Annals of the Former World -- Book Review
Annals of the Former World
By John McPhee
Farrar, Straus, & Giroux: New York. 1998
This is a magnificent book. I learned so much from it and it is beautifully written. It is quite long, 660 pages, and it took me a long time to read it, because I could only absorb a little bit at a time. But every page kept me engaged and attentive.
It is an introduction to geology. But it isn’t written like a geology textbook. It reads more like a novel than a textbook. It is written in a narrative style that zigs and zags and meanders but moves relentlessly forward in its intended direction. The premise is to introduce the geology of North America by driving across the continent on Interstate 80 from New York to San Francisco in the company of a series of experienced, professional geologists. Each geologist is an expert on a particular region, and as they go across the interstate, they stop to examine exposed rock formations where the road has been cut through them and thereby tell the story of the formation and geological history of the continent. It accomplishes this task very effectively. Most of the book is devoted to the geological development of the American Continent, which is an incredibly interesting and surprising story. But it goes far beyond that ambitious accomplishment. Before he reaches San Francisco he will cover in considerable detail, the history of geology as a science, the development of the theory of plate tectonics in the 1960s and the revolution it caused in geologists’ understanding of the earth, the formation of oil and other mineral deposits, the birth and development of the oceans, the ice ages, copper mines in Cyprus, the formation of the Hawaiian Islands, the Himalayas, the rocks brought back from the moon, Africa, Alaska, Macedonia, Scotland. He relates very personal biographies of the geologists who accompany him across stretches of the Interstate. He includes some very unique perspectives on the settlement of the American West.
It is an introduction to geology. But it isn’t written like a geology textbook. It reads more like a novel than a textbook. It is written in a narrative style that zigs and zags and meanders but moves relentlessly forward in its intended direction. The premise is to introduce the geology of North America by driving across the continent on Interstate 80 from New York to San Francisco in the company of a series of experienced, professional geologists. Each geologist is an expert on a particular region, and as they go across the interstate, they stop to examine exposed rock formations where the road has been cut through them and thereby tell the story of the formation and geological history of the continent. It accomplishes this task very effectively. Most of the book is devoted to the geological development of the American Continent, which is an incredibly interesting and surprising story. But it goes far beyond that ambitious accomplishment. Before he reaches San Francisco he will cover in considerable detail, the history of geology as a science, the development of the theory of plate tectonics in the 1960s and the revolution it caused in geologists’ understanding of the earth, the formation of oil and other mineral deposits, the birth and development of the oceans, the ice ages, copper mines in Cyprus, the formation of the Hawaiian Islands, the Himalayas, the rocks brought back from the moon, Africa, Alaska, Macedonia, Scotland. He relates very personal biographies of the geologists who accompany him across stretches of the Interstate. He includes some very unique perspectives on the settlement of the American West.
There are discussions of the formation and life cycles of rivers and lakes, glaciers, the origin and formation of various kinds of rocks and how geologists determine the ages of rocks and geologic formations such as oceans, lakes, rivers, and mountains. He has the best description I have ever seen of the California fault system and the mechanisms of earthquakes. He gives a very interesting, detailed description of the recent 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake near San Francisco. You gain a appreciation of the complexities of interpreting geological features and how understanding any geological feature requires a tremendous amount of study and reflection. Things are not always what they seem in geology. You can’t necessarily tell where something came from or how it got that way by looking at it. Interpreting any geological feature requires extensive background and informed study. What I found myself struggling with was the concept of geological time. It was hard for me to get a handle on the difference between 3 million years, 30 million years, 300 million years, and 3 billion years in terms of what developments and changes can take place in those time periods. One very good feature of the book is a series of charts at the very end on the last few pages that show the named geological ages and the periods of time that they cover. I referred to these charts again and again as I read this book. They were extremely helpful. It was a long book and I could point out many interesting passages and discussions on many different topics, but I will leave off with a very strong recommendation for a very informative, interesting and readable book.