Vulcan's Throne

Vulcan's Throne
Highest point
Elevation5,102 ft (1,555 m) NGVD 29[1]
Coordinates36°13′08″N 113°04′39″W / 36.2188701°N 113.0774265°W / 36.2188701; -113.0774265[2]
Geography
Vulcan’s Throne is located in Arizona
Vulcan’s Throne
Vulcan’s
Throne
LocationGrand Canyon National Park
Mohave County, Arizona. U.S.
Topo mapUSGS Vulcans Throne
Geology
Rock age73,000 years[3]
Mountain typeCinder cone
Volcanic fieldUinkaret volcanic field

Vulcan's Throne is a cinder cone volcano and a prominent landmark on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon in Arizona, United States.[4] The volcano is adjacent the Colorado River, (thousands of feet above the river) as it is the source material for Lava Falls and Lava Falls Rapids (Vulcan Rapids) one of the largest rapids of the Colorado. Vulcan's Throne, about a mile (1.7 km) west of Toroweap overlook, is part of the Uinkaret volcanic field.[3] The journals of traveler George Corning Fraser record a trip to the summit of Vulcan's Throne in 1914. At the time, the surrounding area was used for sheep grazing, and a small reservoir had been constructed at the base of the volcano.[5] Fraser wrote that

Vulcan's Throne is a pure cinder cone covered with scoriae, cinders, clinkers and peperino lying loose on the surface, with a slope, as near as I could measure, from 28° to 31°. A little sage, many cacti and perhaps some other similar low plants grow on it, but otherwise nothing. Climbing it was like ascending a sand-dune. Every step forward involved slipping half way back and boots were soon filled with painful bits of stone.

— George Corning Fraser, 17 July 1914, Journeys in the Canyon Lands of Utah and Arizona, 1914 - 1916, pp 25-26

The cinder cone was formed during the Quaternary Period, and is cut by recent movement on the Toroweap Fault.[6]

Vulcan’s Throne, Lava Falls, and Lava Falls Rapids
(view looking upriver, approximately to northeast)

The damming of the Colorado River by the lava from Vulcan’s Throne, produced major rapids. The Lava Falls Rapids are so large that they can be heard on certain days, from the adjacent overlook of Toroweap Point.

Lava Falls Rapids

(Enlarged) view looking downstream from Toroweap Point region

See also

References

  1. ^ "Vulcans Throne, Arizona". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2016-08-24.
  2. ^ "Vulcans Throne". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2016-08-24.
  3. ^ a b "Uinkaret Field". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2007-05-23.
  4. ^ Wood, Charles A.; Jűrgen Kienle (1993). Volcanoes of North America. Cambridge University Press. pp. 277–278. ISBN 0-521-43811-X.
  5. ^ Fraser, George Corning (2005). Frederick H. Swanson (ed.). Journeys in the Canyon Lands of Utah and Arizona, 1914 - 1916. University of Arizona Press. p. 25. ISBN 9780816524402. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
  6. ^ "America's Volcanic Past: Arizona". U.S. Geological Survey. Archived from the original on 16 June 2010. Retrieved 20 May 2013. Vulcan's Throne, a Quaternary cinder cone on the rim of the Canyon is cut by recent fault movement on the Toroweap fault.