Published by the American Geophysical Union as part of the Water Science and Application Series, Volume 7.

The Deschutes is a "peculiar" dammed river in Oregon. Its dramatic juxtaposition of geology, topography, and climate presents a virtual textbook of landforms and geomorphic processes revealing Quaternary, Holocene, and very recent events of immense magnitude. Along the active volcanism and tectonism, the present riverine landscape reflects this episodic geomorphic history, as remnants of fluviatle features, huge bars and boulders, mantle the landscape. A Peculiar River: Geology, Geomorphology, and Hydrology of the Deschutes River, Oregon tells a fascinating story about a "striking, sometimes intimidating, landscape that serves to question generalities and is a laboratory in which to study special landforms and the processes that produce them."

Jim O'Connor majored in Geological Science at University of Washington and earned M.S. and Ph.D. degrees at University of Arizona. Since 1991, he has worked at the U.S. Geological Survey, intent on improving understanding of the processes and events that shape the remarkable and diverse landscapes of the Pacific Northwest.