 Geology Underfoot in Northern Arizona
by Lon Abbott and Terri Cook
Mountain Press Publishing Company
2007, 321 pages, $18.00, paperback
Did you know that the extremely rich copper ore deposits at Jerome spouted from small “springs” at the bottom of a sea almost two billion years ago? That the Verde River started flowing two million years ago when a large lake with no outlet eventually filled with 5,300 feet of sediment and overflowed into the area where Phoenix now sprawls?
You can’t travel anywhere in northern Arizona without seeing the landscape attempting to tell you its ancient story. Most of us need translators to understand the language of stone; Abbott and Cook, Prescott College professors, do that for us, interpreting the geologic history of 20 fascinating sites.
They explain geologic processes so clearly that non-geologists can easily understand them. And if you’re like me, you’ll end up harboring a little bit of regret that you didn't choose to become a geologist when you were major-hopping in college. Their stories include human interaction with the landscape, such as the building of Glen Canyon Dam, and the process of scientific inquiry, such as what the led scientists from believing that Meteor Crater was volcanic to realizing that it's origin is actually extraterrestrial.
If you believe—like I did—that the San Francisco Peaks are a caldera, read this book. If you think Prescott’s geology isn’t as interesting as Sedona’s, read this book. If you’re curious about lava dams, dinosaur tracks, petrified wood, immense dune desserts, and humongous volcanic eruptions, read this book.
Intended as a field guide, Geology Underfoot in Northern Arizona provides maps with directions; diagrams and photographs also supplement the sometimes-poetical text. But don’t think you have to be on-site to enjoy this book. It’s fun to read in your armchair, too. I loved it.
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