Red Mountain (Coconino County, Arizona)
volcano in Arizona, US
Red Mountain is a volcanic cinder cone located in the Coconino National Forest of northern Arizona, United States, 25 miles northwest of Flagstaff. It rises 1,000 feet (300 m) above the surroundings terrain and is shaped like the letter "U", with its opening towards the west. Geological Survey (USGS) and Northern Arizona University scientists suggest that Red Mountain was formed in eruptions nearly 740,000 years ago.
Geology
Red Mountain is a cinder cone in the San Francisco volcanic field that is noted for its red color and U shape when viewed from above. The cone was erupted from a volcanic vent that now sits under the intact material that comprises the U shape of the mountain. Overall, the pattern of volcanism is not symmetric about the vent suggesting either that lava was erupted under conditions of a strong west to east wind or late stage lava flows emanating from the vent may have rafted material out to the east. The origin of the large amphitheater that sits within the U is unclear. Predominate theories suggest it resulted from a steam eruption. This steam eruption may have resulted from the superheating of rainfall on cinders that were still hot. The well cemented cinders that make up the walls of the U may also result from interaction with rainwater.
The public source identifies “Red Mountain (Coconino County, Arizona)” as volcano in Arizona, US. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Mountain, Coconino and County.
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This entry incorporates text from “Red Mountain (Coconino County, Arizona)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.