Discoveries await with ‘Geologic History’

What do you think of when you hear the word “island”? Verdant greenery? Mountains? Volcanoes? Does the fact that this “island” is really just the little tip of a massive underwater mountain come to mind? For most of us that live here (or those that visit here), probably not.

And yet this single fact is only the “tip” of the iceberg (or underwater mountain as it is) in this excellent bestselling book in our bookstore, entitled “Kauai’s Geologic History: A Simplified Overview — Updated and Expanded Edition,” by local authors Chuck Blay (geoscientist) and Robert Siemers (geographer and cartographer).

Lauded by geologists around the world, “Kauai’s Geologic History” is a great discovery for both local and tourists alike, for good reason! This 161-page book is packed full of fascinating information about this unique island and group of islands we call home (or second/future home for some).

Nearly every page contains wonderfully illustrated graphs or models that gives a revealing look at what lies beneath the surface … from seeing the island’s undersea shelf to covering the entire span of the island chain. Who knew that from end to end the Hawaiian chain stretches two-thirds the width of the entire mainland United States?

Numerous other great topics are covered, too: diversity of the beaches, what creates Kauai’s numerous microclimates, the varied wave and wind patterns that continue to sculpt the island … everything from Waimea Canyon to Maha’ulepu and all the way around to Na Pali Coast. “Kauai’s Geologic History” is so popular because Blay & Siemers have taken care to condense a bevy of scientific knowledge into something that anyone can easily read and comprehend, bolding key phrases to help, and yet still full of highly-researched quality information that causes even learned scientists to say, “Wow, this book is cool!”

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Ed and Cynthia Justus are owners of The Bookstore in Hanapepe.