Publisher's Synopsis
In 1975 a group of distinguished American and Canadian geologists agreed to pool their knowledge to write about the geologically fascinating resource they shared. Colossal Cataract is the result of their five-year collaboration to provide both geologists and general readers with the first comprehensive geological history of Niagara Falls since 1914.How and why the Falls were formed and how the Niagara Frontier has evolved through natural processes and through man's efforts to benefit from the dynamic power of the Falls is described in a succinct history. A chapter forecasts the possible future of the Falls, taking the natural erosion rate and the technological options for directing it into account.The authors both correct some misconceptions about the geology of the Falls and offer a new interpretation of the structure of the bedrock. A chapter on paleontology describes the fossils that have been deposited and which might still be found.Attached to the book is a 25 x 32" four-color map, the only available detailed geological map of the Niagara area. The map shows the bedrock distribution and incorporates the latest geological data.Appendixes offer a glossary of geologic terms, Niagara statistics, stratigraphy, a road guide to points of interest, and a summary of museum exhibits in the Niagara region.
