Sunset Crater
| Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 |
|||
|
|||
| Location: | Arizona , United States | ||
| Next city: | Flagstaff | ||
| Surface: | 12.3 km² | ||
| Founding: | May 26, 1930 | ||
| Visitors: | 104,583 (2018) | ||
_location_map.svg)
The Sunset Crater is a small volcano (height 2,451 m, about 300 m above the environment) of the type of a cinder cone in the north of the US state of Arizona . The mountain is located on the Colorado Plateau and probably owes its formation to the same hotspot as the nearby San Francisco Peaks , but has a different volcanic shape. Loose vegetation of pines , especially yellow pines , and wildflowers has settled on the slopes .
description
The cone is almost symmetrical with a diameter of around 1 km at the base. The main crater is offset slightly to the west; on the eastern flank there is a trough which is considered to be the exit point of the youngest lava flow. In the east and south, the cone covers older volcanic vents, which can be recognized as curves at the base of the cone. The main crater is over 120 meters deep. Ash and slag from the volcano originally covered around 2100 km², the area of influence extends in an elliptical shape to the east. The ashes were carried over large parts of the area by wind and water erosion and concentrated in a few places in the terrain structure. Today only around 315 km² are covered by volcanic material. The total volume of material emitted is estimated at 0.3 km³.
The Sunset Crater erupted for the first time in 1064 or 1065, the last major eruption occurred in 1090 and raised the volcano to about 300 meters above the area. A final eruption in 1250 ejected bright red and orange lapilli , which dot the upper part of the mountain and gave the volcano its name. In addition to the volcanic ash and lapilli, the Sunset Crater also released two small lava flows to the west and northeast around the years 1150 and 1220 . It is no longer active today, any new outbreaks of the hotspot are to be expected further east.
The Sunset Crater is surrounded by an extensive volcanic field of similar, older cinder cones. To the southeast of Sunset Crater, in the area known as Cinder Hills, there is an off-road park with slopes for all-terrain vehicles .
Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument
In 1930 the volcano became the core of the Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument , a national monument- type nature reserve . It was expelled by Presidential Proclamation from Herbert Hoover . Visitors can explore the loose lapilli structure and lava flows at the base of the volcano. The mountain itself has not been allowed to be entered since the mid-1980s because its delicate structure and vegetation were damaged by damage caused by footsteps.
There are also several lava tubes , caves created by fast-flowing lava, in the area's lava flows . Several are accessible.
The Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument is administratively closely linked to the northeastern Wupatki National Monument . Both National Monuments are located on a 56 km long loop of road that branches off US Route 89.
Adjacent protected areas
Web links
- Sunset Crater in the Global Volcanism Program of the Smithsonian Institution (English)
- National Park Service: Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument (official site; English)
- National Park Service and US Geological Survey: Virtual Tour in reserve (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ The description is based on the information provided by the National Park Service on the official park website and Richard F. Holm, Richard B. Moore: Holocene scoria cone and lava flows at Sunset Crater, northern Arizona . In: Geological Society of America, Centennial Field Guide - Rocky Mountain Section , Volume 2. Boulder, Colorado, Geological Society of America, 1987, ISBN 0-8137-5406-2 , pages 393-397