Plateau: Defining the Colorado Plateau

Authors: Wayne Ranney, Richard F. Holm, Ivo Lucchitta, G. Kent Colbath, Ronald C. Blakey

Subject: Geology

Publication Date: 2009 

Volume 6, Numbers 1 & 2 

“This issue of Plateau magazine arose out of a desire expressed almost daily by visitors to the Museum of Northern Arizona. They ask, what is the Colorado Plateau, where is it, and how did it come to be? Studying and interpreting the Colorado Plateau is at the heart of the Museum’s mission. The Museum proclaims on its entry monument that it is the ‘Gateway to the Colorado Plateau,’ and displays maps of the Colorado Plateau throughout its galleries. Yet many of our visitors are left with questions about what the Colorado Plateau is and how it came to be. […] I am grateful to Wayne Ranney for presenting a balanced, concise, and readable treatment of a complex set of questions in part one of this issue, and to scientists Ron Bakey, Kent Colbath, Richard Holm, and Ivo Lucchitta for their contributions to part two.” - Dr. Robert G. Breunig, President Emeritus 

Plateau magazine is dedicated to inspiring and educating readers by showcasing the scientific, artistic and cultural wonders of the Colorado Plateau region.

 A publication of the Museum of Northern Arizona