Eastern Washington University past and current geology instructors Dr. Eugene Kiver, Richard Orndorff and Chad Pritchard have penned an easy guide to state geological features in "Washington Rocks!"
No doubt about it - Washington Rocks!
If there is a double entendre detected in that statement, it's because former Cheney resident Dr. Eugene Kiver believes Washington is geologically a very diverse state. So much so that the Eastern Washington University emeritus professor of geology teamed with two current EWU colleagues, Chad Pritchard and Richard L. Orndorff, to produce "Washington Rocks!," a 144-page guide to 57 features around the state.
According to a news release from Mountain Press in Missoula Mont., the book is part of a "state-by-state 'Geology Rocks!' series" designed to introduce readers to "some of the most compelling and accessible geological sites in each state." "Washington Rocks!" is well illustrated with photographs and illustrations of the various formations while also light on the verbiage.
In fact, Kiver said having a good picture of the geological feature was the first requirement for inclusion in the book. Many of the photos were taken by him and his wife Barbara during their travels around the state over the past 50-plus years, while others - including a striking photo of Palouse Falls - were taken by one of Kiver's sons, Mark.
Eugene Kiver said the photos had to be a "good picture," meaning good lighting and focus. Many were photos had been lying around for years, never used in any classroom lectures.
All three authors brought various talents to the book. Kiver said he tends to look more closely at landform while Pritchard is a "structural geologist" and Orndorff had originally worked on another Geology Rocks! series book about southwest Utah.
Kiver, who now lives in Anacortes, has spent a lot of time on the geology of Eastern Washington, especially in conjunction with the Ice Age Floods. He has written several books on the pre-Neolithic-area deluges that carved out much of this side of the state, as well as hosted hikes and tours through the Cheney-Spokane Ice Age Floods Institute.
Kiver said they didn't want to "get heavy" on Columbia Plateau geology where he has spent a lot of his time and career. "Washington Rocks!" therefore contains not only sites in Eastern Washington, but also in Northeast Washington like Gardner Cave and Abercrombie Mountain, and Cascade Mountain features like Heather Meadows, the Skagit River Gorge and Iron Goat Trail – site of America's deadliest avalanche in 1910 that took 96 lives.
The book is organized into seven chapters, so besides the Columbia Plateau, Okanogan Highlands and the Cascade Range there are features to see in the San Juan Islands, Puget Sound, Olympic Mountains and Willapa Hills in southwest Washington's coastal area. Even so, Kiver is still drawn to Columbia Plateau geology such as the Williams Lake Plunge Pool, an Ice Age Floods feature just a 20-minute drive from Cheney.
"I don't think a lot of people realize the significance of that (plunge pool)," Kiver said. "The only other places to see that are comparable are Palouse Falls or Dry Falls."
Kiver said the book is structured so the features selected are the ones easy for people to access without having to cross private lands.
So far, book sales have been going well, Mountain Press's marketing manager, Anne Iverson said. "Washington Rocks!" retails for $18, and is currently available at Costco and several independent bookstores.
"The book is doing really well," Iverson said. "We're selling a boatload."
Kiver is also happy about sales of the book, which he said wasn't done for money but as a way to give back to the public. He hopes the book excites readers' curiosity and piques their interest about where they live.
"We just try to point out to people, 'hey, look around and think about what's going on' without being really technical," Kiver said.
John McCallum can be reached at jmac@cheneyfreepress.com.
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