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FIRE, FAULTS and FLOODS: A road and trail guide exploring the origins of the Columbia River Basin
Book $20.00. Univ. of Idaho Press, 1997.

By Mueller and Mueller. A wondrous collection of soaring cliffs, deep coulees, basalt dike walls, water-filled potholes, flood carved caves, and broad channels of one-time rivers spreads across the landscape of eastern and central Washington and northern Oregon. This road and trail guidebook introduces readers, residents, hikers, and tourists to outstanding geological features found in the Columbia River basin and offers an in-depth look at the geological events and forces that created its vast and varied landscapes. Written in non-technical terms so it is very understandable, the authors describe not only the geology of the region, but the history and recreational opportunities offered at various sites.

Fifty three trips are targeted to assist readers in finding and understanding the area’s major geologic features. Among the regions covered are:
* Missoula, Montana, and the lower Clark Fork drainage
* Grande Ronde and Joseph Creek Canyons on the borders of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho
* The Cheney-Pasco Scabland Corridor
* Grand Coulee, Moses Coulee, and other glacial Lake Missoula flood channels
* The middle Columbia River drainage
* Crab Creek and the Yakima fold Belt
* Picture Gorge Basalts and John Day Fossil Beds National Monument
* The Columbia River Gorge
* The northern Oregon Coast

95 black and white photographs and 80 maps and illustrations accompany the text and serve as detailed guides to sites throughout the region.

Excerpts from a published review:

This book is a fine choice for anyone interested in learning more about the geologic features of the Columbia Basin. The book presents the story of the Columbia River Basalt Group and the Spokane (Lake Missoula or Bretz) floods. Although it is designed as a field trip guidebook, it serves well as a basic text.

Each chapter begins with a brief description of the field trips and a map showing all of the trip routes and major topographic and cultural features. Each field trip can be run easily in a few hours. Neighboring field trips can be run consecutively if more time is available. Thorough driving instructions and good road maps help make this easy.

Each field trip begins with a few bulleted sentences that tell what geologic features are to be seen on the trip. Then the authors list tourist facilities in the area and give a drive overview. They present the field trip as smoothly flowing text with illustrations. Maps, photographs, drawings, and copious geographic references in the text make the reader completely comfortable with regard to spatial context. The format is evidence of the careful planning of this book, and is probably the prime reason it is such fun to read. The bibliography is thorough and complete.

Fire, Faults & Floods is thoroughly and accurately researched, carefully organized, written for the nongeologist but also fun for the geologist, filled with beautiful illustrations (the only thing to wish for is color) and very well edited. This book will make a great addition to the library of anyone who is interested in the natural history of the Pacific Northwest, and it will make you long to take the field trips.

–J. Eric Schuster, Washington Dept. of Natural Resources, Div. of Geology and Earth Resources, in Washington Geology, v. 26, no. 1, p. 46, 1998

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