Eastward view of the Valley and Ridge Province from Dolly Sods
What’s the news?
The origins of
the rolling hills and valleys of West Virginia is detailed in a new book by two
West Virginia University professors, Joseph Lebold and Christopher Wilkinson.
“Roadside Geology of West Virginia” will lead you through the state’s wild and
wonderful landscape.
Quotes and comments
“I try to help people understand that West Virginia has been a very different
place in the past – that our state has been covered by shallow tropical seas,
sandy beaches, salty tidal flats and vast coastal swamps. I enjoy just getting
people to appreciate that the land we call home hasn’t always looked the way it
does today.” – Joseph Lebold, geology
professor, WVU Eberly College of Arts and Sciences
“We spent four years traveling the state, compiling
references. It was a lot of work, but it was a lot of fun. I got to go to
places I never would have otherwise, meet people I wouldn’t have otherwise and
see rocks that I wouldn’t have otherwise.” –
Joseph Lebold
“As someone who devoted a significant part of his career to teaching
students about my field –music –and for much of the time happily teaching those
who were not majoring in any part of the field, I believe that one important
responsibility of an academic professional is to present one’s understanding of
some part of the universe to an interested lay audience. That requires the
ability to step outside of one’s intellectual territory, look at it from the
perspective of an outsider and work to present it in such a way that that
outsider comes to understand it. This is the only book of its kind on this subject.”
– Christopher Wilkinson, professor
emeritus, WVU School of Music
“After retiring in 2013, I vowed to audit one course per semester on
subjects of personal interest. I took copious notes during his (Lebold’s) lectures
and showed up at his office hours to ask follow-up questions. During one of
those meetings, I happened to notice a series of books all having the common
title ‘Roadside Geology.’ This series seemed ideal for that purpose, but there
was no volume on West Virginia. When I mentioned this, Joe said that someday he
would like to write it. The books are not intended for specialists in geology,
but for interested lay readers like me. I suggested that we collaborate. He
agreed, and the rest is history.” –Christopher
Wilkinson
Resources
Link to
original story: West Virginia is shaped by
geology
Roadside Geology of West Virginia
VIDEO: Inside WVU today feature (2:11): Joe Lebold and Christopher Wilkinson
VIDEO (0:19): Joe Lebold interview
VIDEO (0:16): Christopher Wilkinson interview
AUDIO: WVUToday on the Radio feature (1:56): Joseph Lebold
Target audiences
West Virginians
Geologists
Students interested in geology
Current geology students
Scientists
-WVU-
mh/mft/12/12/18
CONTACT: Katlin Swisher, Eberly College of Arts and Sciences,
304.293.9264; katlin.swisher@mail.wvu.edu
Follow @WVUToday on Twitter.