The place where you are right now has a rich geological history that is recorded by the rocks beneath you and the fossils that they may contain. The rocks and fossils reveal the movements of continents and the evolution of new forms of life. This history helps to explain why the Earth looks like it does today. It also explains things like the distributions of natural resources, from rare minerals to rich soils for agriculture. Studying Earth's ancient climate also helps us to make sense of how the climate is changing today and how it will affect us where we live.
The goal of this part of the Earth@Home project is to explain the Earth science of the western United States, which is defined here to include Alaska, California, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. Major regions include the Basin and Range, Columbia Plateau, Northern Rocky Mountains, Cascade-Sierra Mountains, Pacific Border, and Alaska.
Contents
Overviews of Western U.S. Earth Science
Basin and Range Region
Nevada, eastern California, and southern Oregon.
Columbia Plateau Region
Eastern Oregon and southeastern Washington.
Rocky Mountain Region
Northeastern Washington.
Cascade-Sierra Mountain Region
Eastern California and central Oregon and Washington.
Pacific Border Region
The western regions of California, Oregon, and Washington.
Alaska
Alaska.
Geologic Maps, Topographic Maps, and Earth Science Quick Facts
Simple geologic and topographic maps of each state in the western United States, along with quick facts about official state fossils, rocks, minerals, gems, points of highest and lowest elevation, and lists of places to visit.
Resources
Lists of supplemental and teaching resources for the Earth science of the western U.S., sorted by topic.
Earth Science Careers
Information about Earth science career paths.
Credits
Most of the Earth@Home content in the Here on Earth: Western United States section is derived from The Teacher-Friendly Guide to the Geology of the Western US, edited by Mark D. Lucas, Robert M. Ross, and Andrielle N. Swaby (published in 2014 by the Paleontological Research Institution; currently out of print). The citation for the original book is:
- Lucas, M. D., R. M. Ross, and A. N. Swaby (eds.). 2014. The Teacher-Friendly Guide to the Earth Science of the Western US. Paleontological Research Institution, Ithaca, New York, 424 pp.
The book was adapted for the web by Elizabeth J. Hermsen and Jonathan R. Hendricks in 2022. Changes include formatting and revisions to the text and images.
Authors for the original chapters adapted for the Western U.S. section of Here on Earth are as follows. Some of the content has been spread over multiple pages on this website, so links are not provided below:
- Chapter 1. Geologic history of the Western US: Frank D. Granshaw, Alexandra Moore, and Gary Lewis.
- Chapter 2. Rocks of the Western US: Wendy E. Van Norden, Alexandra Moore, and Gary Lewis.
- Chapter 3. Fossils of the Western US: Brendan M. Anderson, Alexandra Moore, Gary Lewis, and Warren D. Allmon.
- Chapter 4. Topography of the Western US: Judith T. Parrish, Alexandra Moore, Louis A. Derry, and Gary Lewis.
- Chapter 5. Mineral Resources of the Western US: David Gillam, Alexandra Moore, and Gary Lewis.
- Chapter 6. Glaciers in the Western US: Frank D. Granshaw.
- Chapter 7. Energy in the Western US: Carlyn S. Buckler and Gary Lewis.
- Chapter 8. Soils of the Western US: Luke McCann, Alexandra Moore, Alex F. Wall, Gary Lewis, and Judith T. Parrish.
- Chapter 9. Climate of the Western US: Ingrid H. H. Zabel, Judith T. Parrish, Alexandra Moore, and Gary Lewis.
- Chapter 10. Earth Hazards of the Western US: Wendy E. Van Norden, Alexandra Moore, and Gary Lewis.