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This volume provides a non-technical overview of the structural and historical geology of the San Diego region. This work guides travelers in the field via interpretive road logs keyed to the post mile marker system. The authors review San Diego's current landforms, seismic environment, and mineral resources with particular emphasis on its natural division into three geomorphic sections -- coastal, mountain, and desert. They also outline the geologic and fossil history of the county as a whole from its origin hundreds of millions of years until about twenty million years ago. Major tectonic plate realignment then differentiated the evolution of the coastal plains and beaches from the Salton Trough deserts are treated separately with the coast and the desert, from Neogene through Quaternary time.

"This book includes petrology, geochronology, and regional aspects of individual plutons, as well as evolution of the Peninsular Ranges batholith. Several chapters deal with geophysical, chemical, and isotopic based interpretations of the genesis and evolution of the batholith. An accompanying DVD contains detailed colored maps and chemical, isotopic, mineralogic, and physical properties data"--Provided by publisher.

The Baja California Plant Field Guide is a manual to native and naturalized plants of the Baja California peninsula, Mexico. It is a useful guide for the entire Sonoran Desert and for Southern California, as over 50% of the species covered also occur in these regions. Over 715 different plants in 111 plant families are identified (most in both English and Spanish), with both scientific and common names and detailed descriptions. Many species are illustrated with color photographs. Descriptions entail plant habit and height; stem, leaf, flower, and fruit morphology; range; elevation; pollination biology; ethnobotanical uses; and discriminating comparisons with close relatives. This book is intended for everyone from the interested novice to the professional botanist.

"Meldahl tells the scientific story of the Southern California coast by blending research from geology and oceanography with a compelling narrative and clear illustrations that take readers out in the field with the author to learn about the processes that have generated the coast as it exists today and how the region will change in the future. The author's geographic scope spans from San Diego to Point Conception, taking in coastal portions of San Diego, Orange, Ventura, Los Angeles, and Santa Barbara counties"--Provided by publisher.