PREFACE 



The aim of the author in the present volume has been to 

 gather from a great field the results of studies by many men, 

 specialists in various fields, and to present in simple form the 

 facts that have been developed. The problems that confront 

 geologists are many and varied. Many thousands of books and 

 papers have been written about the western region of the con- 

 tinent. Not all of these are within the grasp of the general 

 reader. An editor of national prominence, the late Glenn 

 Frank, has said that there is need for interpreters who can 

 gather the results of investigators and make this knowledge 

 available to the general reader. Such an attempt is made in the 

 present volume. The author's aim has been to gather the facts 

 which have been presented by those who have made detailed 

 and often technical studies of a wide range of geological prob- 

 lems, and present them in form so that any one who can intel- 

 ligently read a newspaper or magazine may read and under- 

 stand. The present volume is intended as an interpretation of 

 facts gathered by investigators. Such originality as the volume 

 possesses lies in the presentation of the facts. 



Geology is sometimes thought of as something dry and hard. 

 In fact, it is too often the method of treatment that is dry and 

 hard, and not the subject itself. The science of the earth, its 

 importance and bearing on the industrial activities of men, 

 knowledge which vitally concerns the daily life and welfare of 

 every citizen, is too often not fully appreciated. The people 

 would appreciate, love, and enjoy their homes more if they 

 knew more of the processes by which the land has been fash- 

 ioned, and the history that is revealed in the rocks and soils. 

 The author has been inspired with appreciation of the geologic 

 history and the processes by which the land of our western coast 



