Everything about the Mogollon Rim totally explained
The
Mogollon Rim (by local residents) is a topographical and geological feature running across the
U.S. state of
Arizona. It extends approximately from northern
Yavapai County eastward to near the border with
New Mexico.
Description
The Rim is an
escarpment defining the southwestern edge of the
Colorado Plateau, and along its central and most spectacular portions is characterized by high
limestone and
sandstone cliffs. It was formed by
erosion and
faulting, and dramatic
canyons have been cut into it, including Fossil Creek Canyon, and Pine Canyon. The name Mogollon comes from Don Juan Ignacio Flores Mogollón, Spanish
Governor of
New Mexico from 1712-1715.
Much of the land below the Mogollon Rim lies 4000 to 5000 feet (1,200 to 1,500 m) above
sea level, with the escarpment rising to approximately . Extensive
Ponderosa Pine forests are found both on the slopes of the Rim and on the
plateau above. It is a major
floristic and
faunal boundary, with species characteristic of the
Rocky Mountains on the top of the plateau, and the species of the
Mexican Sierra Madre Occidental on the slopes below and in the
Madrean sky islands (high, isolated mountain ranges) further south.
The Mogollon Rim's limestones and sandstones were formed from
sediments deposited in the
Carboniferous and
Permian periods. Several of the Rim's rock formations are also found in the walls of the
Grand Canyon. In many places the Rim is capped or even buried by extensive basaltic
lava flows.
The Rim's uppermost sandstone
stratum, the Coconino Sandstone, forms spectacular white cliffs, sometimes several hundred feet high. This Permian period formation is of
eolian (windblown) origin, and is one of the thickest sand-dune-derived sandstones on earth.
Cities near the Mogollon Rim include
Payson, and
Show Low. The eastern portion of the Rim was the site of Arizona's largest-ever
wildfire in June
2002, the 470,000 acre (1,900 km²)
Rodeo-Chediski fire. Other large fires have burned along the Rim since
1990, and the area's
Ponderosa Pine forests remain vulnerable due to past fire suppression and fuel build-up.
Famed western writer
Zane Grey lived below the Rim, with a cabin northeast of
Payson, Arizona, near the small village of Christopher Creek. Grey's book
Riders of the Purple Sage and several other of his widely read novels were either set in this general area of the west, or inspired by it. If one stands at certain points on the Mogollon Rim (Milk Ranch Point near
Strawberry, Arizona, is one example) at sunset, there's a grand view on clear days for about 50 miles in three directions, south, west and east. Some or all of the sweeping landscape may well appear a hue of purple as the sunlight fades.
Further Information
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