This is not a guide to identifying rocks, but a guide to land formation. It shows how to recognize the key field marks and how to use them to read geological history: plate movements, earthquakes, glaciers, rivers, seas, and other forces that have shaped a particular patch of earth over millions of years--and are still shaping it. Each geological region of eastern North America is described vividly and illustrated with detailed maps and cross sections, as well as color photographs that show the characteristic field marks of the best examples of the various formations and to get a clear sense of the history of the land.

This book is a field guide that describes and explains the commonest minerals and rocks as well as introducing the most important fossil groups. In addition, a variety of geological structures are described and illustrated in the numerous diagrams and photographs. The guide is your perfect companion for hikes or walks in the countryside, inviting you to discover the geology hidden behind the landscapes surrounding us, as well as helping you to recognise the various minerals, rocks and fossils, you might encounter. Geology is a science that only really comes to life when we are outside, for example, on walks or hikes along the coast or through national parks. With a little knowledge you will be able to experience the landscape in a completely different way. The rocks will “come alive”, so to speak, and you will be able to read their history like a book - understanding the range and complexity of geological processes which have formed the Earth beneath our feet. Such processes - an interplay of magmatism, tectonics, metamorphosis and sedimentation, as well as climate and sea-level change - have shaped the Earth over millennia and continue to do so even at the present time. The book is aimed at nature lovers of all types, as well as students of geology – in fact, anyone who is interested in the world around us. It will provide the perfect companion for walks or hikes in the countryside. This book is a translation of the original German 1st edition Pocket Guide Geologie im Gelände by Tom McCann, published by Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature in 2019. The initial translation was done with the help of artificial intelligence (machine translation by the service DeepL.com). A subsequent detailed revision by the author ensures that the book reads stylistically like a conventional translation. Springer Nature works continuously to further the development of tools for the production of books and on the related technologies to support the authors.

Records lessons learnt from miltary experience in World War I and II. It also contains perspectives from America which show how, in warfare, military geologists irrespective of nationality have pursued tactical and strategic terrain analysis, fortifications and tunnelling, and resource acquisition, defence installations, and field constructions and logistics. It shows how in peace-time military geologists train for wartime operations and may be involved in peace-keeping and nation-building deployments.