Not yet a millennium

I identified the previous picture as coming from our October 21st visit to Arizona’s Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument. I’d be remiss if I didn’t show you a picture of the volcanic features that are the site’s main tourist attraction. According to the flyer the National Park Service gives visitors, the volcano is estimated to have erupted between 1040 and 1100, so it’s not even one millennium old. In geological time, that was practically yesterday.

Notice the lava in the foreground, the ponderosa pines in various places, and the heavy covering of ash that is still acting over a large area to keep new life from springing up.

© 2016 Steven Schwartzman