ABSTRACT
Nine nontechnical geology publications cover the route between Sacramento and Reno, and were published between 1878 and 2011. They include best-sellingbooks that have garneredprestigious awards, as well as underrecognized works of high quality. They demonstrate a variety of strengths, from literary polish in accounts of the Old West linked to geology, to lucid explanations of complex debates, to well-designed maps for use at stops along the route. Examining the works in chronologic order, it is possible to trace California’s pivotal role in the development of particular geoscience concepts. This includes early uses of plate tectonics to interpret outcrops and landscapes. Three works appeared in 1975, when geologists had only begun to debate the implications of plate tectonics for the geology of particular regions. Of these books, one ignored plate tectonics, another placed it in a final, speculative chapter and tried to blend it with the old paradigm, and only one was ready to apply plate tectonics fully throughout the book. Digital tools, in particular Google Earth® and Google My Maps®, were used to collate the guidebook material, draping geologic maps over the topography of the Sierra Nevada, placing text and images at location markers, and planning out a route with driving times. There is potential for social media to build on this foundation, continuing the public conversation that the nine works represent. The digital possibilities can be explored at https://georgiarocks.us/spots/usca.
