Sedona Through Time: A Guide to Sedona's Geology

by Wayne Ranney

Visitors to the towering red rock cliffs near Sedona seldom realize that the area was once a broad river floodplain that lay beyond the Ancestral Rocky Mountains. Or that this same place was later buried in a vast, Sahara-like desert, still later to lie beneath the waters of a warm tropical sea filled with ancient life forms. Sedona Through Time is an eminently readable story of the evolution of this fantastic landscape through the eons of geologic time in this 160 page full color book.

160 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1993

About the author

Wayne Ranney is a geologist, author, and trail guide who loves to share his passion for geology and earth history with all who are curious about planet Earth. Wayne writes books, leads outdoor adventures, and teaches geology classes in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Reviews

[Peter Tillman · Rating 4 out of 5]

"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.

[Emily Devenport · Rating 5 out of 5]

SEDONA THROUGH TIME (3rd edition), by Wayne Ranney, is the third book in what I like to call Ranney's Rock Trilogy. Book One, ANCIENT LANDSCAPES OF THE COLORADO PLATEAU (co-written with Ron Blakey), takes us step-by-step through the landscape changes in the Four Corners area, beautifully illustrating each geologic occurrence with Paleogeographic maps. Book Two, CARVING GRAND CANYON, zooms in on the most breathtaking landform in North America, delving into a lessEr-known feature called the Mogollon Highlands, which turns out to be one of the major forces in the formation of the Grand Canyon and of Sedona, the focus of Book Three.

By the time you read SEDONA THROUGH TIME, you've got a much better idea of how the layers in Sedona formed, because they are many of the same layers present in the Grand Canyon. But once you go Southeast to Sedona, those layers have changed a bit in character, and some unique features appear, like the Schnebly Hill Formation. The helpful diagrams, maps, and photographs that are present in Books One & Two of Ranney's Rock Trilogy are also present in Book Three, and they are very effective in illustrating the geologic events that created Sedona.

Anyone who visits Sedona and nearby Oak Creek Canyon is struck by their beauty and serenity. They possess a profound spirit that is as beautiful as what you can experience in the Grand Canyon, but is much more up-close and personal. Having some knowledge of what the rocks are and how they got there enhances that experience. For visitors whose curiosity is piqued, the book also includes a point-by-point road and trail guide. So take it with you when you visit – you'll see Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon as you've never seen them before.

One final note: the edition I read is the thrid edition, which is not listed in the Goodreads database. The ISBN is 9780970120380.

[Tari Conway · Rating 5 out of 5]

I gave it 5 stars because it answered a question I had asked at the ranger station, "Does Mogollon Rim have anything to do with the abrupt landscape change just south of the Village of Oak Creek?" The ranger station did not have the answer ~ but this book is a goldmine! I really enjoyed reading it, especially since we stay out here for 2 months a year. It is fascinating to read about the geology of the area, the continent, and in smaller part the world. I took 5 pages of notes, and decided I would like to study more and become a geologist ;)

But the author did an excellent job of pulling a layman like myself in to the stories and events from hundreds of millions of years ago. Fascinating ~ great job, Wayne Ranney!