Written in Stone: A Geological History of the Northeastern United States

by Maureen E. Raymo and Chet Raymo

Book Overview

Traces the geological changes in the Northeast since North America perched on the equator and dinosaurs were young. Includes Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Massachussetts, New Hampshire, Vermont... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1883789273
• ISBN13: 9781883789275
• Release Date: February 2001
• Publisher: Black Dome Press
• Length: 166 Pages
• Weight: 0.62 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.0" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

A gift from the Raymos

Remarkable and prolific, this couple, and especially Chet, must be driven, somehow, to share their wealth of knowledge with the rest of us. I know that Chet is a scientist, professor and teacher. Yet I never cease to wonder that along the way he and Maureen sould take the time and make the effort to share with us their knowledge, experience and insight. Written In Stone is a wonderful introduction to their world.

Perfect Read for the Lay

First off, this book was probably intended for Tourists. The lay. The casual reader somewhat interested in the targeted area's mountain history. As such, its simply a big hit! One reader said "boring in parts"? It's a small short book. I couldn't put it down. I suppose that reviewer might find Dr. Charles Merguerian more facinating. Look him up if you're aspiring for your PhD in the subject. This book was a quick fantastic read, easy for those who know little about the subject and highly informative for it's brevity. I vote this book most likely to make you pick up another book on Geological History! What higher praise is there?

A novel worth exploring

The book, Written in Stone is an interesting and informative method to clarify the early development of Earth. The authors, Chet and Maureen E. Raymo have allowed the reader to fully comprehend all of the novel's components by simplifying technical terms and applying vivid language into the text. The story encompasses readers and explains in great and careful detail how rock formations and layers can reveal clues concerning the past. Readers are informed further dealing with the journey of the continents from Pangea to their current locations. They also incorporate how mountains and valleys are formed due to shifts in platetonic activity. Regarding biology, it nicely integrates a comprehensive insight dealing with the first spark of life and how dinosaurs came to be. By observing fossils within rocks, they can provide hints of what the dinosaurs ate, where they resided and when they lived. This novel mainly focuses on the Northeast region of the United States which hosts many rock formations that influence global changes. Rocks and fossils in this region have also revealed information concerning the ice age and what initiated it. This book incorporates a lot of information regarding plant and animal life and is as useful to a geologist as it would be to an ecologist. It effectively uses graphics that go on to further explain the text which help to reinforce the whole concept of the book. It provides a fascinating adventure for the reader and is useful to expand their knowledge of how life on earth advanced, how rocks can reveal the past and how ecological history continues to greatly influence life on our planet today. It was a very good read that helped to expand my knowledge concerning the topic. Its use of easy yet effective language allows anyone to enjoy it and personally, I highly recommend Written in Stone.

Can't put it down

I was assigned this book to read by Raymo himself for his Earth Science college course. After buying all my books for the semester, I was looking through the pile. As an English major, I found it strange to be so drawn to a science book. I ended up reading the whole book that night, before the class even started. The beauty of Raymo is that he writes science like poetry.

Excellent read

I bought this book to learn more about the geologic history of New England. I was really surprised at how well written and informative this book ended up being. The first chapter alone nicely explains the Continental Drift Theory and Plate Tectonics. Later chapters tackled more complicated concepts but again did a nice job of summarizing the major aspects of how New England has changed and developed over time. This is a handy reference guide for graduate students or a great supplemental text for a high school Earth Science Honors class. A must read for anyone interested in geology.