Why are Sedonas Red Rocks Red?
Sedona, AZ (Sedona.biz) – Answering that question will take 320 million years. How much time do you have? Okay, just a little geology joke to keep things light. We’ll try to speed up the timeline for you. First, you should know that Sedona sits at the foot of the Mogollon Rim which is the southern most part of the Colorado Plateau and extends for 200 miles across central Arizona to the White Mountains and averages 7,000 feet high. The Mogollan Rim is just south of Flagstaff. The height and location of the Colorado Plateau in Northern Arizona makes it a perfect spot for ponderosa pines. In fact, this region has the largest ponderosa pine forest on the continent. The Colorado Plateau, of course, is where the Grand Canyon sits. Brief History About 320 million years ago, the area of Sedona lay under water in a sea, and the first layer of Sedona’s rock formation came from the shells of sea creatures. Later, rivers deposited sediment that is now red sandstone that easily erodes. About 275 mi