How did the Sierra Nevada and adjacent lands come to be the size and shape they are today? This book covers 400 million years of physical evolution in a language understandable to nonscientists, tracing the volcanic activity, the folding and building of mountains, the breaking of blocks along fault lines, and the work of erosion and glaciers that have created today's dramatic landscape. Cordell Durrell spent a lifetime reading this complex story of movement and change in the rocks of the Feather River country. He shares with readers the excitement of discovering by remote but careful inference what must have happened millions upon millions of years ago. The basic methods of geologic analysis that Durrell describes can be applied anywhere on the earth's surface, lending new fascination to our travels throughout the frozen arctic, dry deserts, tropical rainforests, low swamps, and high mountains like California's magnificent Sierra. Although the Sierra Nevada range is a fairly simple fault block mountain system in most folks' minds, the details of its evolution over millions of years are quite complex and interesting. Cordell is a long-time student of these mountains, especialy the northern terminus. The book is intended for the general reader and begins with an introduction to some basic geologic premises. Most of the text is about the area of the title and will be of interest to anyone residing in or visiting the area. The illustrations are numerous and include drawings and photos. Recommended for libraries in the region. R.G. Schipf, Univ. of Montana Lib., Missoula Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.