The Washington State Department of Natural Resources, Division of Geology and Earth Resources, has just released Information Circular 107, "Roadside Geology of Mount Rainier National Park and Vicinity" by Patrick T. Pringle.

The book covers an area bounded by Interstate 5 on the west, Highway 410 on the north, Yakima on the east, and U.S. Highway 12 on the south. It was funded in part by the National Scenic Byways Program of the Federal Highway Administration.

The 200-page, four-color book is written for anyone with a basic understanding of geology and is designed for ease of use, with a landscape format and spiral binding.

Its centerpiece is the logs of the roads to and through the park. Each of the 15 road logs features expanded geologic maps of the route and a mile-by-mile narrative describing the geology and other interesting features.

The book is divided into three main parts:

_ Part I describes the geologic history and setting of Mount Rainier and the surrounding area.

_ Part II contains the 15 legs of the road guide.

_ Part III consists of a glossary, references and other useful information.

More than 290 photos and illustrations, some of them historical, most of them in color, are included.

"Roadside Geology of Mount Rainier National Park and Vicinity" is an up-to-date book on volcanic processes past and present in the Pacific Northwest, illustrating both the beauty and the hazards of our state’s largest volcano. It is available through the Washington State Department of Printing Web site at https://fortress.wa.gov/prt/printwa/wsprt/default.asp for $17.53.