Nearly half of the known species of mammals alive today (more than 1600) are rodents or "gnawing mammals" (Nowak and Paradiso, 1983). The diversity of rodents is greater than that of any other order of mammals. Thus, it is not surprising that the fossil record of this order is extensive and fossil material of rodents from the Tertiary is known from all continents except Antarctica and Australia. The purpose of this book is to compile the published knowledge on fossil rodents from North America and present it in a way that is accessible to paleontologists and mammalogists interested in evolutionary studies of ro dents. The literature on fossil rodents is widely scattered between journals on paleontology and mammalogy and in-house publications of museums and universities. Currently, there is no single source that offers ready access to the literature on a specific family of rodents and its fossil history. This work is presented as a reference text that can be useful to specialists in rodents (fossil or recent) as weIl as mammalian paleontologists working on whole faunas. Because the diversity of rodents in the world is essentially limitless, any monograph that included all fossil rodents would similarly be limitless. Hence, this book is limited to the re cord of Tertiary rodents of North America. The several species of South American (caviomorph) rodents that invaded North America near the end of the Tertiary are also not included in this text.

California has some of the most distinctive and unique geology in the United States. It is the only state with all three types of plate boundaries, an extraordinary history of earthquakes and volcanoes, and many rocks and minerals found nowhere else. The Golden State includes both the highest and lowest points in the continental US and practically every conceivable geological feature known. This book discusses not only the important geologic features of each region in California but also the complex geologic four-dimensional puzzle of how California was assembled, beginning over two billion years ago. The author provides an up-to-date and authoritative review of the geology and geomorphology of each geologic province, as well as recent revelations of the tectonic history of California’s past. There are separate chapters on some of California’s distinctive geologic resources, including gold, oil, water, coastlines, and fossils. An introductory section describes basic rock and mineral types and fundamental aspects of plate tectonics, so that students and other readers can make sense of the bizarre, wild, and crazy jigsaw puzzle that is California's geological history. In this second edition, the book has an entirely new final section, “California’s Environmental Hazards and Challenges,” with new chapters on California’s landslides, air and water pollution, renewable energy, and the future of climate change in California. Key Features Thoroughly updates the market-leading textbook on California's geology Is written by an author with 30 years of teaching geology and leading field trips in California Introduces California's unique geological history Covers fundamentals of geology Characterizes specific geographical regions of California Describes major geological resources of California Summarizes the paleontology of California Reviews the likely impact of climate change on California's environment Related Titles Hollocher, K. A Pictorial Guide to Metamorphic Rocks in the Field (ISBN 978-11380-2630-8) Glavovic, B. et al. Climate Change and the Coast: Building Resilient Communities (ISBN 978-04154-6487-1)