Canada. . .
A four-billion-year geologic odyssey. . .
The Second Edition

Canada Rocks is the fascinating story of how the Canadian landmass evolved — piece by piece — from a long-lost continent some four billion years ago into one of the most spectacular and geologically significant areas on Earth.

Canada Rocks covers every region of the country — from the soaring mountains of British Columbia and Alberta through the vast Prairies, across the geologic mosaic that is the Canadian Shield, to the Arctic, Newfoundland and the ancient Maritimes. The book also includes glaciers, the formation of continents and the birth and death of oceans, the origins of strange new life forms, the violent impact of meteorites, mineral resources, water, climate change, environmental sustainability and more.

Canada Rocks is the very first book to present the entire sweep of Canadian geology to the general reader. It is profusely illustrated throughout with original full-colour photographs, charts, maps and sketches. It also includes contemporary and classic Canadian art that captures the country's extraordinary geological features and terrain.

An essential reference for naturalists, rockhounds, students, and engineers — indeed, for anyone fascinated with Canada itself. The book also showcases many sites that are easily accessible from highways making it an invaluable field guide for exploring the special land that we live on.

This Second Edition contains updated and reassessed content throughout, with major updates to chapters on plate tectonics, the formation of eastern Canada, and Canada's glacial heritage. It also contains new insights and material on climate change.

Nick Eyles
holds a Ph.D (East Anglia) and D.Sc. (Leicester) and is Professor of Geology at the University of Toronto. His prime research interest is in glacial sedimentology and has many years' experience with field work at modern glaciers. He has worked at the universities of Leicester, Newcastle upon Tyne and East Anglia in Great Britain, at Memorial University in Newfoundland and has been at Toronto since 1981 when he was awarded a prestigious NSERC University Research Fellowship. He has authored more than 150 publications in leading scientific journals on ice age geology and environmental geology and has conducted geological fieldwork from the Arctic to the Antarctic, including work with the Ocean Drilling Program onboard the drillship Resolution. Recent sabbaticals have been held in Brazil and Australia. His other books include Canada Rocks and Ontario Rocks.

Nick Eyles' profile page

Andrew Miall's profile page

Praise for the First Edition of Canada Rocks:

"Every page of the volume sparkles with information and entertainment. . . Just reading the captions in this profusely illustrated volume provides an education in the geological forces that have shaped our land for four billion years."
— The Toronto Star From "The Year's Best Science Books,"

"The spectacular geological diversity that constitutes what we call Canada is captured in photography (some of it quite stunning), charts, maps and sketches. Meteorites, climate change, glaciers — they're all here, in layman's language."
— The Globe and Mail

"This is a book that should be in every Canadian household. It presents the science of geology and the geology of Canada in a very colourful and easy to understand fashion, a feat never before accomplished. I have no doubt that any geologist who flips through the book will not be able to resist the urge to purchase it. It is the ideal source book for a basic understanding of the geology of every region of Canada and it may well inspire young people to pursue a career of studying Canadian rocks. We owe Eyles and Miall a debt of thanks for portraying our science and our rocks in such a fine fashion."
— Reservoir, the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists Magazine

"What a labour of love is this meaty geologic journal of Canada. . . This weighty tome is a must-have reference text for anyone curious about the country's geological makeup. Of particular interest to Albertans is the book's no-nonsense treatment of mining and the oil sands resources of Western Canada."
— Alberta Country Magazine

"Canada Rocks is a valuable reference work, illustrated with more than 500 maps, photos, and charts, and should be of use to the general reader for its clearly written explanations of why things are the way they are. . . For a better understanding of the country we live in, or of our own neighbourhoods, Canada Rocks is a valuable guide to the land around us, and to our own history."
— The Chronicle-Journal

"I really enjoyed this book. I caught up on topics that I have not thought about since my undergraduate degree, and I learned new things about climate and recent earthquakes. I enjoyed the sections on how geology and humans interact. Historical snapshots help bring the science alive. Almost everyone could find something to enjoy in this book, and it will give students and amateur geologists an important entry point into the fascinating story of Canada's past."
— Arctic Magazine

"Big country, big book, and one of more significance than the sum of its parts; a book that I found hard to put down. Subtitled The Geological Journey, it is not just about the geology of half a continent, it includes many judicious titbits on the history, exploration and development of Canadian research. The systematic study of Canada's geology can be said to have begun in the eastern provinces with amateur and academic endeavours and mapping by the newly founded Geological Survey of Canada (1842). It still progresses with startling results year by year, ranging from the Precambrian to the Permo-Triassic and Pleistocene. Western Canada has seen a relatively late deciphering of its turbulent evolution, with the Geological Survey of Canada and petroleum and other prospecting parties playing key roles in this task"
— Geological Society of London

"This is an arresting and pictorially magnificent account of Canada's long geological story and of the importance of its rocks in a modern, increasingly industrial country. It also covers the national concern for its resources, climate and identity. Canada Rocks is also a new high point in presentation. . .
"Beginning the journey at the dusty origin of the Earth, the reader passes through theory and conjecture and arrives at the Canadian Heartland, the Shield, and for the non-specialist this is "where the story really begins". From here on the evidence is before us in half a continent. This account of the Canadian Shield is the best your reviewer has seen. . .
"Thereafter comes the geological evolution of the conspicuously distinct natural regions of Canada — the interior platform, Appalachian or Atlantic Canada, the Cordilleran Rockies and seaboard of the west, and the arctic lowlands and islands. . .
"In summary this very well written and produced book is less of a textbook and more of a good read and browse. . .At the price it is a bargain and should command a market beyond Canada's bounds. The authors hold British and Canadian qualifications to which they might well add a palm or two for the present contribution, which they clearly enjoyed writing."
— David Dineley, University of Bristol