Aerial Geology
by Mary Caperton Morton
QE71 .M67 2017 New Arrivals Island, 2nd Floor
This book is simply beautiful and a wonderful getaway from ordinary life! Short of getting my own pilot’s license (unlikely) or winning the lottery (impossible as I don’t play) I will probably never see these perspectives in person, but this book provides a fantastic peek into the world as seen from a low-altitude plane.
Based on the cover, one would expect the jaw-dropping aerial vistas of such natural wonders as the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, the Oregon coastline, and Death Valley, and it doesn’t disappoint. I also rejoiced to see a few things from my old stomping grounds, usually dismissed as flyover country, made the list — the surprisingly lush Nebraska Sandhills, and the bizarre Devil’s Tower in Wyoming. (Wisconsin made the book in the form of our Great Lakes.) But more satisfying, for me, were the glimpses into lesser-known and far-less-accessible wonders, such as two lakes in northern Quebec, the perfectly circular crater-turned-lake, Pingualuit Crater, or the odd coffee-ring-shaped Lake Manicouagan; or to go south, the Palo Duro Canyon that looks every bit as beautiful as the big one in Arizona.
It also makes me want to check out the similarly-beautiful oversize books by Michael Collier in our collection, focusing on mountains, coastlines, and rivers. Happy virtual flying!
