Geology Today was CRM’s second college science book and the first text to use the groundbreaking theories of plate tectonics/sea floor spreading as its unifying principle. Like Biology Today, a group of preeminent contributing authors structured the book and wrote its chapters. I had been a graduate student at Scripps Institution of Oceanography (UCSD/La Jolla) during this revolution in the earth sciences and it was very exciting to be a contributing author, graphics consultant, and part of the educational and conceptual design of the book.
Working together with Arthur Jokela, Richard Carter, and John Odam the book was divided into six units. Symbols/icons were designed for each unit, to visualize their main geologic processes along with accompanying photo essays that stressed geologic forms. I wrote the six unit openers using myths from major ancient cultures showing their “geomythic” appreciation/understanding of the Earth’s forces. I also designed The Folding Earth insert that accompanied the book using Japanese origami folds to take students through three major periods of the sea floor spreading as they folded and unfolded the insert.
