San Francisco Peaks

Helium is the second most abundant element in the universe. But here on Earth it’s in much shorter supply. As demand has increased, companies have aggressively ramped up helium exploration in the U.S.—including northern Arizona.

Sending kids to Camp Colton at the base of the San Francisco Peaks has been a local tradition since the seventies. Thousands of sixth grade students have learned about science and nature there. But this spring there’s a new curriculum focused on forest health and wildfire prevention. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny spoke about it with Ari Wilder, the executive director of Friends of Camp Colton.

The San Francisco Volcanic Field in northern Arizona is full of spiky lava flows. Some seem as fresh as if they were laid down yesterday. But how old are they, really? Scientists are now dating these ancient volcanic eruptions with a method that involves a curious kind of clock—the cosmic rays emitted by stars.