| Sunset Crater | |
|---|---|
 Sunset Crater from the Cinder Hills | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 8,042 ft (2,451 m) NAVD 88[1] |
| Prominence | 999 ft (304 m)[2] |
| Coordinates | 35°21′52″N111°30′13″W / 35.36444°N 111.50361°W /35.36444; -111.50361[1] |
| Geography | |
 | |
| Location | Coconino County,Arizona, U.S. |
| Topo map | USGS Sunset Crater East |
| Geology | |
| Rock age | ~950 years |
| Mountain type | Cinder cone[3] |
| Volcanic field | San Francisco volcanic field |
| Last eruption | 1075 ± 25 years[3] |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | Hike |
| Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument | |
| Area | 3,138 acres (12.70 km2)[4] |
| Established | May 26, 1930 |
| Visitors | 104,583 (in 2018)[5] |
| Governing body | National Park Service |
| Website | Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument |
Sunset Crater is acinder cone located north ofFlagstaff in theU.S. state ofArizona. The crater is within theSunset Crater Volcano National Monument.
Sunset Crater is the youngest in a string ofvolcanoes (theSan Francisco volcanic field) that is related to the nearbySan Francisco Peaks.[6]
The date of the eruptions that formed the 340-meter-high cone (1,120 ft) was initially derived fromtree-ring dates, suggesting the eruption began between the growing seasons of AD 1064–1065.[7] However, more recent geologic and archaeological evidence places the eruption around AD 1085.[8] The largest vent of the eruption, Sunset Crater itself, was the source of the Bonito and Kana-a lava flows that extended about 2.5 kilometers (1.6 mi) northwest and 9.6 kilometers (6 mi) northeast, respectively. Additional vents along a 10-kilometer-long fissure (6.2 mi) extending southeast produced smallspatter ramparts and a 6.4-kilometer-long lava flow (4 mi) to the east. The Sunset Crater eruption peaked atVEI 4 (Sub-Plinian), produced a total of 0.52 km3 of ejecta,[9] had aneruption column between 20-30km tall[10] and produced a blanket of ash andlapilli covering an area of more than 2,100 square kilometers (810 sq mi), which forced the temporary abandonment of settlements of the localSinagua people.[3]
The volcano has partially revegetated, withpines andwildflowers. The crater is the namesake for theSunset Crater Beardtongue (Penstemon clutei). The volcano is monitored by theYellowstone Volcano Observatory[11] and is classified as a moderate threat.
Damage fromhikers forced theNational Park Service to close a trail leading to the crater, but a short trail at the base remains.[12]
The hiking trail below the summit skirts the substantial Bonito Lava Flow. This hardened lava is black and appears fresh as it has devastated the forest in its path. The lava flow also created an ice cave or tube that is now closed to the public after a partial collapse.
On June 5, 2015, a website with satellite images reported steam rising from the crater, leading to fears that Sunset Crater was erupting. The cause of the steam was later determined to be a forest fire, and geologists stated that the volcano was extinct.[13]
Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument is aU.S. national monument created to protect Sunset Crater, acinder cone within the San Francisco Volcanic Field.[14]The monument is managed by theNational Park Service in conjunction with nearbyWupatki National Monument. In 1928, aHollywood film company,Famous Players–Lasky Corporation, planned to detonate large quantities of explosives on the side of Sunset Crater in order to create an avalanche forZane Grey's motion pictureAvalanche.[15] Public outcry over this plan led in part to the proclamation of Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument by PresidentHerbert Hoover in 1930.[16]
A 1-mile (1.6 km), self-guided loop trail is located at the base of Sunset Crater, but hiking to the summit is not permitted. A trail providing access to the summit and crater was closed in 1973 because of excessive erosion caused by hikers.[17] A visitor center is located near the park entrance, 15 miles (24 km) north ofFlagstaff, Arizona, alongU.S. Highway 89.
In April 2022, theTunnel Fire burned over the entirety of the monument, though the visitor center was spared.[18][19] In December 2022, 98 acres including the visitor center and administrative facilities were transferred fromCoconino National Forest to the national monument.[20]
According to theKöppen Climate Classification system, Sunset Crater has aContinental climate, abbreviated "Dsb" on climate maps.
| Climate data for Sunset Crater, Arizona (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1969–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 68 (20) | 70 (21) | 78 (26) | 82 (28) | 91 (33) | 99 (37) | 98 (37) | 97 (36) | 92 (33) | 87 (31) | 76 (24) | 68 (20) | 99 (37) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 57.0 (13.9) | 59.8 (15.4) | 68.1 (20.1) | 75.2 (24.0) | 83.2 (28.4) | 92.8 (33.8) | 93.8 (34.3) | 89.5 (31.9) | 84.9 (29.4) | 77.5 (25.3) | 67.4 (19.7) | 60.8 (16.0) | 94.9 (34.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 43.9 (6.6) | 46.6 (8.1) | 53.9 (12.2) | 61.1 (16.2) | 70.2 (21.2) | 82.2 (27.9) | 84.2 (29.0) | 80.7 (27.1) | 75.3 (24.1) | 64.6 (18.1) | 53.3 (11.8) | 44.0 (6.7) | 63.3 (17.4) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 28.4 (−2.0) | 31.4 (−0.3) | 37.4 (3.0) | 44.1 (6.7) | 51.9 (11.1) | 62.0 (16.7) | 66.6 (19.2) | 63.9 (17.7) | 57.5 (14.2) | 46.3 (7.9) | 35.8 (2.1) | 28.2 (−2.1) | 46.1 (7.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 12.8 (−10.7) | 16.3 (−8.7) | 21.0 (−6.1) | 27.0 (−2.8) | 33.6 (0.9) | 41.9 (5.5) | 49.0 (9.4) | 47.1 (8.4) | 39.8 (4.3) | 27.9 (−2.3) | 18.4 (−7.6) | 12.4 (−10.9) | 28.9 (−1.7) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −4.1 (−20.1) | −0.3 (−17.9) | 5.6 (−14.7) | 11.9 (−11.2) | 18.6 (−7.4) | 27.1 (−2.7) | 38.4 (3.6) | 37.7 (3.2) | 26.5 (−3.1) | 15.5 (−9.2) | 2.9 (−16.2) | −5.1 (−20.6) | −8.7 (−22.6) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −26 (−32) | −28 (−33) | −9 (−23) | −1 (−18) | 12 (−11) | 16 (−9) | 27 (−3) | 27 (−3) | 12 (−11) | −5 (−21) | −12 (−24) | −25 (−32) | −28 (−33) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 1.41 (36) | 1.10 (28) | 1.08 (27) | 0.65 (17) | 0.69 (18) | 0.31 (7.9) | 2.65 (67) | 3.45 (88) | 1.72 (44) | 1.39 (35) | 0.87 (22) | 1.72 (44) | 17.04 (433) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 12.2 (31) | 9.4 (24) | 6.1 (15) | 4.2 (11) | 0.8 (2.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 1.2 (3.0) | 3.5 (8.9) | 11.9 (30) | 49.3 (125) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 inch) | 5.6 | 5.8 | 4.9 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 2.3 | 11.9 | 14.2 | 7.6 | 5.0 | 3.6 | 5.8 | 74.6 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 inch) | 4.1 | 4.4 | 2.7 | 1.8 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 1.9 | 4.4 | 20.1 |
| Source:National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration[21][22] | |||||||||||||
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
