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
