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Home/Sedona Geology/Prelude to the Red Rocks

Prelude to the Red Rocks

Summary of Sedona's Geologic History. From inside back cover flap of "Sedona Through Time" 2nd ed., 2010 © Wayne Ranney
Summary of Sedona’s Geologic History

Before we begin to understand Sedona’s red rocks, let’s have a look at what lies beneath them, the so-called basement or foundation of the Verde Valley.

These rocks are hidden from view in the Sedona area but are uplifted along the Verde Fault and can be seen in the Black Hills (Mingus Mountain area) near the old mining town of Jerome.

They are part of the oldest rocks in the American Southwest and formed in a vast submarine volcanic field some 1,750 million years ago. In this setting, volcanic lava and ash erupted violently onto the seafloor and as the eruptions ensued they infused the rocks with copper, gold, silver, and zinc minerals.

Hot springs ringed the volcanic complex and it was along these thermal fractures that the minerals would accumulate. Later, when the eruptions ceased, the rocks became deeply buried and were subjected to metamorphism (altered by heat and pressure), giving them their rugged, ancient appearance.

Evidence gleaned from within the rocks reveals that they were buried under many miles of overlying rock in a large mountain range. As the material was naturally eroded off of the mountaintop, the confining pressures were removed and the rocks incrementally rose closer to the surface in a buoyant fashion. By about 525 million years ago, the mountains were completely eroded flat and the rocks were once again located very near sea level.

This time the sea encroached upon the landscape from the west and as the shoreline slowly transgressed to the east, it left a veneer of coarse beach deposit known as the Tapeats Sandstone today.

This dark brown, durable rock, about 525 million years old, was quarried and used in the construction of many of Jerome’s historic buildings. It sits atop the older meta-volcanic rocks, creating the Great Unconformity that is so well known from the depths of the Grand Canyon. More than 1,200 million years of earth’s recorded history is missing at this contact in the Verde Valley.

After another significant period of erosion lasting 135 million years, another sea inundated the area and left behind two rock layers, the Martin Formation and the Redwall Limestone.

Both of these deposits were important in the building of Jerome as they were also quarried and used for building stone and used in the making of local cement.

In fact, both the Martin and Redwall formations are used today to make cement at the Clarkdale Cement Plant, located on the eastern flank of the Black Hills.

Fossils within these deposits show that the sea was located in a tropical climate belt, with clear, warm water that was teeming with coral, sponges, and other marine creatures. Arizona was located close to the equator at this time as the earth experienced a warm interlude. All of these events left deposits that make up the foundation of Sedona’s red rocks.

<<Sedona’s Geologic Story – Introduction | Sedona’s Red Rocks, Part 1>>

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Wayne Ranney’s Publications

Ancient Landscapes of the Colorado Plateau
Ancient Landscapes of the Colorado Plateau
  • Used Book in Good Condition
  • Blakey, Ron (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 156 Pages - 10/01/2008 (Publication Date) - Grand Canyon Association (Publisher)
$59.91
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Sedona Through Time
Sedona Through Time
  • Wayne Ranney (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 160 Pages - 09/23/2010 (Publication Date) - Primer Pub (Publisher)
$19.95
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The Grand Canyon, Monument to an Ancient Earth: Can Noah's Flood Explain the Grand Canyon?
The Grand Canyon, Monument to an Ancient Earth: Can Noah's Flood Explain the Grand Canyon?
  • Hardcover Book
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 240 Pages - 04/27/2016 (Publication Date) - Kregel Publications (Publisher)
$27.70
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Carving Grand Canyon: Evidence, Theories, and Mystery, Second Edition
Carving Grand Canyon: Evidence, Theories, and Mystery, Second Edition
  • Ranney, Wayne (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 200 Pages - 06/01/2012 (Publication Date) - Grand Canyon Association (Publisher)
$6.81
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Last update on 2023-01-29 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Published on: May 17, 2012

Categories: Sedona GeologyTags: Black Hills near Mingus Mountain, encroaching sea, fossils, Great Unconformity, Jerome, Martin Formation, Redwall Limestone, Sedona's red rocks, Tapeats Sandstone, Verde Fault, volcanic lava and ash eruptions

About Wayne Ranney

I am a geologist, a writer, a river and trail guide, and a traveler. Everything seems right when I am on a trail or river watching the earth spin - my cares and worries disappear, my body and mind get exercise, and there is nothing to disturb the ebb and flow of life.

Out there is where ideas come to me, where stories flow through me like the rivers that carry me towards home. Now and then, I post ramblings on geology, life in the west and on a living planet, and travels across the globe.

Life is good if only we'd take the time to understand that.

http://www.wayneranney.com/
https://earthly-musings.blogspot.com/

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Sedona Geology

Sedona’s Geologic Story – Introduction

Whether they know it or not, the 4.5 million annual visitors to Sedona come here because of the …

Continue Reading about Sedona’s Geologic Story – Introduction

Prelude to the Red Rocks

Before we begin to understand Sedona’s red rocks, let’s have a look at what lies beneath them, the …

Continue Reading about Prelude to the Red Rocks

Sedona’s Red Rocks, Part 1

The famous red rocks in and around Sedona are, for the most part, the same layers that make up the …

Continue Reading about Sedona’s Red Rocks, Part 1

Sedona’s Red Rocks, Part 2

Next is the Hermit Formation (formerly called Hermit Shale), which contains more amounts of mudstone …

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Continued Deposition, Uplift, and Erosion

Although rocks of dinosaur age are not present in the Sedona area today, geologists believe that …

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House Mountain Volcano

Beginning about 15 million years ago, volcanism returned to the Sedona area in the form of basaltic …

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Creation of the Verde Valley and Verde Lake

If someone were hiking in the Sedona area 10 million years ago, they would see the Sedona red rocks …

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Carving Oak Creek Canyon

Oak Creek Canyon, although not as deeply cut as Grand Canyon, is still a very pleasant place to hike …

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