Roadside Geology of Ohio by Mark J. Camp

Abstract

There has long been a need for a book that summarizes the geology of Ohio. The good news is that this is a decent book, indispensable to anyone interested in Ohio geology, and is thus well worth its modest cost. After a 33-page introductory section, the book breaks its coverage into four parts: first, two major sections comprising 114 pages on the western till plains and 155 pages on the eastern uplands (the Allegheny Plateau); second, two smaller sections on the Lake Erie lakeshore and the Ohio River valley (37 pages on each). This allows a logical treatment, starting with the oldest bedrock and the simpler glacial deposits, followed by younger bedrock and more complex glacial deposits. Each section has its own introductory material, and then within each section Dr. Camp provides a few pages of general treatment for a new area, a map of the area (based on a road section plus adjacent terrain), and additional descriptions of the geology along the road. The book makes extensive use of “side trips” to cover particular points of interest. The maps are especially successful. They are bicolor maps, similar but superior to ones I have seen in earlier Roadside Geology volumes. They consist of black/white, grey, and diverse shades of brown with inlaid patterns that work amazingly well; they pack a lot of information into extremely sophisticated and attractive diagrams. Black-and-white photographs are abundant (almost two for every three pages). They are serviceable, and the non-historical ones must look quite good in original glossy prints (well framed; clearly an effort to get winter and spring photos of many outcrops before leaves cover everything up), but the publication quality is unexciting: I do not think people will ever thumb through the book and buy it on account of the photos. Dr. Camp …