I've lived in Arizona all my life (39 years) and I've known we have a few scattered dormant volcanoes here and there, but I never knew that we had a massive volcano field. Man, nobody tells me nothing.

As a geologist the volcanoes in Arizona have always been interesting. I particularly like the Peridot Mesa in the San Carlos volcanic field as that is where a large amount of the gemstone peridot comes from!

About 10 years ago I toured the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff. Every hour or so they do a guided tour for like 20 or 25 people. There was only myself, one other guy, and the tour guide standing there waiting for the rest of the people to gather, so we were chit chatting. The tour guide was a NAU grad with a degree in geology. The other guy asked the tour guide where all the mountains around Flagstaff came from. The tour guide said Flagstaff sits in a volcano field. I said "Hopefully none of them are still active." He said "Oh don't worry, the last eruption was almost 1,000 years ago." Then he said "But now that I think about it, I've talked to pilots who've taken the tour who've flown over this area in the winter. They've told me they can see big round areas in the snow field that are totally free of snow." He said that likely means there are places in Northern Arizona where lava is still close enough to the surface to keep the temperature of the ground above freezing even in the winter.

This is probably my favorite video about Arizona ever. I'm from AZ and have a deep love for the bizarre and wonderful landscape here. Thanks for discussing it so eloquently and capturing its beauty.

This dude just created a short documentary that rivals pretty much everything from natgeo to BBC earth specials. Damn

I earned my geology degree at NAU in Flagstaff, and even did a funded research grant project on one of the volcanoes in the field. Its worth talking about, as its the only spatter cone out of the hundreds of cinder cones around. Its called Sproul Crater, and its subsequent lava flow that breached the rim led to the creation of Grand Falls. You were right next to it hiking up Mirriam Crater right after the sponsored part. Nice vid!

using paper that way instead of fancy graphics was genius and honestly better imo

I live in Flag... And we get occasional earthquakes, a couple in the last 15 years were strong enough to crack windows, splash fishtanks onto the floor, and wake you up at night. There is still something down there... Waiting.... :) Great cinematography and great story. Thanks!

Thanks for discussing areas of AZ that even most locals don't know about. There's a dormant volcano right inside of downtown Tucson.

Thank you for explaining a curiosity I've had since the mid-1990s. Working as an over-the-road truck driver, I passed through this region often. It was completely fascinating to me. What you have just taught me is: if it's shaped like a volcano, leaves debris like a volcano and your heart feels like it is a volcano… even if it’s not at a tectonic plate… it's a volcano! I retired from driving 15 years ago. Your excellent cinematography brought me back to this hauntingly beautiful place. Much appreciation.

As an Arizonan, I didn’t know there were active volcanoes here. Thanks for the informative video!

I've spent the majority of my career working in Northern Arizona in Soil Science. Sometimes, I've designed experiments on how these types of soils hold their water. It appears there is some random accommodation of water in cinder and ash soils. If enough water enters rock vesicles after a rainfall then water begins to be accommodated in the soil by the cohesive forces in the water itself. That may be how this ancient civilization existed in Wupatki. Also, I believe I have found a cinder cone that may be more recent than Sunset Crater. Just one quick note. By the technical definition of desert, there is little that actually qualifies as desert in Northern Arizona. I call it a woodland steppe, or a shrub steppe depending on the dominant vegetation.

I went to college in Flagstaff. Cinders were everywhere, partly because that was used in the winters on the road rather than salt. Now that I live in Arizona again, I should go back up and explore those cones more. The whole region around Flagstaff is fascinating in every direction.

That last shot was BEAUTIFUL. The cinder cones casting dramatically huge shadows on the landscape at sunset. Amazing cinematography!

The "Don't steal meteor" sign is actually funny. I lived in Holbrook for years. It's some miles from "Meteor Crater", and also fairly rich with meteoric iron. Run a magnet through the soil (mostly sand) anywhere in Northern Arizona, you'll find some iron.

As a teenager in Flagstaff, I explored a lot of the volcanoes, ice tubes, craters and lived just North of The Peaks out by Sunset Crater, right at the edge of the area where NASA tested the moonbuggy. I loved it. When I was 16, a friend and I went into an ice tube without flashlights, We made it all the way to the end and back in total darkness...about two miles. We missed the sign at the entrance warning about bears, saw it after we were done. No Darwin awards for us then (1978)! The people are on the weird side of normal though. Something spiritually dark has taken over that area. This guy is right, of all the places I've been, Northern Arizona was and is unlike anyhwhere else. The lava flow fields are among my favorite. Cool video, thanks!

I had no idea Arizona had so many volcanoes. so fascinating! Such a well made video too , your ability to capture the most gorgeous scenes is amazing

I was in Sunset Crater on September 6th of 2022. It was one of my favorite life experiences. I saw it on google maps and decided to give it a shot. It is the only location i've ever visited that has lava flows, a rainstorm, lush forests and pure desert right on its horizons. Honestly a breathtaking place to visit. Surprisingly, it was very calm and desolate. I loved that. A truly unexplainable and mysterious landscape. As a photographer and videographer, it is truly a place of imagination and dreams and story. I recommend the time I went. It rains and there is sooo much ecosystem crossover there.

The comments here are awesome. Thanks to all for the continuing education. I'm in the Mogollon Rim area. AZ is an amazing place to explore, such extremes. Finding coral at 7500' was a wtf? moment.

Too short - unlike so many crap individual videos with far too much look-at-me selfie input and horrendous-sounding soundtracks and voiceovers, you have managed an excellent balance of info, sound and visuals, as good as any professionally made series. Thank you. I look forward to your next production.

Thank you for covering the active volcanoes of arizona. I live in the sedona area, and most folks passing through don't realize there is an ancient volcano right in the middle of the verde valley that last erupted between 14 and 15 million years ago! You have won my subscription today good sir. Quality work!

I just visited those exact areas in northern Arizona myself 2 weeks ago! This volcanic landscape is fascinating.

I’m surprised you didn’t include Cinder Hills OHV area, just south of Sunset Crater. It’s 50,000 acres of cinder cones immediately adjacent to Sunset Crater that are completely accessible for off-road trail riding and roaming. Just be sure to bring a SERIOUS off-road vehicle. The views from the tops of some of the volcanic rims are amazing.

This video is very well done! Arizona has some truly amazing things. Not just the Grand Canyon but even near Phoenix. Camelback mountain is a mysterious mountain too

Props for using a phone's flash to explain hotspots. As someone who is familiar with hotspot, watching earth sciences videos from childhood, your method of showing hotspots was ingenious.

I hit the like button, I full screen and watch the entire video. Every time without fail. Always worth the watch 👌

Jesus christ man, you're a talented filmmaker. And an excellent colorist too. The way you demonstrate concepts is also fantastic; simple but super effective, and still incredibly cinematic.

I moved to California years ago from the east coast. I didn’t know much about the west. I took a road trip to the Grand Canyon and took every scenic route I could find. Eventually I ended up at a volcano with lava flows all over. It blew my mind. I still remember the excitement I felt. Last week I stood on top of Haleakalā. It’s become a passion.

Awesome video. I'm a native Arizonan and had no idea we had so MANY volcanoes. Thanks for educating and keep up the great work 👍

As a fellow content creator, it's awesome to find such a quality rich other creator. You are a pro...we are all producers on here to some degree, especially if we are doing it all on our own (not that there's anything wrong with getting help). I am truly impressed with your efforts and quality of production. Very informative and creative...interesting and quite beautiful...GREAT JOB!

In Arizona we have low deserts, high mountains, volcanoes, and aliens too!

I live just a few miles from the san Francisco peaks, studied environmental science at NAU and have done a lot of fieldwork out there. Just found your channel and love the content, fantastic video man, keep it up!

Your videos are some of the few hidden gems of KZfaq that move me. Every flippin' time you manage to do it. Kudos, I really mean it!

The care into these videos is really palpable, imo the quality is unmatched on KZfaq and I recommend them to as many people as I can! Keep it up man, loving the content

Many years ago on a vacation to Arizona, I went to this site and walked on the dried lava bed. I still have a piece of lava rock that I picked up while there. I was astounded to know that Arizona had this many volcanoes in one place.

Arizona native here....beautiful landscape shots. The deserts are full of mystery.

Arizona is a beautiful place; I've lived here for my whole life, and I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. Awesome video!

I grew up in all that. Incredible geology going from there, up beyond the Four Corners area. So much to see and explore. I miss that land; it is in my soul. Enjoy your time there... it will change you.

This was a very visually pleasing video. I wish more KZfaqrs put this artistic flair on their videos.

Nice video, but wish you'd not said these were in the middle of the AZ desert. That's not accurate they are in Northern AZ in the high desert of the Kaibab plain at over 7,000 ft.

Thank you so much for producing and providing this content. Honestly, this should be on Discovery,History,PBS,etc. It definitely is fascinating! And confirms what I thought years ago when traveling through Arizona. I kept seeing what I thought were lava rocks along the highway. So, I made my husband stop so I could pick one up and look at it. He told me that I was crazy to think that there were volcanos in Arizona (they didn't have any) and that it must be from when that meteor that hit. I can not wait to show him this! Again thank you so much for the great educational content!

Seriously, this content is SO GOOD. Beautifully shot, great storytelling, interesting topics. Nicely done, Aidin.

Wow! Those last shots are so beautiful! I didn’t even know there were volcanoes in Arizona.❤️🐝🤗

I live in Arizona, and I'm never disappointed by all the new nature I find out about in AZ, I am disappointed by how boring everything else in the state is though.

Never stop doing what you do! Your content is extremely well put together and very educational!

once again a true piece of art. I liked how you exemplified the volcanoes through the sand in the hourglass, something so minute but just adds to the extra layer of craftmanship.

Im in the Arizona desert and had no idea! Thank you for sharing and the education:) Well done!

Another possibly funny spot probably will be Hungary eventually (far in the future). The Caledonian Mountains were originally here but since it was fully built of granite and quite possibly it was the biggest mountain range ever, it literally sank into the ground, the tallest peak which some estimate to had been around 10-13 km high is now less than 400 meters (Velencei Mountain), it's technically a hill but is called a mountain due to being pure granite. That's all that's left of a mountain chain that spanned Europe many millions of years ago. Now Hungary is one of the most geologically active region when it comes to thermal springs in mainland Europe, you can literally drill for thermal water all across the country. Many thermal springs also stink of sulfur. There are occasional quakes, small ones, there are a few faults too, also, tiny. We usually feel Croatian and Serbian quakes more than the local ones and yet there are far too many things here that point at future volcanism. It may take millions of years but eventually it'll be a fun place for future scientists to study, whether they are our descendants or other lifeforms (I mean even our descendants won't be Homo Sapiens by that time for sure). At least that's my take, then again, nature may think it funny and blow up half the country tomorrow because it felt like it, you just never know with volcanism! New volcanoes - especially in not overly observed areas - can pop up real fast, often without warning. I like volcanoes! 😄

Aidin, awesome work as always. Question for you: would you consider making a comprehensive course/masterclass detailing the process, tools, storyboarding, research, old footage, etc you use when you make these "mini docs"? Because I know myself, and I'm sure a lot of your audience, would definitely buy it. I know you have talked about your process in past videos, but I'd love to support you and buy a detailed and thorough masterclass.

Your unique style of storytelling and amazing cinematography make for the most compelling content! And as a fellow volcano lover this video was even more mesmerizing! Arizona besides looking like some parts of Iceland, it remembered me so much of Lanzarote! Congrats

KZfaq doesn't deserve this high quality of a video. I've never been interested in volcanos until now. Great narrating voice too.

The footage at 7:10 should be in schools, i live in AZ and have never seen this. It's incredible. So is this video.

As an aspiring voice over actor and wanting to do my own demos, your knowledge and suggestions of Epidemic sound is something I’m definitely going to use to add the perfect touch to my voice over demos. Thank you for all you do and all you share with us. I’m a new subscriber and I can’t get enough of your documentaries!!! I’m impressed, and so thankful for your way of educating us…. Keep it up young man. You have a unique talent

As a rock hunter and a kid we traveled all over but when I found where a plate was descending along 87 beeline highway west side, and on the east side were volcanos it became very interesting to plot them in Az there is a line north to south through the state North of Bell Road in the Valley was so many of them all the way to New River Road off Cavecreek rd. We have eyes but we do not see what is in front of us.

Love the fact we still don't know everything.

There is a fault in southern Utah about 20-30 minutes from the Arizona border. The geology in that area is really fascinating. It's home to one of the worlds largest laccoliths, a mass of igneous rock, typically lens-shaped, that has been intruded between rock strata, causing uplift in the shape of a dome. The laccolith in this area is a gigantic mountain called Pine Valley. There are also numerous volcanic vents and a proper vocano called Molly's Nipple that sits on the fault overlooking the town of Hurricane. If you go past the border into Arizona and drive towards the Grand Canyon, you'll probably see Mt Trumble a massive and ancient volcano. It's littered with lava toobs, and ash from its eruption extends to the state line, referred to as blue clay by the locals. If you follow the creek bed in the twin city of Hildale and Colorado City, you'll find the clay layer.

Beautiful work as always. First thing I thought of when I saw the big volcano when you showed it was saint Helens - it was so cool that other people had that same thought. Also, I grew up in central Oregon, which is covered in cinder cones and lava tubes, so it was so cool to learn more about it. Nice job.

Cool stuff! I take people on Jeep tours in Sedona and I always talk about the volcanic history of Arizona, pointing out the cones and basalt layers we see in the Verde Valley. If I have passengers that are going to the Grand Canyon, I tell them about the Vulcan's Throne and to keep an eye out for the cinder cones they'll see along the way. One of these days, I'll have to go explore them myself.

This was fascinating to watch! Your visual and verbal storytelling were so engaging and skillful, especially the paper crumpling to show the tectonic plate movement and the torch light to show the hotspot location. Well done :)

I’m surprised that the Arizona school system doesn’t teach about the volcanic area! They should. Great video. The landscape is beautiful. Thanks

I used to live in Arizona and my family went camping all the time. The one piece of obsidian I have in my rock collection came from the woods there, which I found while on a walk with my grandfather. I always wondered how it ended up where it did. I didn’t know there are volcanoes out in the desert, hahaha. Thank you for creating such a lovely video!

i just love your videos and was waiting for it from a long time now ... i appreciate your efforts 🥺💖💖

My unpopular opinion on the matter is that some form of lithospheric drip is involved in the Uinkaret, and possibly the San Francisco volcanic fields. This could theoretically power both systems.

Fascinating- I never knew any of this about the Volcano’s. I have been to the crater from the meteorite when a teenager- no one mentioned the Volcano’s!!

Your videos always make me more interested in nature

Good job explaining the hotspot. If you start at Puerto Penasco (Rocky Point) and follow the line North, You can follow the trail of cinder cones. I found this fascinating growing up in the Phoenix area. All of the pumice stones around Lake Pleasant. The cinder cones all around the west valley area. You can literally follow the path of the not spot. The last volcanic activity was at the Grand Canyon when an eruption filled the canyon and blocked the Colorado, creating a lake. It eventually eroded and created the Lava Falls rapid. Also along I-17 you can see where lava was layed down along with the sandstone layers. Arizona has some fascinating geology. I live in Flagstaff now and the place is one big lava field. Sunset Crater National park is a great place to walk on the lava flows and the Cinders recreation area is a mecca for offroaders around here.

Hi, great video! I am a student studying geology in University, the volcanic field you mentioned, the San Francisco Volcanic Field is something I did a project on for my volcanology class. I enjoyed hearing your explanation on why this volcanic field exists. I wanted to share another perspective I have when I studied this volcano for me class. I learned that this volcanic field exists because of something called lithospheric drip, let me explain. This volcanic field is straddled on the edge of the Colorado Plateau (a very thick plateau!) and the much thinner Basin and Range plateau. The difference in thickness is so great that it can generate small-scale convection in the mantle (similar to the big convection of the mantle, just on a smaller scale). This convection is actually enough to "scrape" the bottom of the Colorado Plateau (the part of the plateau that borders the mantle) and the newly "scraped off" crust sinks down into the much hotter mantle and melts. This melt then rises to the surface and erupts as the volcanoes you've seen. The reason why there are hundreds of vents is because rate of magma being generated is so slow so the pathway to the surface is cooled before a new supply of magma can reach it, plus this convection is occurring over a large area and the variety of volcanoes (such as San Francisco Peak you showed) seen in this field can be attributed to many factors, one being the compositional makeup of the Colorado Plateau. I can understand why one can conclude there is a hotspot here based on the age progression of the vents, but there is a different explanation. That is, that is just showing the general movement of that section of the North American plate (it's even clearer when you look at the mechanics of the Basin and Range Province). This is what I learned when I was working on this project and I hope it provides further insight into the mystery of volcanoes here. If you had any questions, I can try my best to clarify them!

I'm still a kid, learning to become a volcanologist and so far. I know a lot. This is a fascinating volcanic field and you did some great story-telling and history of the field. I was surprised that Kanye actually funded a project for a volcano. There are many unusual volcanic fields, and one I recommend is the Salton Buttes volcanoes in the Salton Sea in California. Its mud pots and volcanoes are interesting. Another one is then Big Pine or the Coso Volcanic Field in California. I have driven by these many times, but have never gone out and walked around them. Anyways, this was a fantastic video, love the footage, and the history. Keep up the great work, Aidin!

Aiden, thank you so much for pushing me to be a better creator/filmmaker. The first thing i noticed when i found your work was your mastry of colour grading. It blends into the background, unless you are looking for it and man is it seemless. Someday I'll get there, but after all, you have been at this for awhile judging by your first video. 😅. I went to school in Arizona and had absolutely no idea about this. Anyways, All the best, -The Rural Urbanist P.S. also god damn your drone shots and use of framing/lenses is 👌👌👌!😁

Being from Flagstaff, it’s always awesome to see videos about where I grew up. Your videos and story telling are always superb.

I just found your channel. The connection was this video on Arizona. You are extremely talented. The quality of your video is professional and visually elegant.❤

I started watching this and said to myself out loud at 0:49, “Wow, that’s an incredible shot. That’s amazing”. I’ve never had such a reaction to any piece of video content before. Incredible work.

Your editing style and narration is amazing. Thank you for bringing light to a beautiful area of the US.

these volcanoes are in Northern Arizona and the desert is in the south idk why he kept saying Arizona desert

I grew up North of Flagstaff near and on the Navajo Reservation. I've ridden horseback all thru these areas. The Geography and Archeology of this area is amazing. It's my favorite place. I was also St Helens when it blew, fighting wildland fire for the government. Very exciting.

Great video! I subscribed. Also, your sound was exceptional.

Flagstaff and Sunset crater area are one of my favorite geologic areas-the lava flows in the park are incredible and like Arizona has a rich geologic history. Travel up there every couple years to camp and explore this amazing landscape

Great visual examples with the paper maps and cell phone light! Great video!

I enjoyed this video, i appreciate the fact that this video wasn't another poorly made Ai video . Thanks for putting the effort in to make a quality video thats immersive.

The key to growth is the introduction of higher dimensions of consciousness into our awareness.

I was a pilot for Continental/United Airlines for 34 years and it was that old lava flow that caught my eye many many years ago. This was always one of those places I wished I could just place myself in and explore. Great video and very well done. Thank you.

He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.

Wow - great cinematic features - and a lot of information about the area which I did not realize was loaded with cinder cones.

Love does not consist of gazing at each other, but in looking together in the same direction.

I lived in the 4 Corners for years, and it is beautiful. I was a little surprised this video was short on location details, and didn't mention other volcanic formations such as Monument Valley, Shiprock, or others in New Mexico.

Fun little fact: the area around Merriam Crater before the reservation line is usually called the 40s, on account of the large amount of 40 acre plots there. Although Turrell has been buying most of them to put in a conservation trust from what I hear, so that's pretty cool

Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody else has thought.

I had no idea there were so many in Arizona. You captured incredible shots and I loved the story telling. Thanks for making this.

This is a bit of serendipity for me. I am a frequent traveler who prefers window seats as I am fascinated by the surface of the earth and its terrain. Many times I have flown over the Arizona volcano field and wondered about what were clearly old volcanoes, but nowhere near the San Andreas fault. Particularly curious to me were the line of volcano caldera that (travelling east to west) were much more recent at first and then seamed to fade from erosion. Now I know. I especially appreciated the very clever use of the a light source and folded maps to illustrate the movement of the crust. Well done!

Educational and GORGEOUS... Thanks, Aidin Robbins.

In Flagstaff we don't salt the roads in the winter to get rid of snow and ice, we use volcanic cinders. We don't use gravel for roads, we use cinders. There is a huge offroad vehicle area called Cinder Hills that's great for camping, dirt bikes and quads.

Never say there is nothing beautiful in the world any more. There is always something to make you wonder in the shape of a tree, the trembling of a leaf.

Man the editing does do a good job of making these piles of rock seem so interesting

I'm a native Arizonan. People may not realize that there are 2 areas in the Phoenix area. My aunt/uncle lived on Moon mountain just north of Thunderbird and east of 19th Ave. The mountain is covered with lava rock. At one time I lived at the end of 7th Ave which abuts the Mountain Preserve. There is a towering mountain that's in the preserve which many used to hang-glide off of and land near 7th Ave. That mountain is also covered with lava rock.

600 volcanoes!! That blows my damn mind!! For fun and a hobby I study volcanoes and earthquakes…. I always knew a few were in Arizona… but to this extent! Wow! Simply amazing!

this is the first I've heard of volcanos in AZ. Thank you. 🌋

Arizona is such a vast state there is so much to explore and it’s so much more than just Phoenix and the Grand Canyon.

I’m so glad you made this video. I was flying back from Vegas when I saw the volcanos. I took a picture but had no idea that’s what it really was. Now I know. Thank you.

I live in Northern California and purchased 5 acres in northern Arizona. I saw all the volcanic geological formations and asked the locals about it they acted like they didn’t know anything about it or said they were all dead volcanos.

I'm always surprised by the quality of some youtube videos. Great job 🫡