Eighth annual report of the United States Geological Survey to the Secretary of the Interior 1886 -- '87 by J. W. Powell, Director. Part I. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1889. 28.5 cm, pp. [i: catalogue cards] [ii: blank] [i-iv: ads] [i-ii] iii [iv] v-xv [xvi] xvii-xix [xx] [1-3] 4-474 i-xii, 53 plates (including one folded map in rear pocket), 22 figures, publisher's black cloth stamped in gold. First edition. Pages 261-394 comprise a monograph, "Quaternary History of Mono Valley, California," by Israel C. Russell. The theory that the Sierra Nevada had been glaciated three times was first advanced by Russell who, in 1882 and 1883, studied moraines built in Mono Valley by glaciers which had descended the east slope of range. The paper did not present new observations on the active glaciers of the region (see Fifth annual report of the United States Geological Survey to the Secretary of the Interior 1883 -- '84 by J. W. Powell, Director. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1885), but did provide a detailed geomorphology of the Sierra Nevada of the Mono area. "Russell blends science with prose so vivid that this report is essential reading for anyone with an interest in the Mono Basin, Mono Craters, and the glaciers of the adjacent High Sierra, both present and past. Illustrated with etchings and the superb cartography of Willard D. Johnson ... Glacial Lake Russell, which occupied the Mono Basin during the Tioga Glaciation, was so named in recognition of this pioneering work" (Huber, 1989, p. 61). Currey and Kruska 365. A few scuffs and scratches, mostly to rear cover, a very good copy with tight hinges and fine interior. (#179365).
No statement of printing.