Why does a bit of ocean floor lie on top of Mt. Diablo? Why is Red Rock, that small, knobby island in San Francisco Bay, red? Why is Loma Prieta high? This book is for San Francisco Bay Area residents and visitors who want to explore the geologic world of this spectacular area, to learn about its shapes, colors, and rocky foundations. Doris Sloan illuminates the colorful geologic mosaic that surrounds San Francisco Bay and lucidly explains the complex and fascinating processes that have forged it over millions of years. In a lively and engaging style, Sloan describes forces such as the movement of tectonic plates, erosion, the waves on the coast, and human activity. She provides background information on the processes, time frame, and rocks that are the key to understanding the Bay Area landscape and geologic history, then turns to distinct regions of the Bay Area and to San Francisco Bay itself.
* Superbly illustrated with 139 color photographs, 41 drawings, and 29 maps * Covers Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma counties * Gives clear, nontechnical explanations of complex topics including plate tectonics and the Bay Area's fault systems * Suggests locales in parks and open space preserves to view Bay Area geology in action
Rezensionen / Stimmen
"This is a fascinating look at some of the world's most complex and engaging geology. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in an understanding of the beautiful landscape and dynamic geology of the Bay Area." - Mel Erskine, geological consultant "You can't really know the place where you live until you know the shapes and origins of the land around you. To feel truly at home in the Bay Area, read Doris Sloan's intriguing stories of this region's spectacular, quirky landscapes." - Hal Gilliam, author of Weather of the San Francisco Bay Region"
Reihe
Auflage
Sprache
Verlagsort
Produkt-Hinweis
Illustrationen
139 color photos, 41 line art, 31 maps
Maße
Höhe: 184 mm
Breite: 114 mm
Dicke: 23 mm
Gewicht
ISBN-13
978-0-520-24126-8 (9780520241268)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Klassifikation
Doris Sloan is Adjunct Professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Science at the University of California, Berkeley.
SECTION I OVERVIEW AND SOME BASIC GEOLOGY TO SET THE STAGE INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 1 THE SETTING AND THE PROCESSES THAT SHAPE IT Time: Human and Geologic Geological Processes: Shaping the Landscape At the Surface: Weathering and Erosion Where Sea Meets Land The Sand On (and Off) the Beach CHAPTER 2 THE PLATE TECTONIC FRAMEWORK The Dance of the Plates California's Dynamic Past The Bay Area's Network of Faults Squeezing the Bay Area The Bay Area's Complex Structure CHAPTER 3 THE REMARKABLE ROCKS OF THE BAY AREA The Foundation under our Feet: The 'Basement' Rocks The World-Famous Franciscan Complex Assembling the Franciscan Great Valley Complex Salinian Complex: Visitor from Down South The Younger Rocks: Emerging from the Sea Tertiary Volcanoic Rocks At the Top of the Heap SECTION II BAY AREA GEOLOGY CHAPTER 4 MARIN COUNTY - A DIVIDED LANDSCAPE The San Andreas Fault West of the San Andreas Fault Sierran Rocks in the Bay Area? East of the San Andreas Fault The Franciscan Complex The Great Valley Complex The Younger Rocks Some Special Places to Visit The Marin Headlands Ring Mountain: the Bay Area's Unusual Metamorphic Rocks Mt. Tamalpais: Cross-Section through Subduction CHAPTER 5 SAN FRANCISCO - GEOLOGY BENEATH THE PAVEMENT The Streams and Lakes that Once Were The City on the Dunes Ice-Age Sand Modern Sand along the Shore Under the City: The Rocky Foundation Alcatraz Terrane Marin Headlands Terrane San Bruno Mountain Terrane Melange Zones On Top of the Basement Rocks CHAPTER 6 THE BAY AND THE ISLANDS The Estuary and its Surprises Water that Flows 'Upstream' Secrets of the Sediments Early History of the Bay Marshes and Plains Around the Bay Islands in the Bay: the Drowned Landscape CHAPTER 7 THE PENINSULA: COAST, REDWOODS, AND BAY The Coastal Landscape The Land Uplifted Down to the Sea Faults That Carve Up the Peninsula The Basement Rocks A Record of Past Seas The Youngest Rocks of the Peninsula CHAPTER 8 THE SOUTH BAY The Valley That Was: The Santa Clara Valley South Bay Faults and Structure The South Bay's Diverse Rocks The Basement Rocks The South Bay Tertiary Rocks: From Sea to Land Volcanic Rocks Special Places to Explore Alum Rock Park: The Bay Area's Hot Spring Resort Almaden Quicksilver County Park CHAPTER 9 THE EAST BAY A Young Landscape The Delta, a Subsided Marsh Creeks that Go the Long Way Round The East Bay Fault System The Hayward Fault Rocks Old and Young The Mesozoic Subduction Record From Sea to Land The Livermore Valley Special Places to Explore Mount Diablo State Park Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve The East Bay Hills CHAPTER 10 THE NORTH BAY The Sonoma Coast: Lifted Up and Slumping Down Faults and Fault Slices The Hole in the Head Assembling the North Bay The Basement Rocks The Salinian Block Across the Fault Sidebar: Goat Rock State Beach After Subduction Ended The North Bay's Volcanic Eruptions Rivers and Bay SECTION III Credits Further Reading Glossary Index
