Alberta is one of the few places in the world where the past touches the present so directly and profoundly. From Devonian pools plumbed by today's oil and gas industry, to Jurassic seams mined for coal, to a tourist's view of Cenozoic grasslands bordering the majestic Rockies, the livelihood and recreation of most Albertans is touched directly by the ancient past. Alberta's geological history stretches from the Precambrian Era, 500 million years ago, to the end of the Pleistocene Epoch, a mere 10,000 years ago.

Drawing on this rich storehouse of evidence, scientists at the world-renowned Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, working with veteran natural history writer Monique Keiran, offer a dramatic and vividly detailed chronicle of the province's geological history.

With over 200 full-color photographs, and 45 maps, timelines, and line drawings, this easy-to-read volume starts with the Big Bang and ends with the modern era - everything readers need to know about the making of ancient Alberta and the extraordinary story found when reading the rocks.

Monique Keiran writes about nature, science, museums and parks. In addition to writing for and about the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology in Drumheller, Alberta, she has worked with Calgary’s Evergreen Theatre Society, the Calgary Board of Education, Alberta Parks, Parks Canada and the Canadian Forest Service. She now lives on Vancouver Island, where few dinosaur bones but many great fossils of plants, fish, marine reptiles and other extinct sea critters have been found.

Monique Keiran's profile page

The Royal Tyrrell Museum, located in the heart of Alberta's badlands, is Canada's only museum devoted exclusively to the collection, research and display of palaeontology, with special emphasis on Alberta's fossil heritage. This world-renowned facility attracts almost 400,000 visitors annually, and has one of the largest dinosaur exhibits in the world, with forty complete dinosaur skeletons and more than 800 fossils on display. Visit the Royal Tyrrell Museum web site at www.tyrrellmuseum.com.

Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaentology's profile page

"It's a must-have for amateur paleontologists and serious rock hounds."
— The Edmonton Journal

"A wonderful resource."
— Innovation Alberta

"Well illustrated and well told."
— Calgary Herald