This is what a scientist sounds like!
Many years ago my daughter gave me a book, “Ancient Landscapes of the Colorado Plateau” because she knew I liked geology. What I found was an epiphany. You see I’ve lived in the southwestern corner of Colorado since 1979 and it seemed like the more I got to know the San Juan Mountains and the Canyon Lands of the Colorado Plateau, and the more I read the geologic info available to the general public, the more overwhelmed and confused I felt. Bits and pieces made sense, but there was no overarching clarity. How did it fit together and unfold over time. My head would spin trying to sort it out.
Then came Ancient Landscapes, with it’s maps that look like satellite images, sequenced to reveal time unfolding and the landscape evolving. Its concise internally consistent narrative colored in details. By the time I was finished with it, the first time, it felt like my satchel full of fascinating but frustrating facts had been woven into a beautiful clarifying tapestry I'll never be able to describe the way they do. Which is why you should see this for yourself.
Of course, as it goes with epiphanies, time happens, experiences are digested, and we realize whole new realms, along with a new set of questions. The curiosity never ends, it’s a wonderful life and it’s not the destination, it’s the journey. Enjoy.
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Ancient Landscapes of the Colorado Plateau with Wayne Ranney
Geologist Wayne Ranney describes the history of the Colorado Plateau. With illustrations and excerpts from the book he Co-authored, Wayne Ranney explains live on the plateau over the last 500 million years. Presented by Grand Canyon Trust; the University of Utah Environmental Humanities Graduate Program, supported by The Nature Conservancy, SUWA, Pax Natura Foundation. (April 13, 2010)
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Here’s an earlier lecture based on the book, this one includes Professor Ron Blakey the originator of paleogeographic maps that he’s rendered into sequences showing the evolution of America’s Colorado Plateau (and other locations and looking towards the future) as a space-station would have viewed events unfolding.
Tracing the Ancient Landscapes of the Colorado Plateau by Ron Blakey & Wayne Ranney - Part 1
Grand Canyon Conservancy | April 30, 2009 | 10 minutes
The beautiful stratified rocks of the Colorado Plateau tell a fascinating story of our ever-evolving environment. Imagine landscapes near sea level with tropical, shallow seas; sandy windblown deserts; and an Amazon-scale river system that reached as far as the Appalachian Mountains.
Join geologists and authors Ron Blakey & Wayne Ranney as they take you on an incredible journey through time on the Colorado Plateau where these long lost scenes come to life in a series of dynamic and newly created paleogeographic maps from the new book published by the Grand Canyon Association
If you want to learn more about Ron Blakey PhD and his work visit:
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Tracing the Ancient Landscapes of the Colorado Plateau by Ron Blakey & Wayne Ranney - Part 2
Grand Canyon Conservancy | April 30, 2009 | 10 minutes
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Tracing the Ancient Landscapes of the Colorado Plateau by Ron Blakey & Wayne Ranney - Part 3
Grand Canyon Conservancy | April 30, 2009 | 10 minutes
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Tracing the Ancient Landscapes of the Colorado Plateau by Ron Blakey & Wayne Ranney - Part 4
Grand Canyon Conservancy | April 30, 2009 | 10 minutes
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Tracing the Ancient Landscapes of the Colorado Plateau by Ron Blakey & Wayne Ranney - Part 5
Grand Canyon Conservancy | April 30, 2009 | 10 minutes
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Tracing the Ancient Landscapes of the Colorado Plateau by Ron Blakey & Wayne Ranney - Part 6
Grand Canyon Conservancy | April 30, 2009 | 10 minutes
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Tracing the Ancient Landscapes of the Colorado Plateau by Ron Blakey & Wayne Ranney - Part 7
Grand Canyon Conservancy | April 30, 2009 | 10 minutes
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I’ve since been fortunate enough to attend a small weekend seminar at Grand Canyon NP lead by Wayne Ranney. Great guy, great interpreter and speaker, would love to go on a river trip with him. But, more than that, how I wish he’d do more YouTube videos about the Colorado Plateau and the Mogollon Rim, but he’s a very busy guy.
Recently I spotted these videos that Ranney did for Pink Jeep Tours a few years back. Watching them reminded me that I’ve been wanting to put together a post like this for a while - thus this Wayne Ranney Geology Video Collection.
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Las Vegas Area - Geology Lecture - Wayne Ranney
Pink Institute | December 8, 2015 | 1.5 hours
Wayne covers Red Rock Canyon, Hoover Dam area and Grand Canyon in this lecture presented to Pink Jeep Las Vegas Guides.
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Volcanoes of the Verde Valley Pt 1 - Wayne Ranney
Pink Institute | March 3, 2016 | 41 minutes
Wayne Ranney discusses the volcanic formations we see on tour in Sedona. This presented at a guide meeting in December, 2008
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Volcanoes of the Verde Valley Pt 2 - Wayne Ranney
Pink Institute | November 18, 2015 | 1 hour
Wayne Ranney discusses the volcanic formations we see on tour in Sedona. This presented at a guide meeting in December, 2008.
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Ancient Landscapes of the Colorado Plateau
by Ron Blakey and Wayne Ranney
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