Strawberry Crater

Strawberry Crater is a 6526 ft cinder cone volcano in the San Francisco volcanic field, 20 miles North of Flagstaff, Arizona, in between the boundaries of the Wupatki National Monument and Sunset Crater National Monument in Arizona Wilderness lands.[1] Several other cinder cones surround it, including the better known, taller and younger Sunset Crater[2][3] in the adjacent Sunset Crater National Monument.

Contents

Name

The cone shape, and the bright red cinders[4] that created the cone resemble a giant strawberry.[5]

Geology

During several active periods, roughly between 800 and 1064 BCE, sharp, colorful cinders were brought to the surface. The cone stems from volcanic eruptions within this time period.[6]

Archaeology

Low walls made of stacked rocks dot the crater rim. These are Native American ruins, but their nature is uncertain, as they appear to be too low for habitations.[3]

References

  1. ^ Warren, Scott S, Exploring Arizona's Wild Areas, 1996, Seattle, The Mountaineers, ISBN 0-89886-470-4
  2. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 017-01
  3. ^ a b Magnum, R. and S., Flagstaff Hikes, 2001, Flagstaff, Hexagon Press, ISBN 1-891517-50-3
  4. ^ http://www.nps.gov/sucr/naturescience/upload/Elson_Ort_cinder_report.pdfPDF
  5. ^ Magnum, R. and S., Flagstaff Hikes, 2001, Flagstaff,Hexagon Press, ISBN 1-891517-50-3
  6. ^ Books of the South West, University of Arizona Library, 2: Geologic Framework of Arizona, http://southwest.library.arizona.edu/azso/body.1_div.2.html, Downloaded 1/25/2011

External links