Memphis is built on land once the bottom of a sea, Nashville rests within a 600-foot-depth basin eroded from a mighty arch, 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 curios 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, 60-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.

Edward T. Luther is a native Tennessean whose professional career as a geologist and personal interest in writing have pointed him toward the preparation of this book. Since receiving his advanced degree in geology from Vanderbilt University in 1951, he has come to know that state intimately – first as a team member of the Tennessee Geological Survey and more recently as supervisor of the Survey’s research program. He is also an avid reader of fiction and has long been interested in applying writing skills to his technical knowledge in order to make the fascinating science of the earth available to a wider audience.