Windows into the Earth: The Geologic Story of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks - Softcover

Smith, Robert B.; Siegel, Lee J.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0195105974 ISBN 13: 9780195105971

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2000

Synopsis

Millions of years ago, the North American continent was dragged over the world's largest continental hotspot, a huge column of hot and molten rock rising from the Earth's interior that traced a 50-mile wide, 500-mile-long path northeastward across Idaho. Generating cataclysmic volcanic eruptions and large earthquakes, the hotspot helped lift the Yellowstone Plateau to more than 7,000 feet and pushed the northern Rockies to new heights, forming unusually large glaciers to carve the landscape. It also created the jewel of the U.S. national park system: Yellowstone. Meanwhile, forces stretching apart the western U.S. created the mountainous glory of Grand Teton National Park. These two parks, with their majestic mountains, dazzling geysers, and picturesque hot springs, are windows into the Earth's interior, revealing the violent power of the dynamic processes within. Smith and Siegel offer expert guidance through this awe-inspiring terrain, bringing to life the grandeur of these geologic phenomena as they reveal the forces that have shaped--and continue to shape--the greater Yellowstone-Teton region. Over seventy illustrations--including fifty-two in full color--illuminate the breathtaking beauty of the landscape, while two final chapters provide driving tours of the parks to help visitors enjoy and understand the regions wonders. Fascinating and informative, this book affords us a striking new perspective on Earth's creative forces.

About this title

About the Author:

Robert B. Smith is a professor of geology and geophysics at the University of Utah and a fellow of the American Geophysical Union and the Geological Society of America. He has spent his career studying the Yellowstone-Teton region. Lee J. Siegel has written about science since 1976, most recently as science editor of The Salt Lake Tribune. He contributed to the Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption by The Daily News of Longview, Washington, and in 1996, he won the Utah Seismic Safety Commissions first annual Outstanding Contribution to Earthquake Safety in Utah Award.

Review:

"Geologist Smith and science writer Siegel team up to tell the exciting story of how Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks came to be."--Bob Decker, former director of the U.S. Geological Surveys Hawaiian Volcano Observatory and Professor Emeritus, Dartmouth College, and Barbara Decker, science writer

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0195105974
• ISBN 13: 9780195105971
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 256