Sydney Cannings and Richard Cannings tell the story of the province's geology and the history of its living creatures. Starting 200 million years ago, when there was no British Columbia west of the present Rocky Mountains, the authors take us on a journey through time, describing the collisions of island chains called terranes, the sliding of plates, the erupting of volcanos, and the movement of glaciers that created British Columbia as we know it today. They also describe the rich legacy of fossils left behind as a result of all this geological activity.

This updated edition has been extensively revised to reflect the current thinking about plate tectonics and the geological history of British Columbia. There are also seven new maps and a number of new photographs. An appendix lists the various types of rock in British Columbia.


Author: Sydney Cannings, Richard Cannings, JoAnne Nelson
Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Greystone Books
Published: 07/26/2011
Pages: 178
Weight: 0.95lbs
Size: 8.30h x 5.90w x 0.60d
ISBN: 9781553658153
2nd Edition

About the Author
Sydney Cannings is a zoologist working on endangered species for the provincial government in Victoria, British Columbia.

Richard Cannings works as a consulting biologist assessing endangered species and organizing broad-scale bird population surveys, among other projects. He is the author of The Rockies: A Natural History, and, with Sydney Cannings, British Columbia: A Natural History and The B.C. Roadside Naturalist. He lives in Penticton, British Columbia.

JoAnne Nelson worked for eight years as a geologist for various exploration companies based in Vancouver and taught at the University of British Columbia. Later, she joined the British Columbia Geological Survey as a bedrock and metallic minerals mapping specialist. JoAnne is currently the lead BC Geological Survey geologist in a major project called Edges, which aims to study the origins and evolution of the Cordilleran mountain chain.