TheMogollon Rim (/moʊɡəˈjoʊn/)[1] is atopographical andgeological feature cutting acrossthe northern half of theU.S. state ofArizona. It extends approximately 200 miles (320 km), starting in northernYavapai County and running eastward, ending near the border withNew Mexico.[2] It forms the southern edge of theColorado Plateau inArizona.
The Rim is anescarpment defining the southwestern edge of theColorado Plateau.[3]: 1189 Its central and most spectacular portions are characterized by high cliffs oflimestone andsandstone, namely theKaibab Limestone andCoconino Sandstone cliffs.[3]: 1206–1209 [4] The escarpment was created byerosion andfaulting, creatingcanyons such asFossil Creek Canyon and Pine Canyon.[5] The name Mogollon comes from DonJuan Ignacio Flores Mogollón, the SpanishGovernor ofNew Mexico from 1712 to 1715.[6]
Much of the land south of the Mogollon Rim lies 4,000 to 5,000 feet (1,200 to 1,500 m) abovesea level, with the escarpment rising to about 8,000 ft (2,400 m). ExtensivePonderosa pine forests are found both on the slopes of the Rim and on theplateau to the north. The Mogollon Rim is a majorfloristic andfaunal boundary, with species characteristic of theRocky Mountains living on the top of the plateau, and species native to theMexicanSierra Madre Occidental on the slopes below and in theMadrean Sky Islands (high, isolated mountain ranges) further south.[citation needed]
The Mogollon Rim's limestones and sandstones were formed fromsediments deposited in theCarboniferous andPermian Periods. Several of the Rim's rock formations are also seen on the walls of theGrand Canyon. In many places, the Rim is capped or buried by extensivebasalticlava flows.[citation needed]
The uppermost sandstonestratum of the Mogollon Rim, called theCoconino Sandstone, forms white cliffs reaching several hundred feet high at some points. This formation of the Permian Period is ofaeolian (windblown) origin and is one of the thickest sand-dune-derived sandstones on earth.[citation needed]
Cities and towns near the Mogollon Rim includePayson,Sedona,Show Low,Alpine andPinetop-Lakeside. The Mogollon Rim is practicallybisected byInterstate 17 which runs north-to-south betweenFlagstaff andPhoenix.[citation needed]
In June 2002, the eastern portion of the Mogollon Rim was the site of Arizona's second-largestwildfire, the 470,000-acre (1,900 km2)Rodeo–Chediski Fire. The Mogollon Rim was also the site of theDude fire that started on June 25, 1990. This fire grew to cover over 30,000 acres (120 km2) and killed six wildland firefighters. Other large fires have burned along the Mogollon Rim since 1990, and the area'sPonderosa pine forests remain vulnerable because of past fire-suppression efforts and the buildup of available dry fuel.[citation needed]
Western novel authorZane Grey built a hunting cabin on the slopes of the Mogollon Rim just northeast of Payson, above Tonto Creek. The cabin was restored by the Phoenix air-conditioning magnate William Goettl during the late 1960s, but it was destroyed by theDude Fire in 1990.[7]
Louis L'Amour's novelThe Sackett Brand, set near the Mogollon Rim, includes descriptions of its cliffs.
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