Winner of the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award Bounded on the east by the crest of the Cascade Range and on the west by the lofty east flank of the Olympic Mountains, Puget Sound terrain includes every imaginable topograhic variety. This thoughtful and eloquent natural history of the Puget Sound region begins with a discussion of how the ice ages and vulcanism shaped the land and then examines the natural attributes of the region--flora and fauna, climate, special habitats, life histories of key organisms--as they pertain to the functioning ecosystem. Mankind's effects upon the natural environment are a pervasive theme of the book. Kruckeberg looks at both positive and negative aspects of human interaction with nature in the Puget basin. By probing the interconnectedness of all natural aspects of one region, Kruckeberg illustrates ecological principles at work and gives us a basis for wise decision-making. The Natural History of Puget Sound Country is a comprehensive reference, invaluable for all citizens of the Northwest, as well as for conservationists, biologists, foresters, fisheries and wildlife personnel, urban planners, and environmental consultants everywhere. Lavishly illustrated with over three hundred photographs and drawings, it is much more than a beautiful book. It is a guide to our future.

This title includes guides for field trips held in conjunction with the 2003 GSA Annual Meeting in Seattle. Topics covered include Glacial Lake Missoula and the Clark Fork Ice Dam; the Sauk Sequence in Utah; the geology of wine in Washington state; the Columbia River basalt and Yakima Fold Belt; Alpine glaciation of the North Cascades; and recent geoarchaeological discoveries in central Washington. Quaternary geology of Seattle, engineering geology in the central Columbia Valley, and the tephrostratigraphy and paleogeography of southern Puget Sound are also covered.

An investigation of the earthquake potential in the Pacific Northwest and examination of the measures necessary to reduce seismic hazards.