensive for paper back."
Best Structural Geology
The book provides unique links to industry applications in the upper crust, including petroleum and groundwater geology, which highlight the importance of structural geology in exploration and exploitation of petroleum and water resources. "In addition to being a great textbook option for undergraduates, this book will serve as an excellent refresher for professional geologists. Fossen's extensive use of citations throughout the text, in figure captions, and at the end of each chapter provides an excellent window into many of the most important papers in the primary literature of both modern and classical structural geology. Readers will also find Fossen's references to free and commercial structural geology software and other resources helpful. Students and instructors who use this book will also benefit from the balance it provides among observational, theoretical, and numerical and analogue modeling perspectives. Second, the book nicely balances the traditional academic approach to structural geology with important industry applications (e.g., chapter 19, Salt Tectonics; chapter 8, Faults; and many additional interpreted seismic sections) that tend to receive only cursory treatment in other structural geology textbooks. A third strength is its clear and rigorous yet accessible physics and math coverage of strain and stress theory (e.g., chapters 2-6 and Appendix A); the strain analysis spreadsheets and other ancillary material such as textbook figures, problem sets, and field photographs available on the textbook Web site (http:// www .cambridge.org/features/fossen/) should also prove to be great learning and problem-solving tools. In summary, this is an excellent, accessible introductory structural geology text that is admirably well illustrated and well written.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Great book, a must have for any geologist."
"tough course."
"the line drawings in color are the best of any textbook I have read."
"Contains a bunch of pictures, and the book is in color, contain a topic for restoration, something that is not really common on Structural Geology books, I love it for this."
"The binding is terrible and the book is falling apart!"
"Good book so it get 5 stars."
"This book is interesting, not too hard to read."
"Within weeks of purchasing this book, pages began to fall out and by half way throught the semester, the book was unuseable because nearly all of the pages had fallen from the binding."
Best Sedimentary Geology
This concise treatment of the fundamental principles of sedimentology and stratigraphy highlights the important physical, chemical, biological, and stratigraphic characteristics of sedimentary rocks.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"It has numerous printing mistakes and assorted missing/duplicate pages."
"Being new to the topic, the text seems encyclopedic, covering what I would have considered side topics such as turbulent and laminar fluid flow (but which I now understand to be relevant.)."
"+ Nice glossy pages. + Great figures. + Good Explanations. - Pathetic binding, pages started falling out 1/4 of the way into the semester."
"Excellent guide to sedimentary processes, great for students."
"A very useful addition to geology library."
"Blah.... for the price the text is fuzzy and the pictures/figures all black and white and grainy."
"This book has tons of printing mistakes."
Best Specific Locations Geology
A complete guide to finding, collecting, and preparing the state’s gems & minerals.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"While this book is started to get a little dated, it still applies 90% of the time."
"Directions to some sites are really spot on, some are quite vague (something like, follow Forest Road 123 for 6.5 miles, but the road forks 3 or 4 times with no signs and you don't know what to follow)..."
"I have other books on rock hounding but this one covers a smaller area of the country which is excellent and purtains to one state and what you can find therem\."
"Highly instructive, a good read and worth the money."
"This book outlines what rocks can be found at a certain site and gives very detailed instructions and maps to the site."
";-). Garret Romaine has written several books and there's a reason Falcon picked him to write for them."
"My husband bought this for me as a surprise and it was a nice one."