Roadside Geology of South Dakota

Roadside Geology Series #31

by John Paul Gries

South Dakota fills the landscape with geologic diversity, from the glaciated rolling prairies in the east, across the Missouri River, and west to the rugged Badlands Wall and granitic domes of the Black Hills. Written for the layperson and amply illustrated with photographs, maps, and diagrams, this book describes and interprets the rocks and landforms visible along the state's highways and the geology that lies hidden beneath prairie sod and in caves and mine shafts. Included are geologic tours of the Black Hills, Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Badlands National Park, Wind Cave National Park, Jewel Cave National Monument, and many other points of interest.

Genres: Geology, Reference, Travel, Science

368 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1996

Reviews

[Kristi Thielen]

This is the South Dakota edition of the Roadside Geology series. Gries prefaces the work by saying it is written for the layman, but you either need to be a layman who is a geology buff or someone who took college geology courses, as the book is very detailed.

It begins with east river and progresses west and from north progressing south. As I am from the Black Hills, I found its geology more varied and interesting than east river which is (as I already knew) much more about the impacts of glaciation.

I was struck by how significant water is to the state and how it impacts both geology and the cities and towns that sprang up. And I was aware that mining was significant to the Black Hills and that many mining efforts produced little but hadn’t realized that there were other mineral extraction efforts that also began with high hopes and came to nought.

A good book to read and then keep nearby for reference.

[Ken · Rating 3 out of 5]

Text was intended to be read as a companion to a road trip through South Dakota, so that reader would understand the geology he/she was seeing. Used in that way, the book would have been very good. I read it as more of a geology text to gather understanding to what I had seen in the state. Read in that context, the book was repetitive and uncoordinated. As the author tried to deal with every highway in the state, he did not have space available to provide a basic understanding of much of the terminology used throughout the book. Have had Geology 101 and maybe 102, would have greatly helped in understanding. Still, I found it a very enjoyable read as very educational.