GRAND CANYON by J.L.Powell/Geology/History/Earth Science/NEW/HB/DJ/Illustrated

Description: Description: A stirring story of how scientists unraveled the story of the creation of the Grand Canyon. From the publisher’s blurb: “The centerpiece of scenic grandeur in the American West is the Grand Canyon, one of the great natural wonders of the world. How it came to be has captured the imagination not only of millions of visitors to the canyon, but for over 135 years, the best American geologists as well. They recognized that the Colorado River carved this scenic masterpiece, but exactly when and how it did so eluded them. Only in the last few years has a consensus begun to emerge and now, for the first time, author James Lawrence Powell tells the fascinating story of how the mystery came to be solved. Not only have geologists discovered the reasons for the majestic width and depth of the Canyon, they have found that at one time the Colorado River ran through it in the opposite direction. At another time, hundreds of feet of gravel buried an ancestor of today's Colorado River. Then erosion removed the gravel and resurrected the river, in what James Lawrence Powell has dubbed the Lazarus Theory. Readers of this book will discover and rediscover a great American river—one of astonishing energy and power, a majestic rival to the celebrated Mississippi. Beginning in the Colorado Rockies, the river cuts its way first across the Colorado Plateau and then the Basin and Range Province, finally to reach the sea in the Gulf of California. This river of "liquid sandpaper" today sometimes drops 15 feet per mile; by contrast, the gentle Mississippi rolls across the plains to the Gulf of Mexico at a gradient of a few inches per mile. Ultimately, the waters of the Colorado are not only key to understanding the geology of the West, but also to the management of our most precious western resource. What makes James Lawrence Powell's narrative so compelling, apart from the grandeur of its subject, is the richness of the characters who participated in this detective story. John Wesley Powell, the most famous of the nineteenth-century Canyon expedition leaders, the man for whom Lake Powell is named, discovered key geologic principles that helped to crack the puzzle. His two brilliant assistants, Grove Karl Gilbert and Clarence Dutton, built on Major Powell's findings to make historic scientific advances. Indeed, James Lawrence Powell shows how Dutton's work in the Grand Canyon led directly to our modern understanding of Continental Drift and Plate Tectonics. Twentieth-century geology of the Canyon culminated at a meeting in 2000 on the Canyon rim at which geologists debated the Lazarus Theory and other ideas far into the night. The solution on which they converged resonated around the world. The 16 pages of photographs Powell collected for this sweeping tale bring to life the people and places of the story. The maps and geological time charts are useful references as to when and where the action took place. James Lawrence Powell has created a work of nonfiction that is an eloquent, educating, and exciting ride down to the bedrock of the American West and its most spectacular sight.” About the Author: James Lawrence Powell is Executive Director of the National Physical Science Consortium, and former Director and President of the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History. He taught geology for twenty years at Oberlin College, where he also served as Acting President. He is the author of Night Comes to the Cretaceous and Mysteries of Terra Firma. VISIT MY EBAY STORE FOR OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST(Click This Link) PLEASE INQUIRE ABOUT DISCOUNTS ON MULTIPLE PURCHASES Shipping: Free media rate shipping in US. International shipping as appropriate (See shipping and Payments tab on this listing page for further details). We make every attempt to describe items clearly and completely. Please read our listings carefully, inspect posted images of the item, and let us know if you have any questions before you bid. All buyers must pay according to Ebay policies. If you have any questions about this, please email me. International bidders should contact me for a quote on shipping before bidding. Whenever possible, international shipping will be via Ebay Standard International Delivery. Import duties, taxes and charges are not included in the item price or shipping charges. These charges are the buyer's responsibility. Please check with your country's customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to bidding/buying.

Price: 10 USD

Location: Riverside, Rhode Island

End Time: 2024-11-12T15:58:29.000Z

Shipping Cost: 0 USD