Our Restless Earth: The Geologic Regions of Tennessee

Memphis is built on land once the bottom of a sea, Nashville rests within a 600-foot-depth basin eroded from a mighty arch, and Knoxville and Chattanooga nestle on lands that have migrates—Knoxville’s underpinning traveling all the way from the middle of Sevier County. Our Restless Earth is written for all Tennesseans who are curious about the origins of familiar landscapes. Edward T. Luther describes a state that has attracted specialists from all over the world to study its fascinating geology, a state that in its long east-west axis encompasses nine distinct geologic regions. Appearing here are phenomena such as the New Madrid earthquake that formed Reelfoot lake, the state’s almost forgotten gold rush, sixty-foot reptiles that once inhabited parts of McNairy County, and the contrary Tennessee River that could not decide which way to flow. The origins of the state’s oil, coal, iron, marble, and famous cave country—these too are a part of Our Restless Earth.