Sunset Crater Volcano

The distant San Francisco Peaks would have looked much like they do today, but to the east Sunset Crater Volcano would still have been belching black smoke and cinders when the Sinagua and Anasazi lived here. The thick layer of cinders over the sandy soil helped hold moisture, which was beneficial to the growing of crops. Eventually Sunset Crater Volcano grew quiet, and the winds blew the cinders away and dried out the soil. Why the Lomaki residents departed is not certain. There are indications of disease affecting the population, or a lengthy drought creating a landscape barren of vegetation, animals and firewood. Invading hostile tribes may also have contributed to the abandonment of this area by the mid-1200s.

Arizona · United States