From the first page of this article, it seems McPhee has taken an interest in geology and befriended a man by the name of Eldridge Moores, from the University of California. It seems to be relatively close to the time when the theory of the tectonic plates was beginning to form. An attempt is made to relate the excitement of finding the same kind of rock in the desert as is found on the ocean floor. In what, I’m beginning to consider, characteristic of McPhee’s writing, he attempts to educate us in what has been going on in the world of geology and some of their discoveries.
This one doesn’t do it for me though. I guess knowing things like the discovery of whale like fossils in the desert and the fact that all the worlds’ continents were united in one massive continent called Pangaea, left these ideas feeling a little stale. It’s a pretty bold task to attempt to make geology interesting to the mass public, and I’m sure McPhee succeeds further on, but for me, tonight, it doesn’t really grab me.
-Adam Hodnett
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