Geology Underfoot

I have been a bit slow to acquire David Tucker's Geology Underfoot. And hence a bit slow to say anything about it. DT has assembled a series of geology excursions for western Washington with a level of detail and accuracy that is impressive. 

The cover of the book is a spectacular image of what a future Mount Rainier eruption may look like. The image warps around the book to the back. Orting, Sumner, Puyallup, Fife and the Tacoma waterfront will have some trouble with Rainier. 

IDT has to do what every geology guide book does - that is provide an introduction to geology and the big picture geology of the area with plate tectonics and what comes after. I always enjoy reading these sections, not to really learn any geology but to see how different geologists tackle the subject with a limited amount of pages. DT did the task about as well as any I have seen with some very good graphics and without fear even throwing in the complication of Baja BC for hard core tectonic folks. This section was not overly dumbed down.

The book provides 22 geology excursions with detail on how to get there and what to see. A good diverse selection to get a good taste of the diverse geologic features in western Washington. I went right to some of the places I have been to.

I believe DT provides the best write up I have seen on the Mima Mounds - site and subject that drives geologists crazy. DT runs through all the various theories and problems with all of the theories and includes even the latest ideas and observations. If you have any intent of visiting the Mima Mounds or trying to solve the mounds, you would be well advised to take a careful read of this trip.

The Bridge of the Gods, where a massive landslide blocked the Columbia River was well researched and fully up to date. Cheryl Staryed did not provide much in Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail. But DT will fill you in on the compelling story of this remarkable location with a very good historic perspective.

A good geology book to western Washington has been long overdue. DT provides it. There is a enough detail and explanation in each excursion to ensure that anyone that takes the trip with book in hand will learn something. That includes geologists and non geologists alike. And for geologists dragging friends along on excursions a great way to impress your friends.    

Wallula Gap Book

I have had this book for a couple of years. Where the Great River Bends is a compilation of natural and historic essays on Wallula Gap.

I have the personal opinion that the Gap may be the most underappreciated landscape features in Washington State. This book of essays on the geology, plant communities, and history further enhanced my own appreciation of this remarkable landscape. Good geology including how the gap was initially cut, not by the Columbia River, but by the Clearwater River - currently a tributary of the Snake. The river in the gap is slackwater from McNary Dam downstream of the gap. The book does a great job of explaining the secondary consequences of the river no longer have the massive floods through the gap followed by much lower water - not just on the river but on the surrounding uplands. As windy as the area northeast of the gap is, the dust and blowing sand are much diminished from the old days. Pacific Northwest history passed through the gap from Lewis and Clark, Hudson Bay Company traders, naturalist David Douglas and explorer John Thompson.  Today a great deal of commerce passes through the gap via barge and the railroads that line both sides of the gap. This is the route of the recently famous very heavy Powder River coal trains on the way to the coal port in British Columbia.

In a different era I ran and hiked the rim of the west side of the high cliffs above the Columbia River at this water gap accessing the area via back roads from Kennewick. It was one of the pleasures of living in Kennewick to have such a landscape nearby.