-----Left: Irene & Joe at the entrance to Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument
-----Right: the San Francisco Peaks in Flagstaff - elevation 12,500 ft. - look at the snow!
The first eruption took place about 1064 A.D. and destoyed all of the native dwellings in the area. It erupted again about 1100 A.D. and finally in the 13th century. This final eruption painted the otherwise black cone with red and orange rocks, giving the crater its name. The crater is at the top, visible from the air, and the elevation is over 8000 ft.
You can see the black cinder cone and also notice the partial re-vegetation on the side of the cone. In the photo to the right is some of the hardened volcanic ash.
