Sunset Crater Explained

Sunset Crater
Elevation Ft:8042
Elevation Ref:[1]
Prominence Ft:999
Prominence Ref:[2]
Location:Coconino County, Arizona, U.S.
Map:USA Arizona#USA
Map Size:180
Coordinates:35.3644°N -111.5036°W
Topo:USGS Sunset Crater East
Type:Cinder cone[3]
Age:~950 years
Volcanic Field:San Francisco volcanic field
Last Eruption:1075 ± 25 years
Easiest Route:Hike
Embedded:
Child:yes
Alt Name:Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument
Iucn Category:III
Area Acre:3138
Established:May 26, 1930
Visitation Num:104,583
Visitation Year:2018
Governing Body:National Park Service
Website:Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument

Sunset Crater is a cinder cone located north of Flagstaff in the 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.[4]

Formation

The date of the eruptions that formed the 340m (1,120feet) was initially derived from tree-ring dates, suggesting the eruption began between the growing seasons of AD 1064–1065.[5] However, more recent geologic and archaeological evidence places the eruption around AD 1085.[6] The largest vent of the eruption, Sunset Crater itself, was the source of the Bonito and Kana-a lava flows that extended about 2.5km (01.6miles) northwest and 9.60NaN0 northeast, respectively. Additional vents along a 10km (10miles) extending southeast produced small spatter ramparts and a 6.4km (04miles) to the east. The Sunset Crater eruption peaked at VEI 4 (Sub-Plinian), produced a total 0.52 km3 of ejecta,[7] had an eruption column between 20-30km tall[8] and produced a blanket of ash and lapilli covering an area of more than 2100km2, which forced the temporary abandonment of settlements of the local Sinagua people.[3]

The volcano has partially revegetated, with pines and wildflowers. The crater is the namesake for the Sunset Crater Beardtongue (Penstemon clutei). The volcano is monitored by the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory[9] and is classified as a moderate threat.

Damage from hikers forced the National Park Service to close a trail leading to the crater, but a short trail at the base remains.[10]

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.

2015 eruption scare

On June 5, 2015, a website with satellite images reported steam rising from the crater, leading to fears that Sunset Crater was erupting. The cause of the steam was later determined to be a forest fire, and geologists stated that the volcano was extinct.[11]

Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument

Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument is a U.S. national monument created to protect Sunset Crater, a cinder cone within the San Francisco Volcanic Field.[12] The monument is managed by the National Park Service in conjunction with nearby Wupatki National Monument. In 1928, a Hollywood film company, Famous Players–Lasky Corporation, planned to detonate large quantities of explosives on the side of Sunset Crater in order to create an avalanche for Zane Grey's motion picture Avalanche.[13] Public outcry over this plan led in part to the proclamation of Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument by President Herbert Hoover in 1930.[14]

A 1-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.[15] A visitor center is located near the park entrance, 15miles north of Flagstaff, Arizona, along U.S. Highway 89.

In April 2022, the Tunnel Fire burned over the entirety of the monument, though the visitor center was spared.[16] [17] In December 2022, 98 acres including the visitor center and administrative facilities were transferred from Coconino National Forest to the national monument.[18]

Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Sunset Crater has a Continental climate, abbreviated "Dsb" on climate maps.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. FQ0610 . Sunset Crater . December 23, 2008.
  2. 3942 . Sunset Crater, Arizona . August 19, 2016.
  3. 329020 . San Francisco Volcanic Field . December 23, 2008.
  4. Web site: Priest . Susan S. . Wendell A. Duffield . Karen Malis-Clark . James W. Hendley II . Peter H. Stauffer . The San Francisco Volcanic Field, Arizona – U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 017-01 . . December 21, 2001 . August 12, 2008 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080421135313/http://wrgis.wr.usgs.gov/fact-sheet/fs017-01/ . April 21, 2008.
  5. Book: Pilles, Peter J. Jr.. 1979. Sunset Crater and the Sinagua: A New Interpretation. Volcanic Activity and Human Ecology. https://archive.org/details/volcanicactivity0000shee. registration. Payson D.. Sheets. Donald K.. Grayson. 459–485. Academic Press. New York. 9780126391206.
  6. Elson. Mark D.. Michael H.. Ort. Paul R.. Sheppard. Terry L.. Samples. Kirk C.. Anderson. Elizabeth M.. May. 2011. A.D. 1064 No More? A Multidisciplinary Re-evaluation of the Date of the Eruption of Sunset Crater Volcano, Northern Arizona. 76th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Sacramento, California. September 5, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304133710/http://store.wnpa.org/research/wupa05-14.pdf. March 4, 2016. dead.
  7. Allison . Chelsea M. . Roggensack . Kurt . Clarke . Amanda B. . Highly explosive basaltic eruptions driven by CO2 exsolution . Nature Communications . 11 January 2021 . 12 . 1 . 10.1038/s41467-020-20354-2 . 7801484 .
  8. Web site: Understanding origins of Arizona's Sunset Crater eruption from 1,000 years ago | ASU News .
  9. Web site: Dispersed volcanic fields are found through the western U.S. | U.S. Geological Survey .
  10. Web site: Lava Flow Trail . Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument . National Park Service . September 14, 2006 . August 12, 2008 .
  11. Web site: Despite rumors, Arizona's Sunset Crater Volcano remains extinct . The Arizona Republic . June 5, 2015.
  12. Web site: Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument . National Park Service . September 14, 2007 . August 12, 2008.
  13. Web site: America's Best Idea: Sunset Crater nearly destroyed by Hollywood. October 2, 2009. KNAU, NPR.
  14. Web site: Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument – People . National Park Service . March 20, 2007 . January 27, 2012.
  15. Web site: Frequently Asked Questions . National Park Service . June 18, 2011.
  16. Web site: Sainty . Lane . Tunnel Fire burns Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument 'in its entirety' . 2022-05-05 . The Arizona Republic . en-US.
  17. Web site: The Tunnel Fire Swept Through Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument Overnight Tuesday . 2022-04-20 . Great Circle Media . en-US.
  18. Web site: January 31, 2022 . S. Rept. 117-61 - SUNSET CRATER VOLCANO NATIONAL MONUMENT BOUNDARY ADJUSTMENT . (incorporated into the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023)