(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best geology books

I'm not local, but here are some resources you may look into:

A list of gem/mineral clubs in South Carolina. I'm sure that other /r/rockhounds will back me up when I say that joining a club is a great way to meet people who know where to go to find the goods. Clubs also often go out on field trips periodically, including to spots you can't access as an individual.

Here is a general article on the geology of upcountry SC.

A list of upcoming mineral shows. Your best bet might be the Augusta, GA show in March. Shows are another solid place to meet some folks who might give you some pointers, and a great place to get your very early (or very late) Christmas shopping done!

GatorGirl's list for general-interest geology stuff in your state. You might cut your teeth on a commercial site, like the listed Diamond Hill Mine before venturing out on your own.

I couldn't find any rockhounding guides for your state, but Michael Streeter's A Rockhounding Guide to North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains seems well-received on Amazon. One of the reviewers mentions that it gives GPS coords for the sites, which is an absolute godsend. Rock, Gem, and Mineral Collecting Sites in Western North Carolina is another option, but many reviews mention that several sites are no longer open to collecting. It might be worth a read, anyways. And as more of a general overview, you might try a "Roadside Geology" style book like Exploring the Geology of the Carolinas. Your local library may have a copy of some of those.

And, for all of your rock database needs: here is the full Mindat page for finds listed in your state -- towards the bottom, you can select a specific county to narrow things down a bit. Mindat's pretty comprehensive and often has great pictures to help you know what to look for when you hunt, although many of the specimens were collected from private land or closed sites.

If it's not too much of a drive, here is an older post I made regarding rockhounding in North Carolina.

Be aware of the local laws and always keep the Code of Ethics in mind!

With regards to tools required, that depends on exactly what you're looking for! If you're just digging in dirt, a shovel and/or trowel may be all you need. If you see yourself breaking open hard rock, you may need a geologist's hammer and safety glasses. In general, you'll want to bring proper outdoor attire, a buddy to hunt with (and drink your beer, find the good specimens, and go for help if you get hurt!), lunch, a bucket to carry your finds home, and paper towels to wrap delicate specimens in. I'd definitely recommend going on a couple club outings before striking out alone, though.

Good luck!

Really any beach you can find them but not all beaches are equal. I don't know the best beaches or areas in Michigan however I do know what to look for in a good beach. You want to find a beach with a river next or near it. You also want a good variety of rocks if you find a beach with one kind of rock odds are not as good. On the North Shore you want a Rhyolite or Basalt base basalt being better (I assume the same rules apply for the UP). Look for gas bubbles in the rocks, agates formed in those so the larger the gas bubbles the larger the agates. Best rock picking conditions are after a storm if you are lucky enough to have one happen when you are up there odds are a few good ones will be kicked up by the waves. I also suggest invest in a rock book or two you can generally find them at local rock shops. Rock shops are also a great way of seeing local treasurers and rock shop owners are generally more than happy to talk rocks. Avoid popular beaches they get picked over more quickly you want to find beaches that are harder to get to. In the end it is really just trial and error just look for beaches and check them out even if they don't meet the criteria I mentioned they are still worth a look you never know. Once you are at the beach remember like sized agates are in like sized rocks, if you want a bunch of smaller ones look in smaller rocks or if you are looking for the money rock look in rock piles with larger rocks. I hope this info helped and happy rock hunting.

Hey man. I have been helping students prepare for the FG exam for the past year or so. I am going to try and answer your questions as best as I can, but please feel free to ask more if you want.

1. Those REG Review guides will work fine. You can buy updates, if you like, from their website. However, I usually stress not to take REG Review as gospel. There are several errors within their study guide book, and the quizzes. I am not a big fan of the books, but they do give the individual a good place to start. If you see something in the book/quizzes that you feel is off, take the time to research it. It will help you tremendously.
   
   
2. There are many online practice tests for 101 courses, mineralogy, petrology, glaciology, and many more. They are usually study guides or practice tests from university classes, available online for students, or associated with textbooks. Search these out, or make your own study guides or quizzes. Use pictures and diagrams and construct fill in the blank practice quizzes.
   
   In regards to the practice exams, keep in mind two things-- they are much harder than the actual exam, and it is impossible to know everything.
   
   
3. Save your money, there are plenty of online resources. Email an old professor or TA and ask if they can give you some old quizzes or handouts (yes, I know this is easier said than done). I had a few professors send me some old tests, but I think I just got lucky.
   
   
4. Eh, pretty much. Add relative age dating.
   
   
5. I used my old textbook to study, but there are structural lab manuals online.
   
   Textbook-- http://www.barnesandnoble.com/p/structural-geology-of-rocks-and-regions-george-h-davis/1116750487/2674186308854?st=PLA&sid=BNB_DRS_Marketplace+Shopping+Textbooks_00000000&2sid=Google_&sourceId=PLGoP20456&k_clickid=3x20456
   
   This is an older edition. But for $3; who gives a shit?
   
   Lab Manual-- http://www.usouthal.edu/geography/allison/GY403/StructuralGeologyLabManual.pdf
   
   
6. Study with friends. Run through some practice tests or exams and study what you missed. Remember that you will not know everything, and that is okay. The test is scored on a gradient, more or less. Stick with the basics.
   
   Be sure to set aside time to study and don't freak out.
   
   Hope I helped!
   
   Edit: Here are a few websites that may help you study:
   
   Physical Geology Textbook supplemental material:
   http://highered.mheducation.com/sites/0072402466/sitemap.html?Qui
   
   More Physical Geology practice quizzes:
   http://www.uwgb.edu/dutchs/Exams/ExamMaster.HTM
   
   Mineralogy and Geochem:
   
   http://www.gly.uga.edu/railsback/FundamentalsIndex.html
   
   I do not remember much geochem on the FG exam when I took it. But it doesn't hurt to brush up a little.
   
   Also, if you feel the need to purchase a historical book, I recommend "Evolution of the Earth" by Donald Prothero. Even though it pains me to recommend it, dude's a Class A creeper, the book is really good. Buy an older edition like the seventh or so. The only difference I remember between seventh and eighth edition are a few side notes about hominids. Pretty much moot between the two.

Hi there and congratulations on your acceptance to such an excellent choice of degree!

Your A-levels will serve you very well here, though once you start to get your teeth into the geology degree properly you may be surprised at the amount of chemistry involved! Anyway, a virtually identical question was posted here a few days ago, so I’ll regurgitate my answer from that thread:

Seeing as you mentioned A-Level you must be in the UK, so check out The Geology of Britain by Peter Toghill. Its at A-level standard, so shouldn’t cause you much trouble at the moment and will be very readable once you’ve made a little headway in the first year. It also has lovely large colour photographs and illustrations throughout, which is particularly useful when just starting to read about these things. Which uni are you off to? Probably many of the locations in the Toghill book you will end up going on field trips to.

A dictionary of geology terms is essential for first year (and all years really), the Oxford one is great. For getting to grips with the basics of thin sections, I also found this little handbook absolutely invaluable.

If you are more inclined towards the paleontology side of things, then I quite like this book too. Again, I would say it’s written at an A-level depth, and is actually much more than just the title suggests. After the initial pages with global paleomaps it covers many key periods in Earth history and the history of life.

Fossils at a Glance by Milsom & Rigby is a nice introduction to many key fossils and I like the way it has info laid out on a two page spread for each organism/topic, makes for a great reference.

Somebody else in the previous thread also recommended Earth Story: The Shaping of Our World by Simon Lamb, as a regular book to just read casually which introduces all the key concepts of geology.

I knew you would have some mega response to that like the scholar that you are. Have you ever heard of a tube agate? Or an eye agate? A simple google search will educate you, but I have the feeling in some way you will continue to believe what you want to believe to make yourself feel better. If you can't tell what it is based on the picture, then maybe sit out the comment section or say "hey thats neat, i don't know what that is." and carnelian agate found in MN...cmon guy. Blue agate? Just give it up, they come in more colors than 3 basic versions. There are gray lake superior agates, white ones, yellow ones, yes even RED ones. I am sorry that they came in those colors and some of them tricked you.

In an effort to resolve this bizarre argument you conjured I am going to drop some links to books about Lake Superior Agates. Your local library is a good way to read about this stuff for free as well.


https://www.amazon.com/This-Agate-Illustrated-Superiors-Michigan/dp/0970734204/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1467952203&sr=8-16&keywords=lake+superior+agate

https://www.amazon.com/Amazing-Agates-Superiors-Banded-Gemstone/dp/0979200695/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1467952203&sr=8-12&keywords=lake+superior+agate


https://www.amazon.com/Storied-Agate-Unique-Superior-Agates/dp/1591933099/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1467952203&sr=8-7&keywords=lake+superior+agate

https://www.amazon.com/Superior-Agates-Minerals-Identification-Guides/dp/1591932823/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1467952203&sr=8-4&keywords=lake+superior+agate


https://www.amazon.com/Agate-Hunting-Made-Easy-Superior/dp/1591933269/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1467952203&sr=8-1&keywords=lake+superior+agate


https://www.amazon.com/Agates-Lake-Superior-Stunning-Varieties/dp/159193303X/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1467952203&sr=8-3&keywords=lake+superior+agate

So it sounds like you are looking for some thing at the pretty basic level?

For David Attenborough books, try something coffee-table-y like the Smithsonian Earth guide. It's about much more than geo, but it's got everything you listed above and lots of pretty pictures and interesting things.

For something more academic, but still introductory, try Understanding Earth. Easy to read yet descriptive. If you don't want to pay $120, try going back a couple of editions.

One more step up might be Planet Earth: Cosmology, Geology, and the Evolution of Life and Environment which has a few less pretty pictures and a few more maths (optional). Even though this book is supposedly "below" my educational level I still love it. I also wish I'd read it back when I was first starting down the scientific path - it really covers the basics of just about everything you'd every need to know.

She likely has a lot of technical stuff that she would need, and probably lots of mineral samples too. I recommend Annals of the Former World by John McPhee. It's a series of books on geology across North America. The author isn't a geologist, but he traveled extensively with geologists. It won the 1999 Pulitizer Prize.

(And maybe a gift receipt, just in case!) :) Also, it's super cool of you to do this. You're good people!

Michigan does have a lot of interesting stuff going on, for sure. I think the LP gets ignored a bit in this regard due to a general lack of vertical relief and surface geological features, but there have been interesting mineral specimens found throughout the state. The lower peninsula is largely a sedimentary basin, which at the center has about 16,000 feet of later geology resting atop the Shield underneath, a very different world from the northern Ontario I grew up in.

Some of the most amazing celestine in the world actually comes from mines in otherwise flat and non-geologically inspiring SE Michigan (much from quarries and thus not far from the surface), including out of the Detroit salt mines.

A good book to grab for the individual beauties is Michigan Rocks and Minerals, which delightfully includes range maps for where one is likely to find specimens, and gives a decent overall picture of the geology of the entire state.

​

For general geology Marshak's Portrait of a Planet is a really good place to start, then for sedimentology, Sedimentary Rocks in the Field is great and does exactly what it says. Sedimentary Structures by Collinson I found quite useful and then something like Facies Models 4 to get a better idea of facies analysis.

As far as hydrogeology goes, I've just finished my hydrogeology module at university and haven't been recommended any books. The lecturer wasn't great and because a lot of the books seem to be quite old or just poorly written none of us used them. I think searching for individual topics and papers may be your best chance, then hopefully they'll lead you to something useful. Sorry I can't be of more help on that area.

Go to the library and look for a historical geology textbook. You will probably have everything you need if you find just one. If you have a choice, this is a good book covering the paleo part, and any historical geology textbook should have a nice long chapter on the Paleocene. For a map, there are a number of good ones, but this is one site I use sometimes (be sure to cite references properly!). There is not a Paleocene map, but you can use the K-T and Eocene maps to get beginning/end conditions. The time period is a fairly interesting one, particularly for the story of development of life. Good luck, and if you make a nice poster, be sure to upload a picture of it!

I can't speak for any specific trails or such, but I do recommend looking for the book Minnesota's Geology published by University of Minnesota Press. It is written by Dr Richard Ojakangas and Dr Charles Match, both former geology professors at University of Minnesota Duluth. It covers a lot of the interesting geology found in the state, with great coverage of the different bedrock types found throughout and how they relate to geologic history and Minnesota's place in it.

Here's an Amazon link to the book too: https://www.amazon.com/Minnesotas-Geology-Richard-Ojakangas/dp/0816609535

Another one you might like is called Roadside Geology of Minnesota, again by Dr Ojakangas: https://www.amazon.com/Roadside-Geology-Minnesota-Richard-Ojakangas/dp/0878425624

Rising From the Plains is a great geology book that isn't necessarily intended for geologists. This book talks about the geologic history of the Rocky Mountains as well as the cultural history of the pioneers and homesteaders who lived off this land.

I read this book my first semester of geology undergrad, and this is what cemented it for me that geology is truly what I wanted to do. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

If I can find my old copy, I will mail it to you if you want.

Earth: Portrait of a planet by Stephen Marshak.
It's the by far best textbook I've read, it covers all aspects of geology on an understandable and basic level. The illustrations are also very well made. It might be a bit costly but the book helped me in all of my bachelor courses by giving a good overview :)

Chert is formed as deep ocean sediment which is lithified (compressed into rock by pressure of burial) then it gets uplifted and exposed as part of an accretionary wedge (scrapings off the ocean floor in a subduction zone). And that all happens over millions of years. If your interested in Geology I recommend a Roadside Geology book of your state. Pretty easy to read and helps you understand geologic processes.

Books like this

I use the Nesse book (amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Optical-Mineralogy-William-Nesse/dp/0199846278 ) and it's set up pretty well with the first half of it being like an instructional text and the second half just being a giant reference of minerals and their properties. If that one's too expensive, you can pick up the previous edition for ~$30 or so. Definitely a book worth owning.

For an introduction and historical overview of the greenhouse effect, you can read these:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160932716300308

https://history.aip.org/climate/co2.htm

And the IPCC AR5 synthesis report:

https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/2018/02/SYR_AR5_FINAL_full.pdf

Some historical geology stuff:

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Anicet_Beauvais/post/What_is_your_opinion_about_Impact_of_the_Evolution_of_Continents_and_Oceans_on_Climate_of_the_Past/attachment/59d63c1279197b8077999113/AS:413834524282883@1475677247867/download/Phanero_Atm.CO2_Climate_ESR-2014.pdf

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/310/5752/1293.full.pdf?casa_token=XwXFO_bSDeAAAAAA:8hNqZa6j-mAjscZwB7o4QKsYdknh2j4qY9WxCYAcIZ0_sV5WlGRvvpf6AmtJZ4ZY78pfE0gc3iNBCnE

http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/4237/1/Vaughan_revised.pdf

Some wiki articles do a decent job explaining some basics:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_cycle

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milankovitch_cycles

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_cycle

More:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/230615762_Increase_in_observed_net_carbon_dioxide_uptake_by_land_and_oceans_during_the_past_50_years

https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2006GL027817

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/269/5229/1413.full.pdf?casa_token=GzniWMWvCG4AAAAA:wFQqarGqeKodGy2jvvOIMTtaoDeSUE3dcjIbFDy0pCIFN3lM-D9zVC2_vvXJQ9i6D9GjBM6BmsNzIHU

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/325/5941/710.full.pdf?casa_token=p5vCjmCKll4AAAAA:ry44Zj_Is8xwd5N__DaeuiVnCBViUIdJoBOwsRoCezMwNps9Y-WlZ82pE5fjQNlHOyCgCGmKwJ_ncpE

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/308/5728/1611.full.pdf?casa_token=LLHKEy_LGTUAAAAA:eZkayljzNfqRYx1u8zRAfWiXizQZ6JR8KNmRJyBmKMnaVpypSHpJZID_6_P5gAQxdVKGgJ3mFqLtzmI

That should get you started. Depending on your background knowledge, it might be worth it to pick up an intro geology textbook, this one's pretty good (https://www.amazon.com/Earth-System-History-Steven-Stanley/dp/1429255269)

Thanks to u/_Last_manstanding

I'm taking petrology right now and this is the book my professor swears is the best:
https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Optical-Mineralogy-William-Nesse/dp/0199846278/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1473474969&sr=1-1&keywords=optical+mineralogy

Update: I see someone has already posted an older edition by the same author, definitely go for something by Nesse.

There is a book called the Earth After Us by Jan Zalasiewicz that deals with what would happen if human civilisation suddenly ceased to exist and the geological evidence left behind. Even if you aren't a geologist it's really good reading and easy enough for anyone to understand.

For an introduction and historical overview of the greenhouse effect, you can read these:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160932716300308

https://history.aip.org/climate/co2.htm

And the IPCC AR5 synthesis report:

https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/2018/02/SYR_AR5_FINAL_full.pdf

Some historical geology stuff:

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Anicet_Beauvais/post/What_is_your_opinion_about_Impact_of_the_Evolution_of_Continents_and_Oceans_on_Climate_of_the_Past/attachment/59d63c1279197b8077999113/AS:413834524282883@1475677247867/download/Phanero_Atm.CO2_Climate_ESR-2014.pdf

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/310/5752/1293.full.pdf?casa_token=XwXFO_bSDeAAAAAA:8hNqZa6j-mAjscZwB7o4QKsYdknh2j4qY9WxCYAcIZ0_sV5WlGRvvpf6AmtJZ4ZY78pfE0gc3iNBCnE

http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/4237/1/Vaughan_revised.pdf

Some wiki articles do a decent job explaining some basics:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_cycle

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milankovitch_cycles

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_cycle

More:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/230615762_Increase_in_observed_net_carbon_dioxide_uptake_by_land_and_oceans_during_the_past_50_years

https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2006GL027817

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/269/5229/1413.full.pdf?casa_token=GzniWMWvCG4AAAAA:wFQqarGqeKodGy2jvvOIMTtaoDeSUE3dcjIbFDy0pCIFN3lM-D9zVC2_vvXJQ9i6D9GjBM6BmsNzIHU

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/325/5941/710.full.pdf?casa_token=p5vCjmCKll4AAAAA:ry44Zj_Is8xwd5N__DaeuiVnCBViUIdJoBOwsRoCezMwNps9Y-WlZ82pE5fjQNlHOyCgCGmKwJ_ncpE

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/308/5728/1611.full.pdf?casa_token=LLHKEy_LGTUAAAAA:eZkayljzNfqRYx1u8zRAfWiXizQZ6JR8KNmRJyBmKMnaVpypSHpJZID_6_P5gAQxdVKGgJ3mFqLtzmI

That should get you started. Depending on your background knowledge, it might be worth it to pick up an intro geology textbook, this one's pretty good (https://www.amazon.com/Earth-System-History-Steven-Stanley/dp/1429255269)

That I agree with totally. In my opinion though that would probably spell the end of us as a species after a few generations.

If you like these kind of thought provoking scenarios might I suggest a book written by an old lecturer of mine. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Earth-After-Us-legacy-humans/dp/0199214972
It makes for a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Short answer. There are many scientists working in the field of numerical geodynamic modeling. There are many models that iterate through geological history and track how the earth evolved to how it looks today. Simple plate tectonic models do this. Of course, as you delve deeper into the subject it becomes more and more complex and if you want to get to the details of a particular process (e.g., earthquake rupture and fault dynamics) you need more information and more sophisticated models.

There are several text books about numerical modeling applied to geological problems and geodynamics in general; Introduction to Numerical Geodynamic Modelling and Geodynamics are two great texts on the subject.

This is an excellent book https://www.amazon.com/Roadside-Geology-Washington/dp/0878421602

Rather than a textbook, I think you should go towards non-fiction books.

I'm really enjoying "Rising from the Plains," a book by John McPhee about the field geologist, David Love.

If your working with thin sections i'd suggest Gribble and Halls book, Not sure what level of detail your looking for but MacKenzie's rocks and minerals in thin section good to get the basics of optical mineralogy from.

Geodynamics by Turcotte and Schubert

( http://www.amazon.com/Geodynamics-Donald-L-Turcotte/dp/0521666244 )

THE bible on the area of geodynamics and geodynamica-modelling. It has both the theoretical and the geological part that you want (although more focussed on the physics stuff, since everything we know about the earth's core is pretty much derived from seismics).

It's worth mentioning that this is specifically geared towards creating atmosphere for carbon based bipedal humanoid lifeforms. I'll be make a video that deals with alien atmospheres soon.

As for the methane, the narrative laid out here didn't talk about it in any great length so it didn't make the video.

I worry though because I'm was using the 4th edition and perhaps things changed a bit come the 5th edition. :/

This would be a good book to check out IMO: http://www.amazon.com/Roadside-Geology-Minnesota-Series/dp/0878425624

Part 9 : Jojo's bizarre adventure but the science isn't bullshit

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