Formal Post #1: Rock Formations and Weathering

Sedona has been attracting millions of tourists annually for decades, and most everyone comes to look at the beautiful, towering red rocks that have made Sedona so popular. What many of these tourists don’t know, however, is that they are really looking at essentially ‘rusty rocks’ that have endured many different weathering processes.

Sedona is nestled in the Verde Valley between Southwest Mingus Mountains and the Colorado Plateau to the Northeast. These mountains were created long ago due to the earth’s plates uplifting, and the Colorado Plateau happens to be the second largest plateau in the world. It encompasses the Brice and Zion Canyons, as well as the famous Grand Canyon in Northern Arizona. The Colorado Plateau is still being uplifted 2 inches every 100 years, (Inner Journeys: Sedona Geology), creating cracks, faults and joints in the rocks which wind and water have seeped in to over time. Sedona is located on the southern edge of this plateau, exposing it to weathering and erosion, which have worked together to create the majestic red rocks of Sedona.

There is proof that Sedona has once, or multiple times, been covered with ocean water, leaving behind fossils and sediments that can still be found in the rocks today. These shells, rocks, and other miscellaneous objects could also have been brought and deposited by nearby rivers, which have rich iron flowing through their waters. The river water would flood the area, covering the rocks, and, when iron mixes with oxygen, it turns red, forever staining the rocks and giving them an overall “rusty” appearance.

The rocks not only astound people due to their vibrant color, but because of their steepness and magnitude as well. This steepness has been maintained due to the material make-up of the rocks themselves. The top layers of the strata are composed of basalt and limestone, and both of these materials are harder than the sandstone, which lies underneath. It is this water run-off eating away at the lower layers of the rock formations that aided in forming the sheer cliffs that Sedona is known for as well. 

Inner Journeys, Sedona Geology. 2010. http://www.innerjourneys.us/sedona_information/sedona_arizona_geology.php. 19 Sept. 2012.

Geology of Sedona, ArizonaRuins.com. 2007. http://www.arizonaruins.com/sedona/sedona_geology.html. 19 Sept. 2012