Synopses & Reviews
Millions of years ago, the North American continent was dragged over the world's largest continental hotspot, a huge column of hot and molten rock rising from the Earth's interior that traced a 50-mile wide, 500-mile-long path northeastward across Idaho. Generating cataclysmic volcanic eruptions and large earthquakes, the hotspot helped lift the Yellowstone Plateau to more than 7,000 feet and pushed the northern Rockies to new heights, forming unusually large glaciers to carve the landscape. It also created the jewel of the U.S. national park system: Yellowstone. Meanwhile, forces stretching apart the western U.S. created the mountainous glory of Grand Teton National Park. These two parks, with their majestic mountains, dazzling geysers, and picturesque hot springs, are windows into the Earth's interior, revealing the violent power of the dynamic processes within. Smith and Siegel offer expert guidance through this awe-inspiring terrain, bringing to life the grandeur of these geologic phenomena as they reveal the forces that have shaped--and continue to shape--the greater Yellowstone-Teton region. Over seventy illustrations--including fifty-two in full color--illuminate the breathtaking beauty of the landscape, while two final chapters provide driving tours of the parks to help visitors enjoy and understand the regions wonders. Fascinating and informative, this book affords us a striking new perspective on Earth's creative forces.
Review
"I love this book not only for its ground-breaking science, but for its insight and empathy into these beloved wildlands that offer so many of us sanctuary."--Terry Tempest Williams
"The terrifying birth of these glorious places of mountain vistas, geysers and hot springs is brought to life by geophysicist Smith and science writer Siegel in this magnificently illustrated book."--Denver Rocky Mountain News
"The spectacular geysers and hot springs of Yellowstone are the world's best. They are in part the remains of a gigantic volcanic explosion 630,000 years ago that was a thousand times larger than the 1980 eruptions of Mount St. Helens. They also portend future volcanic action in this beautiful wonderland. Geologist Smith and science writer Siegel team up to tell the exciting story of how Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks came to be."--Bob Decker is Professor Emeritus at Dartmouth College and Barbara Decker is a science writer
"Only a tiny percentage of the 3.1 million people visiting Yellowstone National Park each year have the foggiest notion that they have driven into the maw of one of the greatest volcanic systems on Earth. Bubbling mudpots and jetting geysers provide clues that a vast reservoir of heat lies at shallow depth, but one might well ask, 'Where's the volcano?' Bob Smith and Lee Siegel answer this question and many, many more. In guiding readers through this geologic wonderland, they explain both hot spots and heat flow, and how thousands of huge earthquakes in the recent geologic past accompanied the rise of the magnificent Teton Range just to the south. Those who believe Earth to be an inactive place are in for a rude awakening here!"--Richard S. Fiske, Geologist and former Director of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History
Review
"Geologist Smith and science writer Siegel team up to tell the exciting story of how Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks came to be."--Bob Decker, former director of the U.S. Geological Surveys Hawaiian Volcano Observatory and Professor Emeritus, Dartmouth College, and Barbara Decker, science writer