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Elephant Head: Kenneth Bosma CC-By-2.0 (Wikipedia)

Island Mountains of Southeastern Arizona – NEW Down-to-Earth Booklet

John V. Bezy, Ph.D., began writing natural history books in 1975. Over the past 45-years, John has penned more than 20 books. In 1998, Dr. Bezy co-authored ‘ Ice Age Mammals of the San Pedro River Valley Southeastern Arizona’, the sixth offering in the Arizona Geological Survey's (AZGS) Down-to-Earth (DTE) popular geology booklet series. His latest book, ‘Island Mountains of Southeastern Arizona: Geology, Vegetation & Wildlife’, is his 12th and most ambitious contribution to the DTE series. (Image: Elephant Head in the Santa Rita Mountains by Kenneth Bosma CC-By-2.0 (Wikipedia).)

This 99-page booklet includes more than 100 images, maps, and illustrations on the geology and natural history of 11 Madrean sky island mountain ranges: in the order in which they appear in the text; Santa Catalina, Rincón, Tortolita, Santa Rita, Tucson, Galiuro, Pinaleño, Chiricahua, Mule, Huachuca, and Whetstone Mountains.

From the Introduction, ‘Eleven island-like mountain ranges tower thousands of feet above adjacent basins in southeastern Arizona…  These island mountains, together with over a dozen other ranges, that are either lower in elevation or more difficult to access, make up the Basin and Range geologic province of southeastern Arizona.’

The book is divided into four sections: General Geology of the Mountains of Southeastern Arizona; Vegetation and Wildlife of the Island Mountains; Island Mountains of Southeastern Arizona: An In-depth Look; and, Suggested Readings. At 70-pages, the Island Mountains of Southeastern Arizona is the longest section, diving deeply into the geologic origins and histories of the 11 Madrean Sky Island mountain ranges.

Suggested Readings includes dozens of books, geologic articles, and published geologic maps for the engaged reader to follow up on. A number of these resources can be downloaded from the AZGS Document Repository. The Readings section is subdivided by Madrean Sky Island mountain ranges.  

Background. John Vincent Bezy graduated from the University of Arizona in 1998 with a Ph.D. in geology. His dissertation examined the granite landforms on the northern and western margins of the Santa Catalina Mountains near Tucson, Arizona. His Masters thesis, released in 1970, explored changing settlement and road patterns in the Montelores region of Colorado. John worked for many years with the potters of Mata Ortiz, Chihuahua, to promote their work and to conduct educational tours to this and other parts of Mexico and Latin America.

Acknowledgment
AZGS staff thanks John Bezy for his generous contribution to our Down-to-Earth series over the past two decades. John’s natural history booklets drawing on Arizona’s geology has been the backbone of our popular geology series. Thousands of paper copies were sold through the Arizona Geology Bookstore and tens-of-thousands of digital copies have been downloaded – free - from the AZGS Document Repository.  John Bezy spend 1000s of hours researching and writing these texts without once requesting financial reimbursement.  

Thank you, John!

Bibliography of John V. Bezy

To view/download free digital copies of the Down to Earth booklets.

Booklets of the AZGS Down-to-Earth series

  • Bezy, J.V. and Conway, F.M., 2020. Island Mountains of Southeastern Arizona: Geology, Vegetation & Wildlife. Arizona Geological Survey Down-to-Earth #24, 99 p.
  • Bezy, J.V., 2016, A Guide to the Geology of the Santa Catalina Mountains, Arizona: The Geology and Life Zones of a Madrean Sky Island. Arizona Geological Survey Down-to-Earth # 22, 83 p.
  • Bezy, J.V., 2012, A Guide to the Geology of the Sedona & Oak Creek Canyon area, Arizona. Arizona Geological Survey Down-to-Earth DTE #20, 42 p.
  • Bezy, J.V., 2005, A Guide to the Geology of Saguaro National Park. Arizona Geological Survey Down to Earth, DTE #18, 47 p.
  • Bezy, J.V., 2004, A Guide to the Geology of Sabino Canyon and the Catalina Highway. Arizona Geological Survey Down to Earth, DTE #17, 56 p.
  • Bezy, J.V., 2003, A Guide to the Geology of the Flagstaff Area. Arizona Geological Survey Down-to-Earth Series DTE-14, 56 p.
  • Bezy, J.V., Trevena, A.S., 2003, A Guide to the Geology of the White Mountains and the Springville Volcanic Field, Arizona. Arizona Geological Survey Down-to-Earth Series DTE-16, 56 p.
  • Bezy, J.V., 2002, A Guide to the Geology of Catalina State Park and the Western Santa Catalina Mountains. Arizona Geological Survey Down-to-Earth Series DTE-12, 57 p.
  • Bezy, J.V., 2001, Rocks in the Chiricahua National Monument and the Fort Bowie National Historic Site. Arizona Geological Survey Down-to-Earth Series #11, 48 p. (2nd printing in 2011)
  • Bezy, J.V., Gutmann, J. and Haxel, G.B., 2000, A Guide to the Geology of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument and the Pinacate Biosphere Reserve. Arizona Geological Survey Down-to-Earth #9, 66 p.
  • Bezy, J.V. and Trevena, A.S., 2000, Guide to the Geology of Petrified Forest National Park. Arizona Geological Survey Down-to-Earth #10, 48 p.
  • Amann, Jr., A.W., Bezy, J.V., Ratkevich, R. and Witkind, W.M., 1998, ‘Ice Age Mammals of the San Pedro River Valley Southeastern Arizona. Arizona Geological Survey Down-to-Earth #6, 32 p.

Books by publishers other than the AZGS.

  • Bezy, J.V., Garate, D. and Amann, Jr. A.W., 2018, Alamos and Arizpe, Sonora and the Anza Trail. John V. Bezy, Inc., Saddlebrook, Arizona, 34-p.
  • Bezy, J.V., 2017, The Mogollon Rim Arizona: Geology, Vegetation, Wildlife. John V. Bezy, Inc., Saddlebrook, Arizona.
  • Bezy, J.V. and Scott, S.D., 2010, The Artistry and History of Mata Ortiz. Self-published, 164-p.
  • Bezy, J.V., 2001, Bryce Canyon: The Story Behind the Scenery. KC Publications, revised 2001, 64 p.
  • Bezy, J.V. and Sanchez, J.P. (eds.), 1988, Pecos, Gateway to Pueblos and Plains. 142-p.
  • Bezy, J.V., 1978, A Guide to the Desert Geology of Lake Mead N.R.A. Western National Parks Association, 68 p.
  • Bezy, J.V. and Trevena, A.S., 1975, Guide to Twenty Geological Features at Petrified National Park. Petrified Forest Museum Association, Holbrook, Arizona.

 

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