Red Mountain volcano: A spectacular and unusual cinder cone in northern Arizona
Fact Sheet
024-02
By: Susan S. Priest, W. A. Duffield, N. R. Riggs, Brian Poturalski, Karen Malis-Clark, James W. Hendley II, and Peter Stauffer
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Abstract
Red Mountain, located in the Coconino National Forest of northern Arizona, 25 miles northwest of Flagstaff, is a volcanic cinder cone that rises 1,000 feet above the surrounding landscape. It is unusual in having the shape of a "U," open to the west, and in lacking the symmetrical shape of most cinder cones. In addition, a large natural amphitheater cuts into the cone's northeast flank. Erosional pillars called "hoodoos" decorate the amphitheater, and many dark mineral crystals erode out of its walls. Studies by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Northern Arizona University scientists suggest that Red Mountain formed in eruptions about 740,000 years ago.
Study Area
| Publication type | Report |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | USGS Numbered Series |
| Title | Red Mountain volcano: A spectacular and unusual cinder cone in northern Arizona |
| Series title | Fact Sheet |
| Series number | 024-02 |
| DOI | 10.3133/fs02402 |
| Year Published | 2002 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | U.S. Geological Survey |
| Description | 4 p. |
| Country | United States |
| State | Arizona |
| Other Geospatial | Red Mountain volcano |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |