Roadside Geology of Massachusetts is a comprehensive synthesis of the regional geology in a plate tectonic framework that includes the successive assembly and dispersal of relevant parts of the Rodinian, Gondwanan and Pangaean supercontinents. The western half of the State consists of bedrock belts related to the Laurentian craton; the eastern half is interpreted as comprised of parts of Gondwanan microcontinents. These were sequentially sutured to each other and to Laurentia by the end of the Alleghanian orogeny.

Geologic maps show major stratigraphic units and major faults in each of the tectonic terranes and these have been described systematically in the text according to a distinctive stratigraphic, plutonic and deformational history. Early chapters deal with geologic processes and principles required for the general reader to understand the evolution of the rocks described in the 29 field guides that cover the bedrock and glacial geology of all parts of the State. These narratives focus on strip maps along major E-W, N-S, and circumferential highways reaching to the tip of Cape Cod, including the Boston Harbor Islands. These maps feature specific annotated localities keyed to a network of roads, and illustrated by diagrams and photographs.