Deep Oakland: How Geology Shaped a City

Oakland, Calif.’s “unusually rich geological setting steered its history and constrains its prospects,” contends geologist Alden in his niche debut. He details the ways the city’s development has been shaped by its geological underpinnings, describing how the shifting of tectonic plates on the Hayward Fault that runs through the region created the Oakland Hills, which contribute to the area’s cool climate by forcing oceanic breezes upward until they cool and condense into fog and rain. An examination of Lake Merritt doubles as a mini history of the city, with Alden chronicling its evolution from a swampy harbor used by Native Americans for launching rafts to a public health menace contaminated by sewage from waves of white settlers in the 1880s, and finally into a public beach and park. The author also warns of latent natural threats to the metropolis, including earthquakes and the depletion of the aquifers that supply the city’s water. Despite Alden’s contention that “science can be called a journey from the particular to the general,” he struggles to draw larger lessons from his meticulous study, resulting in a volume with some stimulating insights into the relationship between Oakland and its environs that will hold limited appeal for anyone unfamiliar with the region. Bay Area denizens will get the most out of this. (May)