Recommended Reading

1. Why Geology Matters: Decoding the Past, Anticipating the Future by Doug Macdougall: Volcanic dust, climate change, tsunamis, earthquakes -- geoscience explores phenomena that profoundly affect our lives. But more than that, as Doug Macdougall makes clear, the science also provides important clues to the future of the planet. In an entertaining and accessibly written narrative, Macdougall gives an overview of Earth's astonishing history based on information extracted from rocks, ice cores, and other natural archives.

2. Frozen Earth: The Once and Future Story of Ice Ages by Doug Macdougall: Macdougall explores the causes and effects of ice ages that have gripped our planet throughout its history, from the earliest known glaciation nearly three billion years ago to the present. Following the development of scientific ideas about these dramatic events, Macdougall traces the lives of many of the brilliant and intriguing characters who have contributed to the evolving understanding of how ice ages come about. As it explains how the great Pleistocene Ice Age has shaped the earth's landscape and influenced the course of human evolution, Frozen Earth also provides a fascinating look at how science is done, how the excitement of discovery drives scientists to explore and investigate, and how timing and chance play a part in the acceptance of new scientific ideas.

3. The Two-Mile Time Machine by Richard B. Alley: Explains how ice cores from Greenland are interpreted; tells about theory related to the recent movie, "The Day After Tomorrow".

4. A New Look at an Old Earth; Resolving the Conflict Between the Bible and Science by Don Stoner

5. Rocks from Space by O. Richard Norton: For the amateur, this is the best source of information about meteorites and meteorite hunters.

6. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Steve Bryson: A book about the history of scientific discovery.

7. Northwest Exposures, A Geologic Story of the Northwest by David Alt and Donald W. Hyndman: You won't need to be a geologist to understand the forces that sculpted the Northwest as they are descibed by Alt and Hyndman. Many diagrams and photos are included.

8. Roadside Geology of Montana (or many other states) by David Alt and Donald W. Hyndman: This book is written in plain English, and full of diagrams and photos. It will help you understand the reasons for Montana's beautiful landscapes.

9. Ice Ages: Solving the Mystery by John and Katherine Imbrie: Explains how scientists determined when the ice ages happened, provides historical context, supports the Milankovitch Theory.

10. Montana's Wild and Scenic Upper Missouri by Glenn Monohan and Chanler Biggs: Tells about the history, geology, and wildlife along one of the most scenic stretches of the river. If you are considering a float trip through the area east of Ft. Benton, this book will make the trip more meaningful.

11. Glacial Lake Missoula and Its Humongous Floods by David D. Alt: Tells about one of the most fascinating series of events in the geologic history of the Northwest.

12. Original Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition Type in "original journals" and then click "GO".

13. To order books by Bozeman Paleontologist John (Jack) Horner type either of these titles into the Amazon.com box: Dinosaurs: Under the Big Sky or Dinosaur Lives