Coconino County

The region north of Flagstaff have been transformed by volcanic activity. The San Francisco Mountains which tower over the city were once volcanoes, long since dormant and silent. However, volcanic activity is not totally gone from the region. In the shadow of the San Francisco Mountains, the landscape is potmarked with volcanic craters, and several black cones rise up from the country. One of these cones, Sunset Crater, erupted as early as 1064 raining down ash and cinders over northern Arizona.

Sunset Crater lies dormant now, and you can visit it to see the surrounding lava fields that have eminated from the volcano during its eruptions. Here are a few of the pictures I took from my visit during the summer of 2002.

©2004 Michael A. Brunke
<brunke@atmo.arizona.edu>