"You can't really know the place where you live until you know the shapes and origins of the land around you. To feel truly at home in the Bay Area, read Doris Sloan's intriguing stories of this region's spectacular, quirky landscapes."—Hal Gilliam, author of Weather of the San Francisco Bay Region "This is a fascinating look at some of the world's most complex and engaging geology. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in an understanding of the beautiful landscape and dynamic geology of the Bay Area."—Mel Erskine, geological consultant "This accessible summary of San Francisco Bay Area geology is particularly timely. We are living in an age where we must deal with our impact on our environment and the impact of the environment on us. Earthquake hazards, and to a lesser extent landslide hazards, are well known, but the public also needs to be aware of other important engineering and environmental impacts and geologic resources. This book will allow Bay Area residents to make more intelligent decisions about the geological issues affecting their lives."—John Wakabayashi, geological consultant

Will guide local officials throughout the U.S. in establishing programs to require and review geologic studies prior to approving development. It was also written to provide concerned citizens and prospective land developers with useful information about the need for geologic studies prior to development. Programs in the San Francisco Bay area are described as a means of showing how procedures to use geologic information for project review can be adapted to specific local circumstances. Photos, maps and diagrams.

Additional title page description: The distribution and character of the bedrock and surficial deposits in the northern part of the City of San Francisco and southern Marin County, Calif., including a description of the Franciscan Formation in its type area and notes on engineering geology in an urban area.