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Red Rocks Of Sedona:
Nature's Timeline

From the human perspective, it's easy to forget that our planet is a volatile, dynamic place.

Northern Arizona tells the story of the Earth's constant transformation in its beautiful red rocks, breathtaking cliff faces, and remnants of ancient volcanoes, seas and lakes, all of which amateur geologists can spot from a moving car.

While some visible rock in the Verde Valley has been dated at about 1.8 million years old, the formation of Sedona's famous red rocks began in earnest a mere 500 million years ago. At that time this area was a hot desert region at the western edge of the continent that would become North America.

Over the course of several hundred million years, the ebb and flow of oceans and powerful volcanic activity deposited several layers of different minerals throughout the Colorado Plateau. The most prominent ones you see today in Sedona's red rocks are the deep red sandstone base layers (the "red" in the red rocks comes from rich deposits of iron), the lighter stripes of Fort Apache limestone about 2/3 the way up most formations, and the tawny-colored Coconino sandstone at the top, all of which were deposited between 270 and 250 million years ago. Then, just about 2 million years ago wind and water went to work on the layers, carving out the unusual spires, buttes and mesas we see today.

Article by Sarah Horton.







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