LibGuides: Geology: Books

Featured Book Resources

The STLCC library collection includes print, non-print and electronic materials. These materials support classes, research and general interest reading and viewing/listening. The materials in the collection range from children's level to upper-academic level and from popular fiction to specialized reference/research materials.

How the Mountains Grew by John Dvorak
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Publication Date: 2021
The incredible story of the creation of a continent--our continent-- from the acclaimed author of The Last Volcano and Mask of the Sun. The immense scale of geologic time is difficult to comprehend. Our lives--and the entirety of human history--are mere nanoseconds on this timescale. Yet we hugely influenced by the land we live on. From shales and fossil fuels, from lake beds to soil composition, from elevation to fault lines, what could be more relevant that the history of the ground beneath our feet?
Fantastic Fossils: a guide to Finding and Identifying Prehistoric Life by Donald R. Prothero
Call Number: eBook Central
ISBN: 9780231551489
Publication Date: 2020
What do budding paleontologists need to know before starting their search? In Fantastic Fossils, Donald R. Prothero offers an accessible, entertaining, and richly illustrated guide to the paleontologist’s journey. He details the best places to look for fossils, the art of how to find them, and how to classify the major types. Prothero provides expert wisdom about typical fossils that an average person can hope to collect and how to hunt fossils responsibly and ethically. He also explores the lessons that both common and rarer discoveries offer about paleontology and its history, as well as what fossils can tell us about past climates and present climate change. Captivating illustrations by the paleoartist Mary Persis Williams bring to life hundreds of important specimens. Offering valuable lessons for armchair enthusiasts and paleontology students alike, Fantastic Fossils is an essential companion for all readers who have ever dreamed of going in search of traces of a lost world.

Featured Reference Books

AccessScience This link opens in a new window
Collection of science reference materials including articles, videos, and animations.
AccessScience is a collection of science reference materials with full search capabilities of the 10th edition of the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology and Research Updates from the McGraw-Hill Yearbooks of Science & Technology. AccessScience also includes access to 110,000+ definitions from the McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, biographies of scientists, late-breaking science and technology news, and bibliographies containing more than 28,000 literature citations. It provides links to evaluated related learning resources including web sites, study guides, and images. Includes a Q&A section that is updated weekly.

The Earth's Land Surface by Kenneth J. Gregory
Call Number: Sage Books (online)
Publication Date: 2010 (2012 online)
This introductory text details the land surface of the earth in a readable style covering the major issues, key themes and sensitivities of the environments/landscape. Emphasizing the major ideas and their development, each chapter includes case studies and details of influential scientists (not necessarily geomorphologists) who have contributed to the progress of understanding. With comprehensive pedagogical features including full color plates, further reading, questions for discussion and glossary, this original, lively text is authored by one of the leading experts in the field and will be core reading for first and second year undergraduates on all physical geography courses.
The Basics of Geomorphology by Kenneth J. Gregory; John Lewin
Call Number: Sage Books (online)
Publication Date: 2014 (2017 online)
Earth Science: Earth's Weather, Water, and Atmosphere
Call Number: Salem Press eBooks
Encyclopedia of Energy
Call Number: Salem Press eBooks
Extinction by Gale Editors (Editor); Melissa McDade (Editor)
Call Number: Gale eBooks
Publication Date: 2013
This full-color 2 Volume set complement to Grzimek's Animal Encyclopedia, 2nd edition, explores extinction and extinct life in detail. Written specifically for students and general researchers, the set features approximately 80 articles outling major extinctions and related scientifc areas, as well as providing a species-by-species account of extinction. Entries are written by experts in the field and are peer-reviewed by an editoriral board of academics specializing in zoology, paleontology and environmental science. Additional features include bibliographies of further reading sources, a glossary, contact information for scientific organizations and a comprehensive index.

About Books

Reference Books

Reference Books are the best places to find concise summaries and background information on a topic. Reference books cannot be checked out of the library. Some of them are available as databases or ebooks.

Circulating Books

Circulating books (books you can check out) may also provide summaries and background information, but usually go into greater depth about a topic.

Using Books for Research

Using books for research does not always mean that you need to read the entire book.

Use the table of contents and the index to find where in a book information about your topic is located.
The introduction to a book may be a good place to find background information on the topic the book is about.
You should read enough of a book or chapter to understand what an author is saying and quote her correctly.
Sometimes chapters in books are complete works written by different authors, making them ideal for research.