Great Basin Seafloor

Many people appreciate the stunning vistas of the GreatBasin desert; understanding the region's geological past canprovide a deeper way to know and admire this landscape. In The Great Basin Seafloor, Frank DeCourten immersesreaders in a time when the Basin was covered by a vastocean in which volcanoes exploded and sea life flourished. Written for a nontechnical audience, this bookinterprets the rock record left by more than 500 millionyears of oceanic activity, when mud and sand accumulatedand solidified to produce today's Great Basin across partsof modern Utah, Nevada, and California. DeCourtendeciphers clues within exposed slopes and canyons toreconstruct the vanished seafloor and its volcanic eventsand examines fossils to reveal once-thriving ancient marinecommunities. Supplemental material is available onlineto serve as a field guide for readers wishing to explore thisancient ocean themselves as they travel through the region.