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Brilliant organizational idea, great information

Customer Rating:
The idea of examining American geology a slice at a time by following I-80 from east to west was brilliant.

In this particular volume, McPhee deals with the Great Basin portion of that travelogue geology. There's a lot more than meets the eye -- especially the untrained eye not native to the Great Basin -- in the mountains and valleys of the Silver State, McFhee shows.

Basin and Range - Get this book!

Customer Rating:
I bought the book Basin and Range recently. This is being passed around the household now and is being fought over. Everyone says its a really good book.

Very interesting for lay people interested in geology

Customer Rating:
The parralells the author draws between the eastern seaboard during the breakup of North America from Europe to the Great Basin and what is going on there was fascinating to me. McPhee helps you understand the processes geologists go through in a way that is interesting to the lay person.

The projective nature of lookin at what the continent will look like millions of years down the road was also fascinating, with a major rift zone either along the Sierra Nevada or the Wasatch front, it certainly made the mountains and valleys come to life in my native state.

Between "Basin and Range" and two books about the Geology of Utah by Hintze and Stokes, Utahns are blessed with an abundance of interesting geology books that will help the novice along and make a simple drive in the country a fascinating tour of what was and what will be.

There's more to Nevada than Las Vegas..........

Customer Rating:
John McPhee's Basin and Range is a layman's geology explaining the formation of mountains and valleys between the Great Salt Lake and the Sierra Nevadas. McPhee intersperses his geology with an alluring mix of personal insight and travelogue commentary which enlivens an otherwise potentially dry subject matter. McPhee makes geology approachable and uncovers the deep intrigue of a science which can be punishing when presented in textbook style. Basin and Range is a short, interesting, and enjoyable explanation of the earth's early shifts of magnitude.

GREAT BOOK- BASIN AND RANGE

Customer Rating:
John McPhee's Basin and Range kept me wanting to read more, right up to the very end. His style was very interesting, keeping his story on basin and range full of knowledge. He describes two of North America's past basin and range provinces. An ancient one which was once along America's eastern seaboard and the active basin and range which is centered in Nevada. Even for those who are not knowlegdable on geology this is an easily understood book. I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys to read, especially someone that is interested in learning about our natural environment.