This book is for the San Francisco Bay area residents and visitors who want to explore the geologic world of this spectacular area, to learn about its shapes, colours, and rocky foundations. Doris Sloan illuminates the colourful 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. Background information on the processes, time frame, and rocks that are the key to understanding the Bay Area landscape and geologic history are also provided.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS SECTION I: OVERVIEW AND SOME BASIC GEOLOGY TO SET THE STAGE / INTRODUCTION / 1. THE SETTING AND THE PROCESSES THAT SHAPE IT / 2. THE PLATE TECTONIC FRAMEWORK / 3. THE REMARKABLE ROCKS OF THE BAY AREA SECTION II: BAY AREA GEOLOGY / 4. MARIN COUNTY - A DIVIDED LANDSCAPE / 5. SAN FRANCISCO - GEOLOGY BENEATH THE PAVEMENT / 6. THE BAY AND THE ISLANDS / 7. THE PENINSULA: COAST, REDWOODS, AND BAY / 8. THE SOUTH BAY / 9. THE EAST BAY / 10. THE NORTH BAY
Doris Sloan is Adjunct Professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Science at the University of California, Berkeley.
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"