Appendix – Supplemental Readings and Movies

If you are curious about different topics in this book, here is a short list of movies, non-fiction, and fiction books for each chapter. Also, we’ve included links to a few YouTube channels focused on geoscience. Hopefully, you’ll enjoy some of these and explore more about our Earth. Some of these movies were suggested as they examples of how badly science is portrayed by Hollywood. As with any media, you are the judge of how realistic it is. Please feel free to suggest others to the authors and we’ll add them to this backmatter.

Chapter One – Introduction to Science and Geology

What is this Thing Called Science, 4th edition by Alan Chalmers, University of Queensland Press. Online edition available through UH library. A classic introduction to the scientific method.

Science Matters: Achieving Science Literacy, by Robert Hazen (geoscientist) and James Trefil (physicist) 2009, This is informative book is easy for readers uncomfortable with scientific jargon and complicated mathematics. This has accessible explanations of the most recent developments in science, from particle physics to biotechnology.

Oppenheimer (IMdB 8.5) is about how a physicist does his experiments and leads a large team to change the world. Starring Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon. Won 7 Oscars for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, and Best Original Score.

Chapter Two – Maps

The Map that Changed the World, by Simon Winchester available at UH library QE22.S6 W55 2002 This book details the life of William Smith, a nineteenth-century engineer who became interested in geology. The book explores his creation of a map that shows that rocks consist of different layers.

The Map Thief: The Gripping Story of an Esteemed Rare-Map Dealer Who Made Millions Stealing Priceless Maps, by Michael Blanding This describes the fascination some have for maps—both as works of art and as practical tools to navigate the world. The map trade, however, is a cutthroat business. This delves into a high-stakes criminal enterprise of map collecting and thievery.

On the Map: a Mind-Expanding Exploration of the Way the World Looks, by Simon Garfield available at UH library GA201 .G37 2013 This book explores the pivotal relationship between mapping and human history, demonstrating ways that maps relate and realign history, with engaging cartography stories and map lore.

The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill but Came Down a Mountain (IMdB 6.6/10) about a map maker (cartographer) who has to tell a Welsh village that their “mountain” is only a hill. Starring Hugh Grant and Tara Fitzgerald

Chapter Three – Plate Tectonics

Assembling California, by John McPhee Available at UH Library QE89 .M37 1993 John McPhee and Eldridge Moores, a California geologist, roam together through wildly varying regions of the California including the coast, mountains, valleys, rivers, cities, and the cataclysm of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

Soundings, by Hali Felt available at UH Library GA407.T43 F45 2012 The biography of Maria Tharp, oceanographer, who mapped the ocean floor in the 1950’s before anyone else knew what was under water.

Lava (IMdB 7.2/10) is a Pixar short, animated film about a solitary volcanic island, Uku and accurately depicts how hot-spot volcanoes and volcanic seamount chain develop. It cuts some scientific corners, but it is cute and adorable.

Chapter Four – Minerals

Salt: A World History, by Mark Kurlansky available at UH Library TN900.K865 2003 Even though this is just about one mineral and the only one we eat, salt has shaped civilization from its beginning and is a surprising in shaping our history.

Earth Colors, by Sarah Andrews, One of 11 books in a series about geologist Em Hansen who uses her geologic skills to solve mysteries. In this one, she uses her mineralogic skills to analyze the pigments to investigate if a painting is real or a fake. Since pigments are just ground-up minerals, this seems like an easy task but soon becomes sinister.

Quicksilver, by Toni Dwiggins, the first book in a series of 3 books involving two forensic geologists. These two are hired to solve a mystery about a missing man using clues of a nugget of gold and a vial of mercury (quicksilver).

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (IMdB 8.2/10) is about two down-on-their-luck Americans searching for work in 1920s Mexico, who convince an old prospector to help them mine for gold in the Sierra Madre Mountains. Starring Humphrey Bogart and Walter Huston. Won 3 Oscars for Best Supporting Actor, Best Director, and Best Writing, Screenplay

Gold, last episode in History Channel Series on How the Earth was Made (YouTube Channel) summarizes how this native mineral was formed, found, and mined.

Ghost Town Living: Mining for Purpose and Chasing Dreams at the Edge of Death Valley, by Brent Underwood (also a YouTube Channel) Many minerals are mined but what happens to these mines when the resources run out. Find out what happened to one 1865 silver mine in this series.

Chapter Five – Rock Cycle

Rocks in His Head, by Carol Otis Hurst This is a kids book about the author’s father who was fascinated by rocks. He wasn’t able to go to college and ran a gas station where he displayed his favorite rocks. He visited the local science museum to see its rocks whenever he could. He got a job as the museum janitor and eventually, worked his way up to curator of mineralogy. A story of rock love and never giving up on your dream.

Turning to Stone: Discovering the Subtle Wisdom of Rocks, by Marcia Bjornerud Most of us live our lives on Earth with no idea of its extraordinary history, unable to interpret the language of the rocks that surround us. This book hopes to help with understanding our heritage with knowledge from rocks. In addition, rocks will help Earth keep functioning as sandstone aquifers can clean the water we drink, and basalt can help regulate global climate.

Every Rock has a Story (YouTube Channel) An ever-growing collection by Dr. Ethan Baxter of short videos aimed at kids, but filled with information about rocks and minerals that you probably don’t know.

Chapter 6 – Igneous Rocks

Krakatoa, by Simon Winchester available at UH library QE523.K73 W56 2005 This examines the long-lasting and world-changing effects of the catastrophic eruption of the earth’s most dangerous volcano — Krakatoa.

Tambora, by Gillen D’Arcy Wood available at UH Library QC981.8.V65 W66 2014 When Indonesia’s Mount Tambora erupted in 1815, it unleashed extreme weather conditions after a massive sulfate dust cloud enveloped the Earth. Communities worldwide endured famine, disease, and civil unrest on a catastrophic scale.

Dante’s Peak (IMdB rating 6/10) is about a geologist who tries to save his community from a volcanic eruption, leading them through a perilous journey of survival. Accurate depictions of eruptions, pyroclastics, and lahars. Starring Pierce Brosnan and Linda Hamilton.

Fire of Love (IMdB 7.6/10) is an independent documentary film about two volcanologists—Katia and Maurice Krafft—who died during the eruption of Mount Unzen in Japan.

Volcano (IMdB 5.5/10) Only watch this movie when you want to suspend belief and learn how poorly Hollywood understands how volcanos work. Starring Tommy Lee Jones and Anne Heche

Chapter 7 – Sedimentary Rocks

The Sediments of Time: My Lifelong Search for the Past, by Maeve Leakey available at UH library GN50.6. L43 L43 2020 A memoir by paleoanthropologist Meave Leakey about her explorations of our ancestors and how past climate change drove their evolution.

The World in a Grain: The Story of Sand and How It Transformed Civilization, by Vince Beiser Similar to salt, sand is our most important rock commodity as we consume more sand than oil in our daily lives

Sediments (originally Sedimentos; IMdB 7.2/10) documents how both the Earth and humanity are made of many layers. Starring Alicia de Benito, Lena Brasas, and Cristina Millan.

Deepwater Horizon, (IMdB 7.1/10) even though this is a dramatization of a man-made disaster when the offshore drilling rig called the Deepwater Horizon exploded, resulting in the worst oil spill in history. During the movie, you will learn about drilling through stratigraphy and fossils. Starring Mark Wahlberg, Kurt Russell, and Douglas Griffin. Nominated for 2 Oscars but didn’t win any.

Chapter 8 – Metamorphic Rocks

The Metamorphosis, by Frank Kafka available at UH library PT2621.A26 V4283 2008 This is not about rocks but the metamorphosis of a traveling salesman to insect.

District 9, (IMdB 7.9/10) a sci-fi thriller that revolves around aliens and their ability to meld with human DNA to metamorphose into insectoid “prawns”. A subplot focuses on rights in South Africa. Starring Sharlto Copley and David James. Nominated for 4 Oscars.

Chapter 9 – Earthquakes

A Crack in the Edge of the World, by Simon Winchester available at UH library F869.S357 W56 2005 This details a magnitude 8.25 earthquake that shook San Francisco in1906. Less than a minute later, the city lay in ruins. This covers both American history and whether similar earthquakes will strike again.

8.4, by Peter Hernon, do earthquakes reoccur? That is the premise of this book that the New Madrid Seismic Zone will reactivate. This earthquake caused massive earthquakes in 1811 and 1812, effecting 24 states, creating lakes in Tennessee and causing the Mississippi River to run backward.

Earthquake, (IMdB 6.0/10) is about a massive earthquake that violently strikes Los Angeles, leading to destruction and chaos. Starring Charlton Heston and Ava Gardner, won an Oscar for Best Cinematography

The Wind Rises, (IMdB 7.8/10) is an animated film by Hayao Miyazaki that loosely revolves around the Great Kanto Earthquake that struck the Japanese island of Honshu in 1923. Won a Japan Academy of Film prize for best animated film.

Chapter 10 – Deformation

Basin and Range, by John McPhee, Available at UH Library QE79 .M28 1981 This is the first in a series on geology and geologists in which he travels through this physiographic province of the United States that reaches from eastern Utah to eastern California, with hundreds of discrete high mountain ranges. The terrain becomes the setting for a lyrical evocation of the science of geology, with digressions into the plate-tectonics revolution and the history of the geologic time scale.

Detachment Fault by Susan Cummins Miller A mystery about several linked murders solved by geologist Frankie MacFarlane as she puts pressure on weak points similar to normal faulting

Crack in the World, (IMdB 6.0/10) A silly movie about a dying scientist who wants to create a crack through to Earth’s magma layer to tap geothermal resources. This results in a large fault that threaten to destroy the Earth as we know it. Starring Dana Andrews and Janette Scott

Chapter 11 – Geologic Time

The Earth After Us: What Legacy Will Humans Leave in the Rocks? by Jan Zalewicsz available at UH library QH542.5 .Z35 2008. What will the Earth be like one hundred million years into the future? This book describes how geologists in the far future might piece together the history Earth from the traces we will leave behind in rock strata.

Remarkable Creatures, by Tracy Chevalier available at UH Library PS3553.H4367 R46 2010b Historical fiction about Mary Anning who lived along the Jurassic coast of England and had an uncanny eye for discovering fossils of ancient marine life.

BBC Men of Rock (YouTube Channel) describes how various concepts of Deep Time were first discovered in Scotland and England

How the Earth was Made, (History Channel documentary series), This is the pilot episode of 26 episodes which focus on different places and periods of Earth’s history. Won an Academy Award.

Planet of the Apes, (1968 version, IMdD 8.0/10), a sci-fi version of how time affects evolution as after 40 centuries, apes become dominant and humans ensalved. This movie generated lots of sequels and a TV series. Starring Charlton Heston and Roddy McDowell. Won an honorary Oscar for the prosthetics and make-up

Chapter 12 – Rivers

Encounters with the Archdruid, by John McPhee available at UH Library PS3563.A3238 E5 This book chronicles David Brower and Floyd Dominy—a pioneering environmentalist and a mega-dam builder—rafting side-by-side down the Colorado River, debating the virtues and perils of dams when they’re not paddling the rapids.

Mississippi River: Headwaters and Heartland to Delta and Gulf, by David Freese and Simon Winchester, Part of a trilogy on water shown in photos with essays. The photos illustrate the dangers posed by increased flooding as well as protective measures done by the U. S. Army Corp of Engineers to try and keep the Mississippi in its banks.

A River Runs through It and Other Stories, by Norman Maclean available at UH library PS3563.A317993 R58 1976 This first, in this collection of three novellas, focuses on a river, fly-fishing, and woods. Also, made into a movie directed by Robert Redford which won an award for Best Cinematography

Chapter 13 – Landscapes

Over the Mountain, by Michael Collier available at UH Library QE71 .C65 2007 Many geology texts rarely communicate a sense of excitement about geology. But this book of aerial photographs shows the Earth’s workings in stunning images.

Chinatown, (IMdB 8.1/10) this neo-noir mystery was inspired by California water-wars in the 1930’s. So, if you are interested in watersheds and landscapes, this could be the movie for you. Starring Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway. Won 1 Oscar for best writing and screenplay.

Dune, Part 1 (IMdB 8.0/10) a sci-fi movie about living among planetary dunes on Arrakis. However, chaos ensues after a betrayal as forces clash to control melange, a precious resource. Won 6 Oscars. Note that mélange is also used to describe rocks that are a jumble of large blocks of varied lithologies, generally formed in continental convergent boundaries.

The Descent, (IMdB 7.2/10) is a horror movie about exploring caves and what monsters may dwell in them. Can you find the geological miscues about caves? Starring Shauna Macdonald and Natalie Mendoza. Won a Saturn award for best horror movie.

Thirteen Lives, (IMdB 7.8/10) recreates the cave rescue of 13 boys and their soccer coach after a flood in Thailand. The rescue is an accurate portrayal of the real event. In addition, to cave formations, the rescue depends on understanding the local hydrology. Starring Viggo Mortenson and Colin Farrell.

Chapter 14 – Planetary Geology

The Martian, by Andy Weir available at UH library PS3623.E446 M37 2014 Astronaut Mark Watney finds himself stranded and completely alone on Mars. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills–and a refusal to quit, will he overcome the impossible odds against him? Also, a movie (IMdB 8.0/10) starring Matt Damon. Nominated for 7 Oscars but didn’t win any.

Armageddon, (IMdB 6.7/10) is about an asteroid heading to Earth and its impact will obliterate life on Earth. NASA to the rescue! Starring Bruce Willis, Ben Afleck and Billy Bob Thornton

Don’t Look Up, (IMdB 7.1/10) a dark comedy that focuses on a comet heading to Earth as an allegory for climate change. To escape the inevitable destruction and extinction, some head to another planet. Many climate scientists praised the film as an accurate depiction of how governments don’t react to warnings. Starring Leonardo di Capro, Jennifer Lawrence, and Meryl Streep. Nominated for 4 Oscars

Apollo 13, (IMdB 7.7/10) does not directly cover lunar geology but focuses on how NASA devises a strategy to return Apollo 13 to Earth safely after the spacecraft undergoes massive damage. Starring Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, and Bill Paxton. Won 2 Oscars for Best Sound and Best Film Editing.

Chapter 15 – Climate Change

Rising: Dispatches from the New American Shore, by Elizabeth Rush available at UH Library GB459.4 .R86 2018 Rising seas are transforming the coastline of the United States. This describes the most dramatic coastal changes, from the Gulf Coast to Miami, and from New York City to the Bay Area. A finalist for a Pulitzer Prize

The Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death on a Scorched Planet, by Jeff Goodell, this book details how heat waves caused by global warming have had disastrous effects on society, including discussing how air conditioning led to living in places that are too hot. A NY Times Bestselling Non-Fiction book

Tambora and the Year without a Summer: How a Volcano Plunged the World into Crisis, by Wolfgang Behringer in this book, leading climate historian Wolfgang Behringer provides an account of a climate catastrophe that would cast the world into political and social crises for years to come. 

The Day After Tomorrow, (IMdB 6.5/10) is about Jack Hall, paleoclimatologist, must make a daring trek from Washington, D.C. to New York City to reach his son who is trapped by a sudden storm which plunges the planet into a new Ice Age. Stars Dennis Quaid, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Emmy Rossum. Won a BAFTA award for Special Effects

Switch Energy Alliance, movies and interviews about how energy and modern climage interact.

Chapter 16 – Geophysics

Polar Shift, by Clive Cussler with Paul Kemprecos. This historical/science fiction references paleomagnetism and switching the north and south magnetic poles during a confrontation with an madman posing as an environmentalist.

Echos from the Deep, by Innes McCartney. Do you want to know how to find shipwrecks? You can use marine geophysics as these techniques have found the remains of thousands of shipwrecks across the seas.

52 Things You Should Know about Geophysics, edited by Matt Hall and Evan Bianco. A collection of 52 short 1–2-page essays about essential knowledge for and by geophysicists.

There will be Blood, (IMdB 8.2/10) is not directly about geophysics; instead, it is story of oil and madness which focuses on the early days of the petroleum business. Starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Paul Dano and Cieran Hinds.  Won 2 Oscars for Best Actor and Best Cinematography

Tremors, (IMdB 7.2/10) is a monster, horror movie that involves Rhonda, a seismologist, who studies unnatural readings below the ground below Perfection, Nevada. She determines that these are unknown creatures. Starring Kevin Bacon, Fred Ward, and Finn Carter

Compiled by V.B. Sisson with help from friends and colleagues who appreciate fine arts.