Thursday, October 14, 2010

Cinder Knoll



Some of the most dramatic skies and vistas in Arizona are visible on the Colorado Plateau, just north of the White Mountains. This area is called the Springerville Volcanic Field. As you can see, there are virtually no trees. The ground is either lava rock or cinders. Before they built two coal fired power plants in the area, you could see for 40 or 50 miles. On one hill, we figured out once, that we could see almost 10% of the state of Arizona.

Unlike Sunset Crater near Flagstaff, Arizona, these hills are not mounds of unconsolidated cinders. They are partially lava flows with mostly consolidated cinders. There are over 400 different volcanic vents in this area and it is the third largest field in the continental United States.

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