Living with Thunder

Exploring the Geologic Past, Present, and Future of the Pacific Northwest

Ellen Morris Bishop

• Publisher: Oregon State University Press
• Year: 2025
• Print ISBN: 9781962645409
• eBook ISBN: 9781962645416
• Topic: Biological Sciences
• Subtopic: Geology & Earth Sciences
• Index: Biological Sciences

"In geology, the present is the key to the past. And the past is also a touchstone of the future. We would do well to heed the stories the stones have to tell." —from the Introduction

Updated throughout, this second edition of Living with Thunder provides readers with a robust introduction to the geological history of the Pacific Northwest—a landscape born of thunderous volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and island-continent collisions. By combining engaging science writing with stunning color photographs, Ellen Morris Bishop presents an up-to-date geologic survey of Washington, Oregon, Northern California, and western Idaho. Whether examining new findings about the Yellowstone hotspot's rampage across Oregon, an updated history of Cascadia earthquakes, Mount Hood's 1793-1795 eruptions, the arrival of Indigenous peoples at least 18,000 years ago, or how Pacific Northwest eruptions and tectonics influenced past climate changes, Bishop's gift as a scientist and storyteller engages general readers, geological nonspecialists, and students of the Earth sciences, alike.

Highlighting the Northwest's exceptional record of past climate changes and the implications for our future, the book outlines new understandings about the climatic consequences of major geologic events and their dramatic influences on ecosystems and ancient life. It also examines the confluence of scientific findings with Native American experience, stories, and traditional knowledge of earthquakes, eruptions, and more. With new illustrations, enhanced maps, the latest geologic timescale, and an extensive list of updated references and recommended readings, Living with Thunder offers a key to understanding the Northwest's unique, long-term geologic heritage by giving voice to the rocks and their histories.

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction to the Second Edition: The Pacific Northwest’s Thunderous Landscapes
• 1. Pacific Northwest Geology: The Big Picture
• 2. Beginnings: The Early Earth and the Ancient Supercontinents
• 3. A Planet in Crisis: Snowball Earth
• 4. Native Shores: The Northwest’s Foundation
• 5. Terranes and New Territory: Assembling the Northwest
• 6. First Encounters with Yellowstone: Siletzia and the Coast Ranges
• 7. Grasslands Take the Stage: Calderas and Cooling
• 8. Volcanoes Everywhere: The Yellowstone Hotspot’s Heyday
• 9. The Great Expansion: The Basin and Range Opens
• 10. Shifting Climates: An Analog for Today
• 11. The Young and the Restless: High Cascade Volcanoes
• 12. Glaciers and Floods: The Pleistocene Ice Age
• 13. The Living Landscape: Pacific Northwest Geology in Action
• 14. Into the Anthropocene
• Map of the Pacific Northwest
• Geologic Timescale
• References and Reading
• Glossary of Geologic Terms
• Index
• About the Author