Geological evolution of North America / Геологическая эволюция Северной Америки

We set out to write a historical geology textbook for first-year geology studentswith the conviction, borne out by several years of teaching the subject, that a regional approach is the most effective. We believed that the student could gain a knowledge of the regional geology of North America while learning the methods by which the stratigrapher and paleontologist interpret the record of the rocks. This remains the goal of the Second Edition. The historical development of the continent is presented in terms of its major structural units: the bordering geosynclines, the platform, and the Canadian Shield. A greater unity of treatment is achieved by considering the development of these great structural units through a major part of geological time. The student is led to a clear recognition of the similarities and equally important differences in the patterns of behavior of the various structural elements. <...>