An unusual breached cinder cone on the Kaibab Plateau between Flagstaff and Grand Canyon
1 RED MOUNTAIN
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3 Starting a short distance in from Hwy 180. Professional geologist Ivo Lucchita has joined us today.
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6 First view of the breached cone. The breach is believed to result from a steam explosion after the initial eruption; the crater is on the other side of the rear wall.
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11 We are already walking on cinder fines washed out of the breach
12 The wash forms an easy way in
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20 The USFS has built a check dam to slow down erosion
21 It's possible to climb the cemented cinder sides of the wash, though this is difficult because of the smll gravel left by surface weathering
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23 Cinder in this unusual cone has been cemented by early hydrothermal action
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26 Looking back at the 'entrance' wash
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29 A sparse ponderosa forest grows inside the breach...
