Roadside Geology of Indiana

By Mark J. Camp

Hundreds of millions of years ago, warm, coral-rich seas deposited mud on the ocean floor, and in time it became limestone--the cornerstone of Indiana geology. From the fossil-studded rocks and twisting caverns of the southern hills to the coal seams of the Wabash Valley and the shifting sands of the glacial plains, Roadside Geology of Indiana provides a window to a vibrant and dynamic past. With this book as your guide, tour Indiana's timeworn topography and discover fossilized reefs, mastodon skeletons, geodes, buried bedrock valleys, and the site of a meteorite impact.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0878423966
• ISBN13: 9780878423965
• Release Date: June 1999
• Publisher: Mountain Press Publishing Company
• Length: 326 Pages
• Weight: 1.22 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

A Trek Into Indiana's Past

"Roadside Geology of Indiana" is a field guide perfect for anyone who wishes to learn about Indiana's ancient past by getting out and exploring the countryside. There is no better way to experience geology than to get outside and get one's hands dirty, and this book allows just that by providing a field trip excursion across every part of the state. Provided are outcrop sites and quarries to visit as well as brief histories of mining towns and other historical trivia related to Indiana's bedrock geology. Divided into routes along individual roadways, this book is a well-organized adventure from the Ordovician bedrock of southeastern Indiana through the Pleistocene glacial features that characterize the north. Need to pass through Indiana but want to learn something along the way? This book is perfect for Sunday evening drives or holiday layovers. So get out there and enjoy!

Excellent geology intro

As someone living in Indiana, I appreciate this book as an excellent introduction to Indiana geology. While much of the treatment is superficial, it covers a lot of ground and there isn't time to go into everything at much depth. It also provides substantial insight into historical use of surface and subsurface geological resources in the Hoosier state, and as such gives a taste of lifestyles over the last 150 years. Highly recommended.

Indiana actually has some geology

This is definitely one of the better books in this series (I own most of them). If you, like me, have always regarded Indiana as a place you have to drive through, you'll be as surprised as I to discover just how much interesting geology there is. It's a good read besides.

Excellent work -- the new standard; well illustrated.

Another great Roadside Geology work, this time better than most. Who would have thought that Indiana geology could come alive like this? The book is so well illustrated with maps, photographs and drawings that it is fun just to flip through. At the same time, there is enough science here (though well written for the layman) that it provides an intelligent, in-depth treatment of the subject. I recommend this to anyone in Indiana or nearby states; to anyone with an interest in mid-west geology; and to anyone with an interest in Indiana history and lore.