Author: Jim Burns
Born: 1927
Died: 2019
Bio: Jim Burns is a retired geologist living in Waynesboro, Virginia. He is the father of three grown sons. After more than fifty years of marriage, his wife Jaquelin died in 2006.

His early career, mostly with the U.S. Geological Survey, was devoted to applications of earth sciences in solving military problems. His later career was in environmental geology, with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Geological Survey. He retired as chief of the Survey’s office of environmental affairs.

He has written numerous articles, reports, and books on scientific and technical subjects. This is his second book aimed at a general audience. The first was an account of his experience during the Cold War on board a spy ship in the Arctic, titled The Cold Coasts.