Carving Grand Canyon: Evidence, Theories, and Mystery

Tackling a truly difficult subject, the exquisitely complex history of the only stream canyon the world calls GRAND, this is a beautifully written and illustrated comprehensive approach. Written by a thoughtful geologist and Grand Canyon river guide, the level of discussion is just right ... not too rigorous for the amateur nor too simple for the professional. All can gain from this fine treatment. Highly recommended.

My interest in geology was sparked when I had the pleasure of hearing Wayne Ranney lecture at the Grand Canyon. As a non-geologist with only a long ago, grade school Earth Science course as a base, I was excited to learn more about our earth from someone who is not only extremely knowledgeable, but knows how to get the point across to one not in the field. Carving Grand Canyon is written as Wayne speaks; it is informative, thought provoking and leaves you eager to learn more. I can not wait to return to the Grand Canyon after reading this inspiring book.

We may never know definitively when and how the Colorado River formed and carved the Grand Canyon. This is because after its formation, the river set about removing almost all of the evidence of its early life. This well written and easy to follow new book starts by clearly laying out the history of theories about the origins of the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon. Next is a discussion of the current ideas about the river and canyon and the most recent evidence and what direction that evidence points. Illustrations throughout the book (Some by the author and some by Bronze Black) do an excellent job of highlighting the text. Carving the Grand Canyon ends with an outline of our current knowledge, and concludes with a concise summary of that outline.

In a world where so many people think they know so much about everything, Wayne Ranney's "Carving the Grand Canyon" is a vivid reminder that coming close to the truth is coming pretty close but it is still not the truth. Truth to tell, we know more about the ice beneath Antartica than we do about how one of the Seven Wonders of the World was created-- The Grand Canyon. To be sure many theories have been advanced by various advocates of a single theory-- deepening during an ice age, draining of ancient lakes in the Rockies etc. What Ranney, himself a geologist, has achieved is the first book to examine all the theories and find them wanting to one degree or another. Likening the search for the true cause to three blind men touching an elephant, each finds a part that for them is the truth. But it is not the whole truth. In graceful prose, Ranney tells us that we may never know the whole truth, for as the years tumble by, evidence disappears. An ideal book for geologists and tourists alike about this fantastic, mythical place which British novelist J.B. Priestley called "a sort of landscape Day of Judgment."