Lon Abbott
Autor de Geology Underfoot in Northern Arizona
Sobre El Autor
Lon Abbott is a geology professor at Prescott College
Obras de Lon Abbott
Etiquetado
Conocimiento común
- Género
- male
Miembros
Reseñas
También Puede Gustarte
Autores relacionados
Estadísticas
- Obras
- 5
- Miembros
- 79
- Popularidad
- #226,897
- Valoración
- 4.4
- Reseñas
- 1
- ISBNs
- 4
For a book directed at lay people, this is very much up to date, incorporating some new work that I wasn’t familiar with (specifically discussion of the “Mid-Tertiary Ignimbrite Flare-Up”). There are numerous color illustrations; some are pretty pictures of rock outcrops but may are isometric or cross section drawings that excellently supplement text explanations of the geology; I was particularly impressed by the discussion of the multiple pediment surfaces visible around Boulder and Rocky Flats, and the use of North Table Mountain, South Table Mountain, and Green Mountain near Golden to illustrate the Tertiary Rocky Mountain Erosional Surface. The authors also discuss multiple working hypotheses for some geological features – for example, is the Pike’s Peak Batholith a remnant of an old mantle plume or related to the Rio Grande Rift?
I have some minor quibbles. The sites in the book are presented from north (State Line kimberlites) to south (Trinidad Lake KT Boundary clays) rather than in geochronological order. Since each chapter is stand alone, this requires authors Lon Abbot and Terri Cook to explain some things several times – particularly the Yavapai Orogeny. In turn, that means each explanation is less thorough than it could be and some illustrations seem out of place. The authors also seem a little weak on ore genesis and mining technology (I should stress I’m not necessarily up-to-date on these things myself, so the apparent fault may be with me). In the chapter on the Cripple Creek mining district it’s implied that gold concentration is a result of magmatic rather than hydrothermal processes; in the chapter on Idaho Springs it’s stated that the yellow color of old mine tailings is due to sulfur compounds (AFAIK it’s from hydrated iron oxides) and that the purpose of smelting is to “melt” ore (it’s to reduce it – i.e., deoxidize it).
There are no end notes or footnotes, but each chapter has its own reference list. The references seem a little sparse, and I’m surprised Roadside Geology of Colorado isn’t mentioned, despite being from the same publisher. Nevertheless this is an excellent book and I plan on working my way through a lot of the trips mentioned.… (más)