Wayne Ranney

Wayne Ranney is a geologist and author who brings the landscape history of our planet into focus for interested non-specialists. For over 42 years he has led field trips to Earth's most spectacular landscapes: the Grand Canyon, Canyonlands, Monument Valley, Zion and Bryce, the Amazon, Patagonia, the North and South Poles, and nearly 90 countries. Wayne is an engaging lecturer who shares complex geology in an approachable and easy to understand manner. He is the 2021 recipient of the John D. Haun Award from the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists. One of his most popular books, "Ancient Landscapes of the Colorado Plateau," is co-written with his former geology professor at Northern Arizona University, Dr. Ron Blakey. This book has won three awards: "Glyph Award for Science/Environment"(2009) "Best Large Format Book," from the National Association of Interpretation (2009) and Best in Media from the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists (2014). It contains stunning paleogeographic maps of the American Southwest and North America. The two also published "Ancient Landscapes of Western North America" published by Springer Nature. "Carving Grand Canyon" (2012) is in its 2nd edition and has won many awards as well. It reveals the fascinating story for how our understanding of the development of the great gorge has evolved over the last 160 years. Other popular books include "Sedona Through Time," (3rd edition), "Defining The Colorado Plateau: A Geologic Perspective", and "Easy Field Guide to Arizona Landforms". Wayne is actively pursuing other writing projects as his readers continually encourage him to tell the story of our planet in more enticing and interesting ways.