(FIRE) from a strange and distant origin

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(<font color=crimson>FIRE</font color>) <i>from a strange and distant origin</i>

(FIRE) from a strange and distant origin

Zoom of Sunset Crater (looking east) from FS-road 592 in the Coconino National Forest in-route to Lockett Meadows. The "fire" came from the San Francisco Volcanic Field of northern Arizona. A bit over 900 years old, Sunset Crater is one of the newest, youngest geologic features in Arizona. The sunset tints of red and yellow that give the crater its name are due to oxidation by steaming hot gases, apparently enduring for some time after other volcanic activity ceased. Sunset Crater is about 1,000 ft high. The lopsidedness of its rim was caused by leeward drift of cinders during its eruption. A blanket of dark cinders surrounds the crater and extends far east and north, covering an area of about 120 square miles. Sunset Crater is one of 400 cinder cones, formed long after San Francisco Mountain (and Humphreys Peak) had taken shape. It's the most recent expression of volcanic activity in this field, or for that matter in the entire southwestern United States. October 14, 2009

lcarreau

on Nov 18, 2009 3:06 pm

Comments & voting
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Lat/Lon: 35.37621°N / 111.60504°W

Image Type(s): Hiking, Informational, Scenery

Image ID: 574929

3343 Hits
84.82% Score
19 Votes

Comments

Alex Wood - Nov 18, 2009 8:37 pm - Voted 10/10

Nice Shot

too bad they closed the trail to the top

lcarreau - Nov 18, 2009 9:21 pm - Hasn't voted

Re: Nice Shot

Yes, my dood. : ))

I was so sorry that they did that. But, if
you look closely at the slopes of the volcano, you can see how "unconsolidated" they are.

Guess they had so many "tourist-related"
accidents, that they had to close the slopes
off to everybody.

I always wondered if there was a way to gain
access to the volcano from the opposite
(east) side of where this picture was taken.

Steven Cross - Nov 19, 2009 3:15 am - Voted 10/10

Putting "sunset" in Sunset Crater

Nice job with this photo. The colors turned out beautifully. I always enjoy and look foward to seeing more of your photos on the pages I added.

lcarreau - Nov 19, 2009 12:00 pm - Hasn't voted

Re: Putting ...

When I found out the rangers had closed the
hiking trail to the top in 1973, my jaw dropped.

Guess I should have climbed it when I was a
little kid.

Luckily, the sun was in the right place when
I took this picture - THANKS, Steve!