Book Recommendation

I am hoping to find a good book that covers the geology of the Adirondacks. Formation, bedrock types, glaciation etc.

I stopped into the Mountaineer in Keene hoping to find such a book without any luck.

Thanks

I have this one in my Adirondack library:

http://www.amazon.com/Geology-Adiro...=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1297788733&sr=1-1

The Adirondack Museum has a very large book store you might check out sometime.

http://www.adirondackmuseumstore.com/

There may be more at the museum than is seen on-line.

In Google, enter "geology of the mount marcy quadrangle" and "geology of the lake placid quadrangle" (and other area quads you might be interested in). You should be able to bring up the entire book in PDF format. In the late 1800s and early 1900s NYS sent geologists out into the field and they conducted geologic mapping studies of the area, published in the "Bulletin of the New York State Museum" series. It's fascinating stuff and in great detail. Some of the books are in Google books and may also be found in the New York State Library digital collections.

For the Quads, see HERE . Another site with quads HERE .

Little Rickie knows.

The "Geology of New York: a Simplified Account" published by the NYS Museum is pretty good. Lots of good maps and photographs as well. I think it actually came with a geologic map of NYS when I ordered it.

Like the title says, it covers the whole state but a lot of it covers the Adirondacks. I bring it with me every time I head north.

The Roadside Geology series is also pretty good. Obviously, you'd want the NY one. There's one for every state.

When it comes to glaciation, "Glaciers and Glaciation" by Ben and Evans is the source to go to. It's not Adirondack specific but there might be references in it on Whiteface et al. Actually, I just flipped through the index really quick...nope. NY, yes. Long Island, yes but nothing specific to the Adirondacks.

Good Luck. Let us know what you find.

IndianChris said:

Little Rickie knows.

The "Geology of New York: a Simplified Account" published by the NYS Museum is pretty good. Lots of good maps and photographs as well. I think it actually came with a geologic map of NYS when I ordered it.

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I think "Geology of New York: a Simplified Account" is what I am looking for. There is a large chapter on the Adirondacks. Thanks for the tip.

Chris, is that the book you lent me to read? Sorry to say that I didn't check it out, tough to read with a short attention span these days, to many meds.

"Written in Stone" by Chet Raymo and Maureen Raymo is a good little book about the Northeast for those who haven't much clue about geology.

coldfeet said:

Chris, is that the book you lent me to read? Sorry to say that I didn't check it out, tough to read with a short attention span these days, to many meds.

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No bro...I think I lent you 'Contested Terrain'...more about the history of the people who settled the area.

audrey said:

"Written in Stone" by Chet Raymo and Maureen Raymo is a good little book about the Northeast for those who haven't much clue about geology.

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And that sounds like a good one too. My library has it. Think I'll pick it up next week. Thanks.

audrey said:

"Written in Stone" by Chet Raymo and Maureen Raymo is a good little book about the Northeast for those who haven't much clue about geology.

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Finished it a few weeks ago...pretty interesting, thanks. I like the part about the isthmus (basically Central America) between North and South America and how it may support the theory that it's appearance caused the lastest ice age.

Cool stuff.

Keep the recs comming!

Anything you can find written by Robert Balk:
Born in Estonia, Balk came to the United States in 1924 with a doctorate in geology from Breslau to assume a position as assistant in the department of geology at Columbia University. He was appointed, in May 1925, to map the geology of Newcomb Quadrangle, the greater part being in Essex County. “Primary Structure of the Adirondack Anorthosite,” published March 1929, is one of the many articles Dr. Balk researched and wrote for the Geological Society of America Bulletin. He taught at Hunter College, 1928-1935, all the while pursuing independent field study on weekends and holidays. While an associate with the New York Geological Survey, he began an intensive study of the Adirondack Shield. Instead of establishing headquarters at some hotel or village as was the custom, he carried his food and lodging in a pack and camped on top of outcrops and at the foot of cliffs. As he was an expert climber, nothing escaped him, his specialty being the structural geology of igneous and metamorphic rocks. The number of days and nights he spent in the Adirondacks and in the Johns.
The most accessible text about the Adirondacks written by Robert Balk is a forty-three page chapter entitled “The Geologic Story of the Mountains.” It was included in the 1942 publication of The Friendly Mountains, Green, White, and Adirondacks. From the first few words, and in an immediately captivating way, Dr. Balk conveys his deep love and knowledge of the mountains:
The Friendly Mountains are old. They seem wise, like aged folk wrapped in shawls of deep green, who, having experienced aeons of geologic past now contemplate their life through mists of time. These ranges have forgotten more experiences than the young alpine chains of the west have yet known. They have lived through so many millenniums that they can afford to be tolerant of the little humans that swarm over them like ants. These ranges are venerable... It has been said that when men and mountains come together great things take place. Certainly large ideas are born, and great questions posed.

PS: the above is an excerpt from the chapter I authored for “Heaven Up-h’isted-ness” the very recently published 46ERS book.