New Geological Guidebook Series

Forest and Bird, Volume 20, Issue 3, 1 August 1989, Page 5

New Geological Guidebook Series

ew Zealand has been described as a land of "little landscapes", a country where considerable landscape diversity is found within a relatively small geographical area. Although it is the geology that provides the basis to these landscapes, the recognition of the part that geology plays in establishing the character and quality of the New Zealand landscape is not widely appreciated. Geological features have not generated the same amount of public interest as have our plants and animals, yet New Zealand has many dramatic landscapes in which geological features play a key role. A new series of quality geological guidebooks by the Geological Survey in association with Landscape Publications could change this lack of recognition. The first of these Reading the Rocks: A Guide to the Geological Features of the Wairarapa Coast is due for release towards the end of the year. The book, along with the rest of the planned series, is both a guidebook and a quality reference text. Its large casebound format (275 x 210mm) allows the colour plates by photographer Lloyd Homer be used to their maximum advantage, and the six laminated field guide cards (210 x 148mm) containing key descriptive and pictorial information have been designed to be taken into the field. When not being used the cards are kept in a pocket inside the book. In effect it is two books in one.

Reading the Rocks comprises a combination of aerial oblique, ground level and close up photographs, complemented by a text by NZGS geologist Phil Moore. The text, mainly by way of expanded captions, describes the 16 geological features covered. In addition

several line drawings are included to provide extra detail on some of the geological processes described. The series should appeal to the public, students and scientists alike. It will cost $34.95 (incl. GST). 4