Arizona's Active Volcanoes Don't Make Sense

The strangest video I've ever made. Space, deep time, and Arizona's beautifully mysterious volcanoes.

Further Reading:

Archival Articles:

Maps/Graphics:

Images:

Footage:

0:00 - Intro
1:12 - Sponsor
2:33 - The Volcanic Field
6:17 - The Stratovolcano
7:46 - The Meteor
8:25 - The People
11:24 - The Science
13:13 - Outro

The links above are affiliate links, from which I gain a small monetary compensation when purchases are made. They help keep the lights on ;)

[bulldogss]

I've lived in Arizona all my life (39 years) and I've known we have a few scattered dormant volcanoes here and there, but I never knew that we had a massive volcano field.

Man, nobody tells me nothing.

[zinger]

As a geologist the volcanoes in Arizona have always been interesting. I particularly like the Peridot Mesa in the San Carlos volcanic field as that is where a large amount of the gemstone peridot comes from!

[winslow]

This is probably my favorite video about Arizona ever. I'm from AZ and have a deep love for the bizarre and wonderful landscape here. Thanks for discussing it so eloquently and capturing its beauty.

[panderson]

About 10 years ago I toured the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff. Every hour or so they do a guided tour for like 20 or 25 people. There was only myself, one other guy, and the tour guide standing there waiting for the rest of the people to gather, so we were chit chatting. The tour guide was a NAU grad with a degree in geology. The other guy asked the tour guide where all the mountains around Flagstaff came from. The tour guide said Flagstaff sits in a volcano field. I said "Hopefully none of them are still active." He said "Oh don't worry, the last eruption was almost 1, 000 years ago." Then he said "But now that I think about it, I've talked to pilots who've taken the tour who've flown over this area in the winter. They've told me they can see big round areas in the snow field that are totally free of snow." He said that likely means there are places in Northern Arizona where lava is still close enough to the surface to keep the temperature of the ground above freezing even in the winter.

[Moto_Medics]

using paper that way instead of fancy graphics was genius and honestly better imo

[ryanshiner]

I earned my geology degree at NAU in Flagstaff, and even did a funded research grant project on one of the volcanoes in the field. Its worth talking about, as its the only spatter cone out of the hundreds of cinder cones around. Its called Sproul Crater, and its subsequent lava flow that breached the rim led to the creation of Grand Falls. You were right next to it hiking up Mirriam Crater right after the sponsored part. Nice vid!

[emmahardesty]

Thanks for discussing areas of AZ that even most locals don't know about. There's a dormant volcano right inside of downtown Tucson.

[Navigator]

Thank you for explaining a curiosity I've had since the mid-1990s. Working as an over-the-road truck driver, I passed through this region often. It was completely fascinating to me. What you have just taught me is: if it's shaped like a volcano, leaves debris like a volcano and your heart feels like it is a volcano… even if it’s not at a tectonic plate… it's a volcano! I retired from driving 15 years ago. Your excellent cinematography brought me back to this hauntingly beautiful place. Much appreciation.

[nachomahn]

I live in Flag... And we get occasional earthquakes, a couple in the last 15 years were strong enough to crack windows, splash fishtanks onto the floor, and wake you up at night. There is still something down there... Waiting.... :) Great cinematography and great story. Thanks!

[meandyouagainstthealgorith]

I've spent the majority of my career working in Northern Arizona in Soil Science. Sometimes, I've designed experiments on how these types of soils hold their water. It appears there is some random accommodation of water in cinder and ash soils. If enough water enters rock vesicles after a rainfall then water begins to be accommodated in the soil by the cohesive forces in the water itself. That may be how this ancient civilization existed in Wupatki. Also, I believe I have found a cinder cone that may be more recent than Sunset Crater.

Just one quick note. By the technical definition of desert, there is little that actually qualifies as desert in Northern Arizona. I call it a woodland steppe, or a shrub steppe depending on the dominant vegetation.

[Gabrocol]

That last shot was BEAUTIFUL. The cinder cones casting dramatically huge shadows on the landscape at sunset. Amazing cinematography!

[connorwilliams]

This dude just created a short documentary that rivals pretty much everything from natgeo to BBC earth specials. Damn

[johnchedsey]

I went to college in Flagstaff. Cinders were everywhere, partly because that was used in the winters on the road rather than salt. Now that I live in Arizona again, I should go back up and explore those cones more. The whole region around Flagstaff is fascinating in every direction.

[dandexinventor]

As a teenager in Flagstaff, I explored a lot of the volcanoes, ice tubes, craters and lived just North of The Peaks out by Sunset Crater, right at the edge of the area where NASA tested the moonbuggy. I loved it.
When I was 16, a friend and I went into an ice tube without flashlights, We made it all the way to the end and back in total darkness...about two miles. We missed the sign at the entrance warning about bears, saw it after we were done. No Darwin awards for us then (1978)!
The people are on the weird side of normal though. Something spiritually dark has taken over that area.
This guy is right, of all the places I've been, Northern Arizona was and is unlike anyhwhere else. The lava flow fields are among my favorite. Cool video, thanks!

[GeologyHub]

My unpopular opinion on the matter is that some form of lithospheric drip is involved in the Uinkaret, and possibly the San Francisco volcanic fields. This could theoretically power both systems.

[summerdreams]

I had no idea Arizona had so many volcanoes. so fascinating! Such a well made video too, your ability to capture the most gorgeous scenes is amazing

[delusias]

The care into these videos is really palpable, imo the quality is unmatched on Youtube and I recommend them to as many people as I can!
Keep it up man, loving the content <3

[Joshua-dhuj]

I just visited those exact areas in northern Arizona myself 2 weeks ago! This volcanic landscape is fascinating.

[chuckoneill]

The "Don't steal meteor" sign is actually funny.
I lived in Holbrook for years. It's some miles from "Meteor Crater", and also fairly rich with meteoric iron.
Run a magnet through the soil (mostly sand) anywhere in Northern Arizona, you'll find some iron.

[ToawstTheToast]

As an Arizonan, I didn’t know there were active volcanoes here. Thanks for the informative video!