Posts Tagged ‘Chircahuca National Monument’

Before I start talking about the trails, I would like to give you a little history of the Chiricahua National Monument. The Chiricahua National  Monument is located in the eastern part of Cochise County, Arizona near the New Mexico border, south of I-10. The Monument is relatively unknown to many people in the U.S. and even in many parts of New Mexico and Arizona. It encompasses almost 12,000 acres, much of which is designated as wilderness area. You can enjoy looking at the large variety of plants, reptiles, birds and mammals that the Monument has to offer. This part of Arizona went through a violent past that began about 27 million years ago when the Turkey Creek Volcano erupted and spewed ash up to 2000 feet deep over an area of 1200 square miles. The ash particles melted together to form rhyolite, a grayish colored rock that is what makes up the Monument today. Over the preceding years, the land was pushed up and the rhyolite cracked thus allowing water and ice to enter, breaking the rocks apart. Today the area is dotted with rock formations such as spires, balance rocks and other shapes.