Donald R. Prothero

California’s Amazing Geology by Donald Prothero is what I was always looking for: a book to help me understand what the present theories are about how this state has come about.

The author provides a basic introduction to geological terms and concepts and then explores, in great detail, each specific geologic area in California and the processes by which they came about. He then considers gold, oil, beaches, and fossils in particular.

As an old earth advocate I am not bothered by the consideration of time in terms of the development. You learn quickly how much the strike-slip faults between the North American and Pacific plates defines California. I will never be able to look at the state in the same way again.

The author does well at showing you how you've never understood the beach. Apparently, at least in California, you’ve never visited the same beach twice: the sand grains are being continually moved across the shoreline until they eventually fall into some deep sea canyon or another, which is why it is dumb to build on barrier islands or think sea walls can hold in the beach. The water is cycling; it’s the energy in the waves which creates the illusion of water going in and out. If caught in a rip current, swim parallel to shore to get out of it; trying to swim back to shore will just exhaust you and you will drown.

Our planet is weird. But all these processes allow for life to persevere.… (altro)

Donald R. Prothero’s Rhinoceros Giants: The Paleobiology of Indricotheres examines both the indricotheres themselves as well as the history of their discovery. The story of discovery, early paleontological techniques, and the Indiana Jones-type adventurer-scientists who traveled to the remotest parts of the world in the hopes of finding something spectacular set this book apart from other histories of ancient life written for a popular (i.e.. non-academic) audience. Prothero then describes how political changes in the parts of Asia with the largest indricotheres deposits – from World War II through the socio-political changes during the Cold War – affected international scientific advancement throughout the twentieth century, such that these giant beasts are only now being fully understood.

Having detailed the early paleontology, Prothero describes the new methodologies for chronologizing the fossils, including magnetic stratigraphy and reconciling differing terms and concepts across different schools of thought. Despite most people associating rhinoceroses with their horns, Prothero explains how most fossil rhinoceroses either have no evidence of horns or did not leave behind horns due to being constructed almost entirely of keratin. Thus, paleontologists rely on teeth, in particular molars, which are far more effective at tracing certain evolutionary lineages. From teeth, Prothero moves on to nomenclature and how many different species of Indricotherium were misnamed based on slight taxonomic differences or how paleontologists grouped outliers in as Indricotheres based on other errors.

In addition to summarizing the field of paleobiology, Prothero offers his own reconstruction of this creature that was one of the largest land mammals ever to walk the Earth. Notably, he examines the nasal region, the need for heat regulation among modern mammals, and what their leg and rib proportions suggest about their girth and digestion – ruminant versus hindgut fermenters – to propose a maximum upper limit of 20 tonnes, but more likely in the 10-15 tonne range with large, elephant-like ears for thermoregulation and a slight proboscis or trunk, such as in a tapir (Ch. 7). Prothero describes in detail how much work goes into these reconstructions and how they differ from the CGI creations common to popular documentaries.

Elements of Rhinoceros Giants will primarily appeal to paleobiologists, specifically the literature reviews and some of the graphs, but Prothero also writes in a clear voice for anyone interested in the ancient past and the age of mammals prior to modern humans.… (altro)