“Sedona’s Story in Her Rocks”
Sedona AZ (January 5, 2019) – Join Keep Sedona Beautiful (“KSB”) for a presentation by Mike Ward, as part of KSB’s Preserving the Wonder(tm) Speaker Series on Wednesday, January 9, 2019.
Free to members, residents and visitors – all are welcome to join KSB at 5:30 p.m. at its historic Pushmataha Center on 360 Brewer Road. The evening will include complimentary appetizers donated by El Rincon Restaurante Mexicano and refreshments provided by KSB.
In a talk titled “The Geomorphology of Sedona and the Verde Valley (or how our magnificent landscape came into being),” Mike will regale attendees with the story as to how the stunning landscape of Sedona and the Verde Valley was created. According to Ward, “In addition to the natural arches, sink holes, fault lines and volcanoes that surround us, nearly the entire known geologic history of our planet is recorded in the rocks that we can see and touch right here in Sedona.”
The presentation will conclude with a discussion of the eight sinkholes around Sedona that were explored and mapped by the late Paul Lindberg, a well-known local geologist, and his theories as to why the sink holes were formed in this area.
Mike Ward retired to Sedona in 2002 after teaching computer-aided design and parametric modeling at a community college in the Midwest. He became increasingly interested in the area’s geology as he hiked the many trails winding through Sedona’s red rocks. As a volunteer, Ward was often asked questions about the local geology. As he struggled to understand the complicated geologic processes of plate tectonics, volcanism, reverse faulting and erosion mechanics, a comprehensible story of the geology of the area began to form. Eventually this story evolved into a book, So, Why Are the Rocks Red? A Guide to the Magnificent Geology Surrounding Sedona, now in its third printing. Written in decidedly non-technical terms to help the layman understand the geology that formed the landscape of Sedona, copies will be available for purchase after the presentation and the proceeds will be donated to KSB.