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Ancient Landscapes of Western North America

A Geologic History with Paleogeographic Maps

  • Book
  • © 2018

Overview

Authors:
  1. Ronald C. Blakey

    1. Carlsbad, USA

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    You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

  2. Wayne D. Ranney

    1. Geology, Flagstaff, USA

    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

  • Presents complex geologic history in an accurate, comprehensive manner using paleogeographic maps and concise, readable text

  • Uses numerous paleogeographic maps that mimic satellite images

  • Provides a concise history of this complex geologic region

  • Usable to wide audience: lay persons; students; geologists; anyone with interest in physical Earth

  • Relates modern landscapes to their geologic history

  • Winner of the 2021 John D. Haun Landmark Publication Award, AAPG-Rocky Mountain Section

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Table of contents (14 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xi
    Download chapter PDF

  2. Introduction

    • Ronald C. Blakey, Wayne D. Ranney
    Pages 1-33

  3. Principles

    • Ronald C. Blakey, Wayne D. Ranney
    Pages 35-54

  4. The Cordillera’s Foundations: Paleoproterozoic and Mesoproterozoic Periods: Ca. 1800–1000 Ma

    • Ronald C. Blakey, Wayne D. Ranney
    Pages 55-62

  5. The Cordillera’s Long-Lived Passive Margin: Neoproterozoic to Middle Devonian Periods: Ca. 1000 Ma–400 Ma

    • Ronald C. Blakey, Wayne D. Ranney
    Pages 63-71

  6. The Antler Orogeny and the First Suspect Terrane: Middle Devonian to Late Pennsylvanian: Ca. 400–300 Ma

    • Ronald C. Blakey, Wayne D. Ranney
    Pages 73-82

  7. The Amalgamation of Pangaea and the Sonoma Orogeny: Early Permian to Early Triassic – Ca. 300–240 Ma

    • Ronald C. Blakey, Wayne D. Ranney
    Pages 83-88

  8. The Arrival of Wrangellia and the Nevadan Orogeny: Late Triassic to Late Jurassic: Ca. 240–145 Ma

    • Ronald C. Blakey, Wayne D. Ranney
    Pages 89-101

  9. The Continental Arc, Sevier Orogeny, Western Interior Seaway and Flat-Slab Subduction: Cretaceous Period: Ca. 145–65 Ma

    • Ronald C. Blakey, Wayne D. Ranney
    Pages 103-130

  10. Flat-Slab Subduction, the Laramide Orogeny, Uplift of the Colorado Plateau and Rocky Mountains: Paleocene and Eocene: Ca. 65–35 Ma

    • Ronald C. Blakey, Wayne D. Ranney
    Pages 131-148

  11. Changing Tectonics, Cooling Climates and the Dawn of Crustal Extension: Late Eocene to Early Miocene (ca. 35–20 Ma)

    • Ronald C. Blakey, Wayne D. Ranney
    Pages 149-161

  12. The End of Cordilleran Subduction and the Formation of the Basin and Range: Early and Middle Miocene: Ca. 20–10 Ma

    • Ronald C. Blakey, Wayne D. Ranney
    Pages 163-178

  13. Interior Basins, Drainage Integration and Deep Incision: Late Miocene to Pliocene: Ca. 10–2.6 Ma

    • Ronald C. Blakey, Wayne D. Ranney
    Pages 179-192

  14. The North American Cordillera Today: Pleistocene, Holocene and the Anthropocene: Ca. 2.6 Ma to Present

    • Ronald C. Blakey, Wayne D. Ranney
    Pages 193-208

  15. Erratum to: Ancient Landscapes of Western North America

    • Ronald C. Blakey, Wayne D. Ranney
    Pages E1-E1

  16. Back Matter

    Pages 209-228
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Keywords

About this book

Allow yourself to be taken back into deep geologic time when strange creatures roamed the Earth and Western North America looked completely unlike the modern landscape.  Volcanic islands stretched from Mexico to Alaska, most of the Pacific Rim didn’t exist yet, at least not as widespread dry land; terranes drifted from across the Pacific to dock on Western Americas’ shores creating mountains and more volcanic activity.  Landscapes were transposed north or south by thousands of kilometers along huge fault systems.  Follow these events through paleogeographic maps that look like satellite views of ancient Earth.  Accompanying text takes the reader into the science behind these maps and the geologic history that they portray.  The maps and text unfold the complex geologic history of the region as never seen before.


Winner of the 2021 John D. Haun Landmark Publication Award, AAPG-Rocky Mountain Section

Authors and Affiliations

  • Carlsbad, USA

    Ronald C. Blakey

  • Geology, Flagstaff, USA

    Wayne D. Ranney

About the authors

Ron Blakey taught geology for over 37 years at the university level, mostly at NAU in Flagstaff, AZ.  His specialty is the sedimentary rocks of the Colorado Plateau and surrounding areas including the Pacific Coast region.  He has published well over 50 papers, many as single author, in national and international journals and symposia and two books, one published by Springer (see below).  For the last 25 years, he has constructed paleogeographic maps from regional to global scale – these maps appear in many published geological papers, books, monographs, museums, and are used extensively in general education at all levels.  His maps are based on the geological literature and are constructed as accurately as possible to mimic satellite views of ancient Earth.  Many individual maps represent 40 – 80 or more hours of work each. 

Wayne Ranney has been studying the geology of the American West since coming to live in Arizona in 1975. His first residence was at the bottom of the Grand Canyon where he worked as a backcountry ranger. He claims this is where he got all of the rocks in his head. In 1978 he enrolled in the geology program at Northern Arizona University, obtaining bachelor's and master's degrees. It was here that took classes from his colleague Dr. Ron Blakey while working his way through graduate school as a river guide. He began working as a shipboard geology interpreter in 1989 and has traveled the world ever since, completing over one hundred expeditions to the Arctic, the Amazon, Africa, Siberia, and Antarctica. These far-flung adventures have allowed him to see and learn about many different kinds of landscapes but he always returns to the red rock cliffs and canyon country of his native southwest. Wayne currently works as a geology lecturer for Smithsonian Journeys and is a retired adjunct faculty member of Yavapai and Coconino colleges. He is an award-winning author of many books including Sedona Through Time, Carving Grand Canyon, and Ancient Landscapes of the Colorado Plateau. He lives with his wife Helen in Flagstaff, Arizona.



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