Table of Contents
- 1 What is unique about Sunset Crater?
- 2 What type of eruption does Sunset Crater have?
- 3 Is Sunset Crater the same as Meteor Crater?
- 4 Is Sunset Crater an active volcano?
- 5 How big is the Sunset Crater Volcano?
- 6 When was the last time Sunset Crater erupted?
- 7 Why are the colors of the Sunset Crater different?
- 8 Is it possible for Sunset Crater to erupt again?
What is unique about Sunset Crater?
Today Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument protects 3040 acres representing the Colorado Plateau’s most recent volcanic eruption. It is the youngest, least-eroded cinder cone in the San Francisco Volcanic Field. Much of the ground surface is covered by lava flows or deep volcanic cinder deposits.
What type of eruption does Sunset Crater have?
The eruption of Sunset Crater began as an approximately 11-km-long fissure of lava fountaining activity, called a “curtain of fire.” The Sunset Crater scoria cone became the focus of Strombolian- style fountaining activity and sustained violent-Strombolian eruption columns, which grew the cone and deposited widespread …
Is Sunset Crater quiet or explosive?
Learn more about this park in the book Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument or bring home an official park product from Western National Parks Association. Clarke’s investigation into the eruption paints it as “the most explosive cinder cone eruption yet documented.”
How was Sunset Crater formed?
Sunset Crater is a colorful volcanic cone composed of lava fragments called cinders. It was created when molten rock spewed from a crack in the ground, high into the air, solidified, then fell back as cinders or ash. Over the next 200 years, the heavier debris accumulated around the vent creating the 1,000-foot cone.
Is Sunset Crater the same as Meteor Crater?
If you’re looking for a giant hole in the ground, that would be Meteor Crater, a National Landmark about 40 miles east of Flagstaff. At Sunset Crater, “crater” refers to the vent at the top of the volcano, 1000 feet above the surrounding landscape.
Is Sunset Crater an active volcano?
Sunset Crater Volcano, part of the San Francisco Volcanic Field, is an extinct cinder cone. Sunset Crater Volcano erupted over 900 years ago, making it the youngest cinder cone in a field of over 600 volcanoes. It is now extinct and not anticipated to erupt again.
Is Sunset Crater steep?
Sunset Crater is a cinder cone volcano. Over the course of the eruption, cinders pile into a steep-sided cone, forming a deep crater around the volcano’s vent.
How old is the Sunset Crater Volcano?
~950 years
| Sunset Crater | |
|---|---|
| Age of rock | ~950 years |
| Mountain type | Cinder cone |
| Volcanic field | San Francisco volcanic field |
| Last eruption | 1075 ± 25 years |
How big is the Sunset Crater Volcano?
900 square miles
The eruption and formation of Sunset Crater Volcano incinerated the surrounding landscape, covering almost 900 square miles (2300 square km) with lava and ash.
When was the last time Sunset Crater erupted?
Sunset Crater in northern Arizona is one of the youngest volcanoes in the USA. It is named for its brilliantly colored scoria deposits on the cone and only one of more than 550 vents of the vast San Francisco volcanic field. The last eruption took place sometime between about 1080 and 1150 AD.
What kind of volcano is the Sunset Crater?
Sunset Crater is a cinder cone volcano. Among the smallest of the volcanoes, a cinder cone erupts gently, spewing small globs of lava that cool into volcanic pebbles called cinders. Over the course of the eruption, cinders pile into a steep-sided cone, forming a deep crater around the volcano’s vent. Cinder cones are also known as scoria cones.
How old is the Sunset Crater in Arizona?
A lava field at the foothills of the crater, estimated to be about 1000 years old. Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument is a U.S. National Monument in the north-central part of the U.S. state of Arizona, created to protect Sunset Crater, a cinder cone within the San Francisco Volcanic Field.
Why are the colors of the Sunset Crater different?
When finally, this volcano was nearly done erupting, one final burst of vapors caused a chemical reaction with the upper cinders near the crater. As a result, instead of the dull-colored ash that can still be seen in other places, the summit of the cone is vibrant with pinks, reds, whites, and yellows — the colors of the sunset.
Is it possible for Sunset Crater to erupt again?
No. Sunset Crater is extinct and will not erupt again. However, there is still an active magma chamber (underground pool of molten rock) under the area, which will undoubtedly produce more eruptions in the future. These eruptions will produce brand new cinder cone volcanoes, some of which might even form right next to Sunset Crater.