Chiricahua National Monument
Chiricahua National Monument | ||
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Chiricahua National Monument | ||
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Location: | Arizona , United States | |
Next city: | Willcox (Arizona) | |
Surface: | 48.5 km² | |
Founding: | 1924 | |
Visitors: | 80,408 (2002) | |
“Balancing” rock in the Chiricahua National Monument |
The Chiricahua National Monument is under the administration of the National Park Service -standing National Monument in the US state of Arizona , which protects an area with bizarre rock formations. It is about 160 km east of Tucson at the transition from the Chihuahua to the Sonora desert and near the Mexican and New Mexican borders.
Emergence
The unusual rock formations of the Chiricahua National Monument result from a series of massive volcanic eruptions on what is now Turkey Creek , which occurred around 27 million years ago and covered the surrounding land with a layer of ash and sand more than 600 meters high. After the pyroclastic material had compacted into solid tufa , the dark rock was lifted, shifted and repeatedly broken over millions of years by plate tectonics .
Wind and water washed the softer rock out of the harder one, until only countless towering rock formations remained. Sometimes unusual rock formations were formed in this way, in which human viewers recognize the external shape of objects or living beings or certain situations. To them, the "Duck on a Rock" include ( Duck on a Rock ), the "Camel Rock" ( Camel Rock ), the "kissing rock" ( Kissing Rocks ) and the numerous "balancing" rocks ( Balanced Rocks ).
National monument
The Chiricahua National Monument, located in the mountains of the same name, was founded in 1924 and covers an area of around 50 square kilometers. The Bonita Canyon Drive , a small campsite is on the, connects the visitor center with the Massai Point , begin at the various hiking trails - including the the Heart of Rocks (The Rock Heart) with the most spectacular rock formations and the more varied Echo Canyon Loop Trail (Flatly). In total, the visitor has a 30 km long network of routes through rock formations and canyons.
See also
- Bryce Canyon (National Park in Utah)
- Cedar Breaks (National Monument in Utah)
Web links
- National Park Service: Chiricahua National Monument (official site; English)