For people interested in the subject generally I highly recommend John McPhee's anthology "Annals of the Former World." Actually I highly recommend everything John McPhee has written but this is a good start :).
For people interested in the subject generally I highly recommend John McPhee's anthology "Annals of the Former World." Actually I highly recommend everything John McPhee has written but this is a good start :).
I just finished Annals of the Former World. It's essentially a 700 page-long ode to geology, using scientific terms for their prosody as much as their meaning. I once saw someone else remark that "Rising from the Plains" was the greatest western ever written.
I used to think geology was a dumb science, but this book single-handedly made me obsessed with the topic. Geology is really more like "earth history" and it's a startlingly young field, a dynamic which plays out across the volumes.
References to his books should carry a warning - something to the effect of:
"may inspire circuitous road trips involving many stops dangerously examining road-cuts on busy interstate highways"
I would pay good money for a field guide/itinerary to accompany "Assembling California".
More directly related to the Green River, I found Wayne Ranney's "Carving Grand Canyon: Evidence, Theories, and Mystery" an accessible/engaging intro to deep geological mysteries.
And if you manage to wade through that tome, Myron Cook's Youtube channel [1] is an excellent place to continue your exploration of geology.
1. https://www.youtube.com/@myroncook
I can also recommend: "The Earth: An Intimate History" by Richard Fortey
Second for John McPhee! Also Rising From the Plains.
Can vouch for his “Oranges” too! A phenomenal writer