The San Francisco Peaks near Flagstaff dominate the northern Arizona landscape. Those peaks are the eroded remains of a single, much higher stratovolcano called San Francisco Mountain. San Francisco Mountain stood over 16,000 feet high and dates back as far as one million years. The giant volcano became dormant 400,000 years ago.
Around 92,000 years ago, the top and northeast flank of San Francisco Mountain collapsed in a giant avalanche leaving the present-day San Francisco Peaks as the edges of the collapsed mountain top. Humphrey’s Peak, the tallest of the San Francisco Peaks stands 12,633 feet high indicating a loss of about 4,000 feet of elevation in the collapse of San Francisco Mountain.
San Francisco Mountain is not the only volcano in our vicinity. It lies roughly in the center of a larger volcanic field dotted with more than 600 volcanoes. The volcanic activity in the American West and Southwest has shaped our landscape as well as our environment. What a sight that huge San Francisco Mountain must have been and what a mighty sound it must have made when it collapsed and lost 4,000 feet of its top!
20" x 40"
Commercial fabrics, sequin cloth, tulle, custom printed fabric, polyester cording. Warm and Natural batting. Fusible and machine applique, machine quilted.
Comments
Post a Comment