This talk will introduce you to the fascinating geology and history of Sunset Crater, the youngest and best-preserved volcano in Arizona!

Sunset Crater erupted only 940 years ago, creating a cinder or scoria cone, and it is one of over 600 short-lived volcanoes in northern Arizona’s San Francisco volcanic field. Its eruption had very significant impacts, both positive and negative, on the northern Sinagua Indigenous people living in its vicinity.

Geologist Dr. Jeffrey Meyer will share the story of this eruption and detail his recent work mapping the Bonito lava flow, which came out of the cone’s western base and traveled to the west against an uphill slope. It is unique among lava flows in having traveled uphill, and, as such, can serve as an end-member example of processes that occur in flows on flat terrain. Understanding these processes can help in hazard prediction on earth and in the interpretation of past flows on earth, the moon and other planets.

To follow up on the Thursday night talk, a Saturday field trip is planned to Sunset Crater and the Bonito flow.

Doors open at 6:30pm. The presentation starts at 7:00pm.

*The event is free, but space is limited, and registration is required. For those unable to attend in person, the talk will be live-streamed on our YouTube Channel.