Sedona Through Time By Wayne Ranney
A classic made better -- and more colorful!
Sedona Through Time was one of the first local books I read when I moved to the Sedona area some years ago. It was nicely-done then, but the new, third edition is a real step up in quality and usability. Author Wayne Ranney is a well-known local geologist, lecturer, and tour guide. He also writes well, and the new edition, attractively printed on glossy paper, is filled with colorful photos and informative maps. He's also added two nice road logs, one up Oak Creek Canyon, the other a loop drive around the Red Rocks. Highly recommended for visitors and residents alike. And if you have a chance to catch one of his lectures, don't miss it!
You might also find his other recent book of interest: Ancient Landscapes of the Colorado Plateau (2008). Cowritten with his NAU thesis advisor, Ron Blakey, this oversize paperback is filled with big, beautiful paleogeographic maps, showing the geological evolution of the Plateau in detail over the past 525 million years (and in outline back to 1.75 billion years ago). A remarkable cartographic and geologic achievement. You'll get a preview of these great maps in the Sedona book, and you can Google for previews online, but the oversize format is really needed to do them justice.
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Sedona, The very word conjures images of stately red rock spires, graceful cliffs, and verdant Oak Creek Canyon. But how did al this marvelous scenery come to be? And what was the specific sequence of geologic events that created this world-renowned landscape? The answers are sure to surprise and delight your interest.
Never watered-down to insignificance, yet accessible and engaging in scope, Sedona Through Time is a masterpiece of nature writing. This fully revised and updated 3rd edition is a must-read for anyone who visits or is interested in Sedona's landscape. Sedona Through Time
It's shameful for the daughter and sister of geologists to say, but I knew absolutely nothing about geology before reading this book. Though the book is written quite understandably, I don't think I'll retain many if any of the details for our visit to Sedona. However, I did learn quite a bit about how geologists figure out what they know about different formations and some general geology information. Mostly, through the author's description of geological time, I have a new appreciation and awe for the slow-moving drama of great continental shifts and changes, and perhaps a somewhat calming perspective on our small human concerns. That said, this book (at least the edition I read) really needed a copy editor. 0970120389 Fantastic geology book, written with passion, conveys wonder and amazement at the geologic story and ancient lanscapes. 0970120389 A thorough & well written book about Sedona's unique geology. You certainly don't need to be an expert in geology to understand this book, but you definitely need a passion for it. I had a mild interest in learning more before visiting Sedona for the first time, and while I'm glad I read this book, there were many parts where my eyes glazed over and I just didn't have the passion to get into it. I marked the book as read but there were definitely sections I heavily skimmed. Even so, I'm giving it 4 stars because I think this would be a great book for someone who was more into geology than I am. It has lots of beautiful photos, helpful diagrams, a helpful glossary of terms, and a few suggested drives & hikes to do.
Here's a quote from the end that I love:
If nothing else, our study of this landscape has taught us that things do - and should - change. The red rocks existed long before we laid eyes on them and they will exist when the last human leaves this place. Time is infinite, and we are lucky to have experienced a glorious part of it. 0970120389 A must for understanding what Sedona is...a peak into the Colorado Plateau. 0970120389 Absolutely incredible and understandable overview of Sedona's geology. Getting a glimpse into the forces that formed the awe-inspiring landscapes we see today makes these landscapes so much more enjoyable. Wayne has done a tremendous job using words, annotated photos, animated figures, and paleogeographic maps to make Sedona's geology accessible to any reader. 0970120389
