Carrizo Mountains facts for kids
The Carrizo Mountains are a small, round-shaped mountain range in the northeastern part of Arizona. They are located on the Colorado Plateau, a large area of high flat land. The mountains are about 15 to 20 kilometers (9 to 12 miles) wide.
The highest point in the Carrizo Mountains is Pastora Peak, which stands about 2,869 meters (9,413 feet) tall. The land around the mountains is much lower, usually around 1,800 meters (5,900 feet) high.
These mountains are located within the Navajo Nation. The closest town is Teec Nos Pos, Arizona, which is right next to the northern part of the mountains. About 800 people lived in Teec Nos Pos in the year 2000.
What are the Carrizo Mountains made of?
The Carrizo Mountains are mostly made of a type of rock called igneous rock. This rock forms when hot, melted rock (magma) from deep inside the Earth cools down and hardens. In the Carrizo Mountains, this magma pushed its way into older layers of rock that were formed a very long time ago, between 70 and 74 million years ago.
Geologists (scientists who study rocks) have found different shapes of these igneous rocks, like:
- Laccoliths: Dome-shaped intrusions that push up the layers of rock above them.
- Stocks: Large, irregular bodies of igneous rock.
- Sills: Flat sheets of igneous rock that squeeze between layers of older rock.
- Dikes: Wall-like sheets of igneous rock that cut across older rock layers.
Other mountain ranges on the Colorado Plateau, like the Henry Mountains and Abajo Mountains, are also made of igneous rock. However, they are much younger, forming about 20 to 31 million years ago. The Carrizo Mountains and Sleeping Ute Mountain (another mountain range nearby) are special because their rocks are about the same age.
Minerals in the Mountains
The Carrizo Mountains are part of a larger area called the Colorado Mineral Belt. This area is known for having many igneous rocks and valuable mineral deposits. While the Carrizo Mountains don't have huge amounts of valuable minerals, small amounts of uranium, vanadium, copper, and silver have been found in the sedimentary rocks there.
See also
In Spanish: Sierra del Carrizo para niños
