After Hurricane Katrina, the fanlike pile of sand, mud, and silt that formed near a breached levee was unique in the urban environment of New Orleans. Over the 7,500-year history of the modern Mississippi River delta, however, it was just another splay deposit. Author Darwin Spearing explains the geologic forces behind the formation of the delta, shedding light on the human struggle to control the powerful river that breaches its own levees and switches its own deltas. With sections on wetland loss and land subsidence, Roadside Geology of Louisiana is a must-read for understanding the vulnerability of the Mississippi River delta to floods and hurricanes. First published in 1995, Roadside Geology of Louisiana is back in print by popular demand, with several updated sections. The introduction presents an overview of Loiusiana's geological history, and 57 road guides discuss the landforms visible from a car window, including sand ridges, natural levees, oxbow lakes, and the Five Islands salt domes.

Excerpt from A Report on the Geology of Louisiana: Containing Special Papers by Different Authors; Based on the Work of Three Field Seasons, 1900, 1901, 1902 The demand for the geological reports of the State is now enormously large. There is a constant stream of immigrants coming to this State, some seeking homes, some fields for invest ment, and others looking only to Speculation. All want the latest developments in regard to soils, minerals, waters, etc. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

List of members in each volume.