Roadside Geology of Northern California (Roadside Geology Series)

Rating:
Summary: Handy roadcut rock guide -- but could be much more specific
Review: Alt and Hyndman provide an interesting summary of rock types encountered on a good variety of Northern CA highways. In plain language, they partially unravel the complicated, contorted geology of northern CA as seen through the roadcuts and park drives. This book's biggest deficiency, compared to others in the Roadside Geology series, is its failure to provide specific names and formation periods for many roadside rock layers mentioned, especially in the Sierras, Klamaths and Modoc Plateau. This info is a valuable time-saver for an amateur rockhound. For numerous excellent examples of the naming and dating I am talking about, read Roadside Geology of Texas by Darwin Spearing. Despite this important flaw (for the rockhound who catalogs his specimens), I recommend this book for anyone interested in geology who will be travelling across northern CA.