Sunset Crater Volcano

https://www.nps.gov/sucr/index.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunset_Crater Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument is 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. The lava flow lies on the land like a dream, a wonderland of rock. A thousand years ago the ground was torn open and lava erupted into the sky, forever changing the landscape and the lives of the people who lived here. A thousand years later, trees and flowers grow among the rocks, and people visit the lava flow to see and remember the most recent volcanic eruption in Arizona. From Flagstaff, travel north on US Highway 89; from Page and the east entrance of the Grand Canyon, travel south on Highway 89. Sunset Crater Volcano and Wupatki National Monuments are both on the loop road FR-545, which meets Highway 89 near mile markers 430 (Sunset Crater Volcano) and 444 (Wupatki). Sunset Crater Volcano Visitor Center The Sunset Crater Volcano Visitor Center includes a museum, WNPA park store, park film, and restroom facilities. The building features architecture from the Mission 66 era. Park rangers are present, passes are available for purchase, and Junior Ranger activities are available. From U.S. Highway 89, turn east onto Sunset Crater Wupatki Loop Rd.(FS 545) between mile markers 430 and 431. Drive two miles (3 km), and the visitor center is located on the right. Bonito Campground This U.S. Forest Service campground is located across the street from the Sunset Crater Volcano visitor center. 44 single unit sites with tables, fire rings, and cooking grills. Closed during winter. No reservations are accepted. Contact 928-526-0866 for more information. Sunset Crater Volcano a cinder cone volcano and ponderosa pine trees Sunset Crater Volcano is named for the color of the rusty red cinders near its peak. Sunset Crater and Bonito Lava Flow a jagged field of lava beneath a cinder cone volcano Three trails allow visitors to explore the Bonito Lava Flow. Lenox Crater and the San Francisco Peaks a massive volcano rising behind a smaller, tree-covered volcano in the foreground Sunset Crater Volcano is the most recent eruption in the San Francisco volcanic field. Visitors can climb Lenox Crater, foreground, for excellent views of the field, including the San Francisco Peaks. Lone Ponderosa a small ponderosa pine tree in a field of rolling cinder hills Geologists and biologists study the area surrounding Sunset Crater Volcano to better understand how landscapes recover after an eruption. Ponderosas Reaching Skyward tall pine trees grow beneath the Sunset Crater Volcano cinder cone On warm days, the bark of ponderosa pine trees smells like vanilla or butterscotch. Sunset Crater over Bonito Park A reddish cinder cone volcano standing above a meadow of dry grass One of the best views of Sunset Crater Volcano is from Bonito Park on the entrance road Sunset Crater in winter A snow-covered cinder cone and lava flow under a clear blue sky A dusting of snow adds depth and color to the stark landscape of the lava flow Inventory and Monitoring Data Help Flagstaff Area National Monuments Meet Resource Management Challenges From inventory data, to long-term monitoring data sets, to special projects, Southern Colorado Plateau Network data on vegetation communities, wildlife, and hydrology has informed much of the work being done in the network’s 19 parks. Cinder cone with crater, surrounded by pine trees. NPS Geodiversity Atlas—Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, Arizona Sunset Crater Volcano is an especially large and picturesque cinder cone that was formed in an Sub-Plinian volcanic eruption in 1085 CE (common era). The monument preserves the cinder cone and its associated lava flows and volcanic features in the San Francisco Volcanic Field in northern Arizona. sunset volcano cone and crater The Colorado Plateau The Colorado Plateau is centered on the four corners area of the Southwest, and includes much of Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico. Hazy Fajada Butte, Chaco Culture National Monument Wildland Fire in Douglas Fir: Western United States Douglas fir is widely distributed throughout the western United States, as well as southern British Columbia and northern Mexico. Douglas fir is able to survive without fire, its abundantly-produced seeds are lightweight and winged, allowing the wind to carry them to new locations where seedlings can be established. Close-up of Douglas fir bark and needles. Vegetation Characterization and Mapping on the Southern Colorado Plateau Vegetation mapping is a tool used by botanists, ecologists, and land managers to better understand the abundance, diversity, and distribution of different vegetation types across a landscape. Vegetation plots used for the classification and mapping of El Malpais NM Climate Change on the Southern Colorado Plateau The combination of high. elevation and a semi-arid climate makes the Colorado Plateau particularly vulnerable to climate change. Climate models predict that over the next 100 years, the Southwest will become warmer and even more arid, with more extreme droughts than the region has experienced in the recent past. One result of climate change may be more, larger floods, like this flash flood in Glen Canyon NRA Herbert Hoover's National Parks Herbert Hoover is not thought of as one of our better presidents, but he made lasting contributions in the national parks he established. During Herbert Hoover's presidency from 1929 to 1933, the land designated for new national parks and monuments increased by 40 percent. Sepia photo of Herbert Hoover standing at the rim of the Grand Canyon. Series: Geologic Time Periods in the Cenozoic Era The Cenozoic Era (66 million years ago [MYA] through today) is the "Age of Mammals." North America’s characteristic landscapes began to develop during the Cenozoic. Birds and mammals rose in prominence after the extinction of giant reptiles. Common Cenozoic fossils include cat-like carnivores and early horses, as well as ice age woolly mammoths. fossils on display at a visitor center Series: Defining the Southwest The Southwest has a special place in the American imagination – one filled with canyon lands, cacti, roadrunners, perpetual desert heat, a glaring sun, and the unfolding of history in places like Tombstone and Santa Fe. In the American mind, the Southwest is a place without boundaries – a land with its own style and its own pace – a land that ultimately defies a single definition. Maize agriculture is one component of a general cultural definition of the Southwest. Quaternary Period—2.58 MYA to Today Massive ice sheets advanced and retreated across North America during much of the Quaternary, carving landscapes in many parks. Bering Land Bridge National Preserve contains geologic evidence of lower sea level during glacial periods, facilitating the prehistoric peopling of the Americas. The youngest rocks in the NPS include the lava of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and the travertine at Yellowstone National Park, which can be just a few hours old. fossil bone bed and murals of mammoths Cenozoic Era The Cenozoic Era (66 million years ago [MYA] through today) is the "Age of Mammals." North America’s characteristic landscapes began to develop during the Cenozoic. Birds and mammals rose in prominence after the extinction of giant reptiles. Common Cenozoic fossils include cat-like carnivores and early horses, as well as ice age woolly mammoths. fossils on display in a visitor center Sub-Plinian Eruptions Sub-Plinian eruptions create high eruption columns that are unsteady. Pyroclastic flows and lahars also form during these eruptions from composite volcanoes. volcanic ash eruption Find Your Park on Route 66 Route 66 and the National Park Service have always had an important historical connection. Route 66 was known as the great road west and after World War II families on vacation took to the road in great numbers to visit the many National Park Service sites in the Southwest and beyond. That connection remains very alive and present today. Take a trip down Route 66 and Find Your Park today! A paved road with fields in the distance. On the road is a white Oklahoma Route 66 emblem. Magmatic Eruptions Magmatic eruptions include fresh lava or tephra from a magma source. Magmatic eruptions range from quiet effusions of lava to extremely explosive eruptions that can blow apart mountains and send ash clouds around the globe. volcanic eruption with glowing lava seen at night Changing Patterns of Water Availability May Change Vegetation Composition in US National Parks Across the US, changes in water availability are altering which plants grow where. These changes are evident at a broad scale. But not all areas experience the same climate in the same way, even within the boundaries of a single national park. A new dataset gives park managers a valuable tool for understanding why vegetation has changed and how it might change in the future under different climate-change scenarios. Green, orange, and dead grey junipers in red soil, mountains in background Cinder Cones Cinder cones are typically simple volcanoes that consist of accumulations of ash and cinders around a vent. Sunset Crater Volcano and Capulin Volcano are cinder cones. photo of a dry grassy field with a cinder cone in the distance Water Resources on the Colorado Plateau Describes the origin, uses, threats to, and conservation of water on the Colorado Plateau. Dark green body of water winding through red rock formations with brilliant sun overhead. Battle of the Bark Trees shade us from the sun, provide homes for wildlife, stabilize Earth’s surface, and produce food for humans and animals alike. Some are massive, and others are miniscule by comparison, but what makes one better than the other—we’ll let you decide! Check out our iconic trees below and find your favorite! Five thick barked red-brown trees are backlit by the sunlight. Volcanic Inverted Topography Inverted topography arises when lava flows that filled valleys at the time of their eruption later hold up mesas because their resistance to erosion is greater than most other rock types. photo of volcanic rock with petroglyphs and a distant mesa Series: Volcano Types Volcanoes vary in size from small cinder cones that stand only a few hundred feet tall to the most massive mountains on earth. photo of a volcanic mountain with snow and ice Monogenetic Volcanic Fields Monogenetic volcanic fields are areas covered by volcanic rocks where each of the volcanic vents typically only erupt once. Monogenetic volcanic fields typically contain cinder cones, fissure volcanoes, and/or maars and tuff rings. They also usually encompass large areas covered by basaltic lava flows. oblique aerial photo of a lava flow that extended into a body of water Series: Volcanic Eruption Styles Categories in this traditional classification are based on the eruption styles of particular volcanoes. These magmatic eruption styles are listed in the order of increasing explosivity. volcanic eruption with glowing lava Volcanic Ash, Tephra Fall, and Fallout Deposits Volcanic ash, pumice, and tephra ejected in volcanic eruptions ultimately falls back to Earth where it covers the ground. These deposits may be the thin dustings or may be many tens of feet (meters) thick near an eruptive vent. Volcanic ash and tephra can present geohazards that are present great distances from the erupting volcano. photo of a bluff with exposed fine-grained volcanic ash and pumice. Lava Flow Surface Features Surface features on a lava flow may reveal important information of the specific dynamics that occurred during the eruption and emplacement of the flow. photo of lava rock with a rippled surface of ropey lava Series: Volcanic Eruption Types The most fundamental way to characterize a volcanic eruption is whether it is magmatic, phreatic, or phreatomagmatic. volcanic eruption seen at a distance Series: Geologic Time—Major Divisions and NPS Fossils The National Park System contains a magnificent record of geologic time because rocks from each period of the geologic time scale are preserved in park landscapes. The geologic time scale is divided into four large periods of time—the Cenozoic Era, Mesozoic Era, Paleozoic Era, and The Precambrian. photo of desert landscape with a petrified wood log on the surface Making an Impact: Long-Term Monitoring of Natural Resources at Intermountain Region National Parks, 2021 Across the Intermountain Region, Inventory & Monitoring Division ecologists are helping to track the effects of climate change, provide baseline information for resource management, evaluate new technologies, and inspire the next generation of park stewards. This article highlights accomplishments achieved during fiscal year 2021. A man looks through binoculars at sunrise. The Plateau Postcard: Spring-Summer 2023 The Plateau Postcard is the official newsletter of the Southern Colorado Plateau Inventory and Monitoring Network. In this issue, we say hello to many new faces within the network and head to the field with some of this year's spectacular monitoring crews. Pile of postcards with images of various southwest national parks on them. A Changing Bimodal Climate Zone Means Changing Vegetation in Western National Parks When the climate changes enough, the vegetation communities growing in any given place will also change. Under an expanded bimodal climate zone, some plant communities in western national parks are more likely to change than others. National Park Service ecologists and partners investigated the future conditions that may force some of this change. Having this information can help park managers decide whether to resist, direct, or accept the change. Dark storm clouds and rainbow over mountains and saguaros. Lesser Long-nosed Bat Research at Organ Pipe Cactus Lesser long-nosed bats have been in scientific focus since the late 1900's. These unique animals face different obstacles in their changing environment, but researchers are at work in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, learning more about these bats. Through research here and throughout Central America, scientists are understanding better how to protect these animals and their environment. A small black lesser long-nosed bat with a black face hovers above a waxy white saguaro flower. Toad Research in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument Research at Organ Pipe Cactus has seen large monsoons, drought, and the Sonoran Desert’s impact on different species of toad. The aim of this research is to understand which species are present, as well as the geographical reach of the chytrid fungus. A large dark green-gray Sonoran Desert toad sits in a pool of water. National Park Service project to build up 'workhorse' native seed stocks for major restoration and revegetation efforts The National Park Service, with funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will be able to build up stocks of the native workhorse plant species that can out compete invasive plant species so that native grasses and forbs can grow in previously disturbed areas.  a man kneels next to a bucket collecting seeds in a field The Plateau Postcard: Winter 2024 The Plateau Postcard is the official newsletter of the Southern Colorado Plateau Inventory and Monitoring Network. In this issue, we learn about how we are trying to predict pinyon-juniper die-offs, as well as a new tool we developed to help make us all better field scientists, and we hear from Bob Parmenter about his remarkable career at Valles Caldera National Preserve. A pile of postcards. Get to Know the Plateau - Cinder Phacelia The cinder phacelia edition of Get to Know the Plateau, spotlighting a rare and endemic species on the Colorado Plateau. Brought to you by the Southern Colorado Plateau Inventory and Monitoring Network. Several curling green stalks with small purple flowers upon them. Updated Species Database Will Help Boost Amphibian Conservation Across the National Park System To steward amphibians effectively, managers need basic information about which species live in parks. But species lists need constant maintenance to remain accurate. Due to recent efforts, the National Park Service now has an up-to-date amphibian species checklist for almost 300 parks. This information can serve as the basis for innumerable conservation efforts across the nation. A toad sits on red sand, looking into the camera. Lava Flow Forms Young lava flows also have structures and textures that reveal information about their eruptions. Basaltic lava flows come in two major forms: Pāhoehoe and ‘A‘ā. photo of ropey and blocky lava Project Profile: Produce Seed for Intermountain Grasslands and Restore Intermountain Central Grasslands The National Park Service will restore grassland ecosystems in select national parks in Arizona and Colorado to advance landscape conservation actions, mitigate the overall loss of these systems, and build a strong core of healthy grasslands to benefit the species and communities who rely on them. The process includes collecting and increase native seed for restoration in central grasslands, supporting the National Seed Strategy. A tan grassland with trees in the forefront and two mountains in the background. The Plateau Postcard: Spring 2025 The Plateau Postcard is the official newsletter of the Southern Colorado Plateau Inventory and Monitoring Network. In this issue, we highlight the exciting and new scientific journal put out by Petrified Forest National Park, interview our newest partner about their efforts to track white-nose syndrome in regional bat populations, discuss special food diets while working in the field, and share our latest publications and 2025 field schedule. A pile of postcards showing various scenery from across the southern Colorado Plateau.

Sunset Crater Volcano Prairie sunflowers face the sun rising beyond Sunset Crater Volcano. They are among the many flowers that bloom during the summer rainy season in and around the park. Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument Arizona This painting by Hopi artist Michael Kabotie Lomawywesa depicts some of his beliefs about the Sunset Crater Volcano eruption. Find it in the visitor center with other art and stories that share Indigenous beliefs about the eruption. © JIM KISER National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Clouds glow like fire at day’s end over the San Francisco Peaks. They erupted about 500,000 years ago—far earlier than Sunset Crater Volcano. Wildflowers thrive in soil carried by rain and melting snow from distant peaks. © TREEROSE PHOTOGRAPHY © THE KABOTIE FAMILY CHANGE AND BALANCE Welcome to the youngest volcano in the San Francisco Volcanic Field—Sunset Crater Volcano. About 1,000 years old, it erupted in a land where people have lived for over 10,000 years. The volcano changed the lives of the ancestral Puebloans and the lives of the animals and plants of this high-desert country. The ground began to shake around 1085 CE (common era). As the shaking grew stronger and more frequent, people knew they had one choice: Leave. Some people sought safety at Walnut Canyon and other nearby communities. They could see ash clouds but were safe from fiery rocks raining down and lava flowing across the land. People’s lives continued to change even after Sunset Crater Volcano quieted. These and other stories are told here and at Wupatki and Walnut Canyon national monuments. Tenacious Life Plants began to colonize this new landscape even as lava cooled. Penstemon developed into a new species that grows only here. Ponderosa pine seedlings appeared. Animals slowly came back. Some, like the pronghorn, you may recognize from other arid lands. Others, like the redtailed hawk and Steller’s jay, can live in many places. The Abert’s squirrel, however, needs particular forests. Steller’s jay © MARTIN DOLLENKAMP The Abert’s squirrel depends on ponderosa pines for food and shelter. It also eats a fungus that helps keep tree roots moist. The squirrel’s digging spreads fungi spores. And so fungi keep growing; the tree stays alive; and the squirrel has food and shelter. Sunset Crater penstemon © INATURALIST / TKEAY Red-tailed hawk Pronghorn PIXABAY © MICHAEL COHEN Desert globemallow © TOM KENT This tenacious trio can live through fires of this dry land— if they are low and slow. But the 2022 Tunnel Fire was faster and more intense than normal. What does the future hold for these three species? Ponderosa pine DETAIL—© W. MICHEL KITELEY; LANDSCAPE—USDA FOREST SERVICE / RAY FILLOON 6 million years ago San Francisco Volcanic Field becomes active near what is now Williams, Arizona. 10,000 years ago People are in this area, moving with the seasons to follow plants and animals. 2–3 million years ago Eruptions begin northwest of here. 500–700 Common Era People begin settling the land east of San Francisco Mountain. In Wupatki Basin, they trade food and goods with travelers. Others farm land near Walnut Canyon and to the north where Sunset Crater Volcano eventually forms. 600,000–400,000 years ago A towering volcano erupts many times. Its remains are San Francisco Mountain (also called the San Francisco Peaks). At Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, you can explore how life found a new balance after the eruption—and again over 900 years later. In April 2022 a sudden fire roared through here, fueled by drought and high winds that are hallmarks of global climate change. Whose lives were changed this time? What’s coming back? Look for bright green seedlings. Listen for birds tapping burnt bark. Walk trails through old lava where wildflowers still emerge each spring. Take the time to wonder: What will happen next in this land of constant change? Around 1085 Long-settled communities flee as Sunset Crater Volcano roars to life. For many months it spews cinders and ash. A few years later, lava flows from its north side to form what is known as the Bonito Lava Flow. Early 1200s People are farming and hunting near the volcano. Gray fox © PAULE HJERTAAS Abert’s squirrel Hypogeous fungus © MATT ANDERSON © AMADEJ TRNKOCZY 1300s People continue moving around these lands for different reasons. They might be seeking better farming areas. Or they might be following traditional knowledge to new lands. 2000s 2020 census confirms over 73,000 people live in nearby Flagstaff. Newcomers and visitors are looting Wupatki and Walnut Canyon and blazing trails up and inside Sunset Crater Volcano. 1400s–1700s Settlers from Europe and the newly established United States begin claiming Indigenous land as their own. People from several continents and many cultures compete for the scant water and food of this dry land. Mid- to Late 1200s A long drought gets much worse. Some people begin to migrate again as

National Park Service U. S. Department of the Interior Flagstaff Area National Monuments Walnut Canyon, Wupatki, and Sunset Crater Volcano Ancient Times Experience the Cultural Legacy and Natural Environment of Walnut Canyon, Wupatki, and Sunset Crater Volcano National Monuments View of the San Francisco Peaks from Wukoki Pueblo, Wupatki NPS Photo Follow the rock ledges and cliff dwellings down into Walnut Canyon, gaze across the grasslands and puebloan structures at Wupatki, and witness the aftermath of the eruption that formed Sunset Crater Volcano. Cultural Legacy People have found ways to live here for thousands of years, discovering new methods of building homes, growing food, and trading for goods. The eruption of Sunset Crater Volcano changed the lives of everyone who witnessed the event and influenced settlement at Walnut Canyon and Wupatki. Welcome! The scent of blooming cliffrose greets you during the climb out of Walnut Canyon on the Island Trail. Your eyes blink against the glittering contrast of snow blanketing Sunset Crater Volcano’s black basalt flows. At Wupatki, a raven’s cackling calls and wing beats break the silence surrounding red sandstone pueblos. Named after the walnut trees found within, Walnut Canyon is better known for the cliff dwellings built into ledges along the canyon walls. Builders selected spots warmed by the low winter sun, protected from snow and rain, and shaded on summer days. With water in Walnut Creek, land for farming on the canyon rim, native plants to collect, and animals to hunt, the ancestral Puebloan people had everything they needed. Welcome to Flagstaff Area National Monuments, places that will delight your senses and challenge your mind to consider everything from violent geologic processes to the struggle of finding water in an arid landscape. At Wupatki, builders chose the open grassland and expansive horizons of the Wupatki Basin, constructing homes of stone and mud. Communities were comprised of farmers, cultivating corn, beans, and squash. Wupatki Pueblo had the greatest population. Located at the crossroads of several cultures, it was a regional center for trade. Each of the monuments is unique, but all three share a cultural legacy, including their ownership by all Americans as part of the National Park System. Come and enjoy them. They are yours. This newspaper, the Ancient Times, can help you decide how to create your own experiences at the Flagstaff Area National Monuments during any season of the year. Sunset Crater Volcano is part of the legends, landscape, history, and culture of several American Indian tribes. Life profoundly changed for those present when the volcano erupted. Some left because survival seemed impossible. Others saw the eruption as a signal to migrate. Some chose to stay, building new homes and learning to farm a cinder-covered landscape. We’re waiting for you! Kayci Cook Collins Superintendent Flagstaff Area National Monuments NPS Graphic Natural Environment From sandstone and limestone revealing ancient sand dunes and seas, to rugged lava flows created by violent forces in the earth, the landscapes of all three national monuments have been shaped by weather, water, and time. At Walnut Canyon plant communities overlap, bringing together species usually separated by elevation, creating a rare concentration of biodiversity. The Sinagua people found a wide array of native plants to harvest along every curve of the canyon. Without domestic grazing, the grasslands of Wupatki once again provide habitat for the same plants and animals harvested and hunted by the ancestral Puebloan people who lived under the endless blue skies. Sunset Crater Volcano provides an unparalleled opportunity to study the dynamics of eruption, change, and recovery in an arid climate. The dramatic landscape is also home to a mix of species adapted to life on and around the young volcanic terrain. By visiting Walnut Canyon, Wupatki and Sunset Crater Volcano and gazing across their visually striking landscapes, you may better understand the lives of those who came before, learning from their ingenuity and achievements. What’s Inside 2-3....General Information 4-5....Wupatki and Sunset Crater Volcano 6.......Walnut Canyon 7.......Programs 8.......Getting Involved Published August 2016 2 GENERAL INFORMATION Walnut Canyon cliff dwellings, NPS Photo Contact Information Flagstaff Area National Monuments Park Headquarters 6400 N. Hwy 89 Flagstaff, AZ 86004 Phone: (928) 526-1157 Fax: (928) 526-4259 Email: FLAG_Information@nps.gov Walnut Canyon National Monument 3 Walnut Canyon Rd, Flagstaff, AZ 86004 www.nps.gov/waca (928) 526-3367 Wupatki National Monument 25137 N Wupatki Loop Rd, Flagstaff, AZ 86004 www.nps.gov/wupa (928) 679-2365 Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument 6082 Sunset Crater Rd, Flagstaff, AZ 86004 www.nps.gov/sucr (928) 526-0502 Entrance Fees 7-day Passes Walnut Canyon: per person (adults 16+)........$8 Sunset Crater Volcano and Wu