Take a road trip through deep time and California history, with a friendly expert geologist at the wheel.
From its epic earthquakes to its famed epithet "the Golden State," California as we know it would not exist without geology. Gary L. Prost, an expert geologist born and raised in California, embarked on a quest to better understand the state's rocky history. His road trips have culminated in Rocks and Riches, an accessible and entertaining look at the land that has shaped the lives of all Californians. With humor and abiding curiosity, Prost examines the workings of deep time, the fascinating and troubled legacies of the Gold Rush, and the ways geology continues to influence life in California today. Visiting 56 stops of geologic interest, he traverses the Marin and Sonoma coasts, the Central Valley, the Sierra Foothills, Yosemite, and the Basin and Range country, ending with an extended journey through Death Valley to meditate on the awe-inspiring intensity of California's deserts. Including dozens of illustrations and road maps, as well as guidance for fellow travelers, Rocks and Riches is both a practical handbook and an invitation to see California's landscapes with wonder.
Preface
A Very Brief Introduction to California Geology
It’s About Time
Jurassic Coast
Plate Tectonics Means Constant Change
Chapter 1 - Coast Ranges
Marin Headlands
Stop 1 - Pillow Basalts at Point Bonita Lighthouse
Stop 2 - Deformed Franciscan Ribbon Cherts
Mount Tamalpais and San Francisco Bay
Stop 3 - Rock Springs Trailhead Serpentinite
Stop 4 - Tamalpais Summit and the Evolution of San Francisco Bay
The San Andreas Fault
Stop 5 - Bear Valley Visitor Center and the San Andreas Fault
Point Reyes National Seashore
Stop 6 - Point Reyes Lighthouse
Stop 7 - Drake’s Beach
Mayacamas Mountains
Stop 8 - Petrified Forest, Calistoga
Stop 9 - The Geysers
The Sonoma Volcanics
Stop 10 - Palisades of the Sonoma Volcanics
Stop 11 - Glass Mountain
Napa Valley and the Terroir of Wine
Stop 12 - Quintessa Vineyards
Chapter 2 – The Central Valley
The Great Valley Sequence
Stop 13 - The Great Valley Sequence at Monticello Dam
The Devil’s Thicket
Stop 14 - Mount Diablo
Chapter 3 - Gold Rush Country
The Sierra Foothills
Stop 15 - Empire Mine State Historic Park
Stop 16 - Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park
Stop 17 - Pre-Sierra Nevada Stream Gravels, I-80 Roadcut at Gold Run
Stop 18 - Sutter’s Mill and Gold Discovery State Historic Park, Coloma
Placerville
Stop 19 Gold Bug Park and Mine
Stop 20 El Dorado County Historical Museum
Chapter 4 - Sierra Nevada
Yosemite National Park and Yosemite Valley
Stop 21 - Tunnel View Point
The High Country
Stop 22 - Olmsted Point and Tenaya Lake
Stop 23 - Lembert Dome and Tuolumne Meadows
Stop 24 - Glacial Till
Stop 25 - Tioga Pass and Mount Dana View
Chapter 5 – Basin-and-Range
The Eastern Slope
Stop 26 - Sierra Nevada Metavolcanic Roof Pendant at Tioga Lake
Stop 27 - Pre-Sierra Nevada Metasediments, Ellery Lake
Stop 28 - Lateral Moraine
Mono Lake and Lee Vining
Stop 29 - Mono Basin Scenic Area Visitor Center
Stop 30 - Tufa Pinnacles at Mono Lake
Bodie and Travertine Hot Springs
Stop 31 - Bodie State Historic Park and Ghost Town
Stop 32 - Travertine Hot Springs
The Long Valley Caldera and Sierra Escarpment
Stop 33 Wilson Butte, Inyo Craters
Stop 34 Sierra Nevada Fault View
Mammoth Mountain and Devils Postpile National Monument
Stop 35 - Earthquake Fault
Stop 36 - Mammoth Mountain
Stop 37 - Minaret Vista
Stop 38 - Devils Postpile National Monument
Owens Valley
Stop 39 - Convict Lake
Stop 40 - McGee Creek Scarp
Stop 41 - Bishop Tuff and Volcanic Tablelands
Stop 42 - Owens Valley Fault
Stop 43 - Alabama Hills
Stop 44 - Sierra Nevada Fault
Death Valley National Park
Stop 45 - Father Crowley Overlook
Stop 46 - Mosaic Canyon
Stop 47 - Mesquite Flats Dunes
Stop 48 - Furnace Creek Visitor Center
Stop 49 - Zabriskie Point
Stop 50 - Artist’s Palette
Stop 51 - Devil’s Golf Course
Stop 52 - Badwater Basin
Stop 53 - Mormon Point and the Copper Canyon Turtleback
Stop 54 - Split Cinder Cone
Stop 55 - Resting Spring Pass
Epilogue
Acknowledgements
Bibliography
Glossary
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