Sunset Crater

Sunset Crater
Sunset Crater with Ponderosa pines on the slope
Highest point
Elevation	8,042 ft (2,451 m) NAVD 88
Coordinates	35°21′56.09″N 111°30′02.35″W
Geography
Location	Coconino County, Arizona, USA
Parent range	San Francisco volcanic field
Topo map	USGS Sunset Crater East
Geology
Rock age	~950 years
Mountain type	Cinder cone
Last eruption	1080–1150 AD
Climbing
Easiest route	Hike

Sunset Crater is a volcanic cinder cone located north of Flagstaff in U.S. State of Arizona. The crater is within the Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument.

Sunset Crater is the youngest in a string of volcanoes (the San Francisco volcanic field) that is related to the nearby San Francisco Peaks.

The eruptions forming the 340-meter-high cone (1,120 ft) were initially considered from tree-ring dating to have begun between the growing seasons of 1064–1065 AD; however, more recent paleomagnetic evidence places the onset of the eruption sometime between about 1080 and 1150 AD. The largest vent of the eruption, Sunset Crater itself, was the source of the Bonito and Kana-a lava flows that extended about 2.5 kilometers (1.6 mi) NW and 9.6 kilometers (6 mi) NE, respectively. Additional vents along a 10-kilometer-long fissure (6.2 mi) extending SE produced small spatter ramparts and a 6.4-kilometer-long lava flow (4 mi) to the east. The Sunset Crater eruption produced a blanket of ash and lapilli covering an area of more than 2,100 square kilometers (810 sq mi) and forced the abandonment of settlements of the indigenous Sinagua Indians. The volcano has partially revegetated, with pines and wildflowers. The crater has given its name to the Sunset Crater Beardtongue (Penstemon clutei).

At the Squeeze-Up on the Lava Flow Trail. In this spot, the lava oozed upwards out of a vent and cooled, creating this interesting formation.

Damage from hikers forced the National Park Service to close a trail leading to the crater, but a short trail at the base remains.

The hiking trail below the summit skirts the substantial Bonito Lava Flow. This hardened lava is black and appears fresh as it has devastated the forest in its path. The lava flow also created an ice cave or tube that is now closed to the public after a partial collapse.

Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument

Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument susan
IUCN category III (natural monument or feature)
Location	Coconino County, Arizona, USA
Nearest city	Flagstaff, AZ
Area	3,040 acres (12.3 km2)
Established	May 26, 1930
Visitors	200,000 (est) (in 2004)
Governing body	National Park Service

Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument is a U.S. National Monument in the north-central part of the U.S. state of Arizona, intended to protect Sunset Crater, a cinder cone that is part of the San Francisco Volcanic Field. It is maintained by the National Park Service in close conjunction with nearby Wupatki National Monument. In the late 1920s, a Hollywood film company attempted to detonate large quantities of explosives inside Sunset Crater in order to simulate a volcanic eruption. Public outcry over this plan led in part to the proclamation of Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument by President Herbert Hoover in 1930.

A one-mile (1.6 km) self-guided loop trail is located at the base of Sunset Crater but hiking to the summit is not permitted. A trail providing access to the summit and crater was closed in 1973 because of excessive erosion caused by hikers. A visitor center is located near the park entrance, 15 miles (24 km) north of Flagstaff, Arizona, along U.S. Highway 89.

External links

Media related to Sunset Crater Volcano at Wikimedia Commons

• "Nature & Science". Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument. National Park Service. Retrieved 2008-12-24.
• "Volcanoes / Lava Flows". Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument. National Park Service. Retrieved 2008-12-24.
• "Sunset Crater Volcano". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2008-12-24.