Although Arizona is widely known as the home of the Grand Canyon, a lesser known gem sits nearby on the outskirts of the city of Flagstaff: the Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument. Around the year 1085, a volcanic eruption occurred on Sunset Crater, the youngest volcano in the Colorado Plateau. Today, the site of the eruption bursts with life and is home to different plants, animals, and ecosystems. The monument’s sceneries, trails, and cinder cones make it recognized as one of Arizona’s most significant and historic landmarks. With its beautiful scenery, Sunset Crater is a reminder of the fact that destruction, rebirth, and growth are all part of nature’s life cycle.
The eruption of Sunset Crater was extremely destructive, with a fissure nearly six miles long, from which curtains of lava flung out high into the air. Sunset Crater’s jagged landscapes, cinder cones, and lava trails are a result of lava repeatedly erupting through the surfaces of previously-cooled lava during the duration of the natural disaster.
Before the volcanic eruption, Sunset Crater and its surrounding areas were home to human populations (possibly part of the Sinagua culture) that had already been residing there for centuries. Evidence shows that a series of earthquakes in the area prior to the eruption served as a signal for these communities to evacuate before they could experience the destruction of the volcano’s eruption.
The human populations that used to reside around Sunset Crater eventually relocated to nearby areas in which volcanic ash had actually created an agriculturally sustainable environment, allowing them to rebuild and reestablish their community. One of these relocations is located at the Wupatki National Monument, a site which is included in Sunset Crater National Monument’s park pass and is only about a thirty minute drive away from Sunset Crater itself. To this day, neighboring indigenous cultures in Arizona, such as the Hopi and Zuni cultures, recognize Sunset Crater as a significant part of their cultural history.
Along with cultural and historical significance, Sunset Crater is extremely fascinating from a biological perspective. Sunset Crater’s eruption a thousand years ago is considered to still be very recent in geological history, and its surrounding landscape is still undergoing the very early stages of regrowth. This ongoing stage of regrowth is a part of a natural cycle of change known as ecological succession. The volcanic landscape surrounding Sunset Crater’s lava flows is still a very hostile environment, making it difficult for wildlife to survive. Lichens grow upon the volcanic rock, part of a process that will span several generations to gradually convert the rock into soil in order to convert the hostile environment into a landscape that is more hospitable to life.
Although it is difficult to find life in the lava flows themselves, the surrounding ponderosa pine forest is filled to the brim with plant life and animals. Some plants present in the national monument include Utah juniper, cliffrose, and apache plume, and many others.
Hiking through the forest and around the visitor center, there is an extremely high chance of spotting a few Aberts squirrels, known for their tassel-like ears, going about their daily life. The pine forests are also home to several of North America’s beautiful mammals, including elk, pronghorn, mule deer, coyotes, porcupines, bobcats, and cottontails.
Along with these mammals, you can spot many lizards, skinks and snakes. In fact, surrounding the lava flows and the black volcanic rock are lizards who have adopted black scales over generations as a genetic advantage for blending into the natural environment.
With its history, scenery, and wildlife, the Sunset Crater National Monument is an extremely significant part of Arizona. This monument serves as a constant reminder that rebirth and growth is possible, and that change is a natural part of our world.
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Ellen runs campaigns to protect America’s beautiful places, from local beachfronts to remote mountain peaks. She sits on the Steering Committee of the Arctic Defense Campaign and co-coordinates the Climate Forests Campaign. Ellen previously worked as the organizing director for Environment America’s Climate Defenders campaign and managed grassroots campaign offices across the country. Ellen lives in Denver, where she likes to hike in Colorado’s mountains.
