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Field Guide to the San Andreas Fault Cover. Copyright, David Lynch

David Lynch of Thule Scientific has published "Field Guide to the San Andreas Fault", a 200+ page driving tour guide for visiting the fault. This is one of the highest quality publications on the San Andreas Fault that I have seen.

It includes over 200 illustrations, some of which are exceptional in their educational value. The book is written to accommodate the beginner and expert. For the beginner there is background information about geologic structures and plate tectonics and an introduction to the San Andreas. The expert will benefit from the detailed field guide that can be used to visit numerous interesting locations along the fault.

Below is one of Dr. Lynch's illustrations. It shows the contact between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate in outcrop.

San Andreas Fault near Gorman, California. The grey, metamorphic quartz monzonite on the left side of the fault
are rocks of the Pacific Plate and the brown sandstone and siltstone on the right of the fault are rocks of the
North American Plate. Photograph copyright by David Lynch.

The most important part of Dr. Lynch's book is the mile-by-mile annotated road log which contains hundreds of GPS coordinates. These maps and descriptions will guide you on twelve one-day field trips to easily accessed and educational locations along the fault. The trips are:

1. Salton Trough: Brawley to Desert Hot Springs
2. San Gorgonio Pass: Desert Hot Springs to San Bernardino
3. San Gabriel Mountains: San Bernardino to Palmdale
4. Leona Valley: Palmdale to Frazier Park
5. San Emigdio Mountains: Frazier Park to Soda Lake Road
6. Carrizo Plain: Soda Lake Road to Simmler
7. Palo Prieto Pass: Simmler to Parkfield
8. Franciscan Melange: Parkfield to Hollister
9. Heart of the Fault: Holister to Daly City
10. Marin Headlands and Point Reyes: Daly City to Point Reyes National Seashore
11. Bodega Head: Point Reyes National Seashore to Manchester State Beach
12. North Coast: Manchester State Beach to Point Delgada

Learn more about this San Andreas Fault Field Guide at ThuleScientific.com.

Related Article on Geology.com - The San Andreas Fault

Labels: Books-Publications, Earthquakes

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