Ancient landscapes of western North America : a geologic history with paleogeographic maps

"Allow yourself to be taken back into deep geologic time when strange creatures roamed the Earth and Western North America looked completely unlike the modern landscape. Volcanic islands stretched from Mexico to Alaska, most of the Pacific Rim didn't exist yet, at least not as widespread dry land; terranes drifted from across the Pacific to dock on Western Americas' shores creating mountains and more volcanic activity. Landscapes were transposed north or south by thousands of kilometers along huge fault systems. Follow these events through paleogeographic maps that look like satellite views of ancient Earth. Accompanying text takes the reader into the science behind these maps and the geologic history that they portray. The maps and text unfold the complex geologic history of the region as never seen before." -- Publisher's description Front Matter ....Pages i-xi Introduction (Ronald C. Blakey, Wayne D. Ranney)....Pages 1-33 Principles (Ronald C. Blakey, Wayne D. Ranney)....Pages 35-54 The Cordillera’s Foundations: Paleoproterozoic and Mesoproterozoic Periods: Ca. 1800–1000 Ma (Ronald C. Blakey, Wayne D. Ranney)....Pages 55-62 The Cordillera’s Long-Lived Passive Margin: Neoproterozoic to Middle Devonian Periods: Ca. 1000 Ma–400 Ma (Ronald C. Blakey, Wayne D. Ranney)....Pages 63-71 The Antler Orogeny and the First Suspect Terrane: Middle Devonian to Late Pennsylvanian: Ca. 400–300 Ma (Ronald C. Blakey, Wayne D. Ranney)....Pages 73-82 The Amalgamation of Pangaea and the Sonoma Orogeny: Early Permian to Early Triassic – Ca. 300–240 Ma (Ronald C. Blakey, Wayne D. Ranney)....Pages 83-88 The Arrival of Wrangellia and the Nevadan Orogeny: Late Triassic to Late Jurassic: Ca. 240–145 Ma (Ronald C. Blakey, Wayne D. Ranney)....Pages 89-101 The Continental Arc, Sevier Orogeny, Western Interior Seaway and Flat-Slab Subduction: Cretaceous Period: Ca. 145–65 Ma (Ronald C. Blakey, Wayne D. Ranney)....Pages 103-130 Flat-Slab Subduction, the Laramide Orogeny, Uplift of the Colorado Plateau and Rocky Mountains: Paleocene and Eocene: Ca. 65–35 Ma (Ronald C. Blakey, Wayne D. Ranney)....Pages 131-148 Changing Tectonics, Cooling Climates and the Dawn of Crustal Extension: Late Eocene to Early Miocene (ca. 35–20 Ma) (Ronald C. Blakey, Wayne D. Ranney)....Pages 149-161 The End of Cordilleran Subduction and the Formation of the Basin and Range: Early and Middle Miocene: Ca. 20–10 Ma (Ronald C. Blakey, Wayne D. Ranney)....Pages 163-178 Interior Basins, Drainage Integration and Deep Incision: Late Miocene to Pliocene: Ca. 10–2.6 Ma (Ronald C. Blakey, Wayne D. Ranney)....Pages 179-192 The North American Cordillera Today: Pleistocene, Holocene and the Anthropocene: Ca. 2.6 Ma to Present (Ronald C. Blakey, Wayne D. Ranney)....Pages 193-208 Back Matter ....Pages 209-228 Allow yourself to be taken back into deep geologic time when strange creatures roamed the Earth and Western North America looked completely unlike the modern landscape. Volcanic islands stretched from Mexico to Alaska, most of the Pacific Rim didn’t exist yet, at least not as widespread dry land; terranes drifted from across the Pacific to dock on Western Americas’ shores creating mountains and more volcanic activity. Landscapes were transposed north or south by thousands of kilometers along huge fault systems. Follow these events through paleogeographic maps that look like satellite views of ancient Earth. Accompanying text takes the reader into the science behind these maps and the geologic history that they portray. The maps and text unfold the complex geologic history of the region as never seen before. Winner of the 2021 John D. Haun Landmark Publication Award, AAPG-Rocky Mountain Section