Why Is There A Big Hole In The Red Rocks Of Sedona, Arizona? Geology Explained

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  • Опубликовано: 14 дек 2024

Комментарии • 148

  • @shawnwillsey
    @shawnwillsey  2 дня назад +16

    Please LIKE and SUBSCRIBE. I also appreciate your continual support of these geology education videos. To do so, click on the three little dots (next to download button above) then click "Thanks" or by going here: www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=EWUSLG3GBS5W8 Or: www.buymeacoffee.com/shawnwillsey

    • @charlessansom4849
      @charlessansom4849 2 дня назад

      Wonderful explanation. I never would have figured it out. Thanks!

  • @llanitedave
    @llanitedave 2 дня назад +8

    I didn't realize this feature was so recent. What a great lesson!

  • @cirrus820travelers9
    @cirrus820travelers9 23 часа назад +1

    Interesting to see sinkholes out west too. In 2014 the Corvette museum in Bowling Green KY suffered huge losses (over $5 million) when a sinkhole damaged the building and destroyed several classic cars! Visited while we were at the nearby Mammoth Caves.

  • @CodyosVladimiros
    @CodyosVladimiros 2 дня назад +3

    Hey Shawn, thanks for covering this site. I regularly visit this in my role as a tour guide for a local jeep tour company, and I look forward to sharing your information with the people I lead here.

  • @geolyn
    @geolyn 2 дня назад +4

    Thanks for that. I am suffering from Icelandic volcano withdrawal symptoms at the moment so this is great.

    • @edcapp7654
      @edcapp7654 2 дня назад

      Popocatapetl looks great now

  • @raenbow66
    @raenbow66 2 дня назад +6

    Cool, thank you Shawn. It's always fun to see your videos pop up!

  • @Steaphany
    @Steaphany 2 дня назад +11

    Thank you for demonstrating how a geologic structure formed over millions of years can change quickly, I am always concerned how Rocks Move.

  • @rayraudebaugh5395
    @rayraudebaugh5395 2 дня назад +5

    There are a lot of sink holes around northern Arizona, essentially anywhere there is a limestone substructure fairly close to the surface. Lots and lots of them on the Kaibab Plateau north of the Grand Canyon but we used to see them south of the canyon and in the Flagstaff area where I grew up. Most of them are fairly small but some, especially north of the canyon are much larger than this one.

  • @pencilpauli9442
    @pencilpauli9442 2 дня назад +12

    I called it! Thought there would be an underlying limestone layer with a cave.
    Okay, it's pretty obvious even to someone with no geology like me, but I take what I can to feel good about myself! lol

  • @CWS-h5z
    @CWS-h5z 23 часа назад

    Thanks, Shawn, for the illustrative drawings and explanation for this dramatic sinkhole. It also helps explain how other sinkholes form.

  • @jimjimgl3
    @jimjimgl3 2 дня назад +5

    Shawn standing on edge of collapsed sinkhole while his life insurance agent attempts to get him on the phone....

  • @charleswelch249
    @charleswelch249 2 дня назад +1

    I love seeing anything from the western us. Everything is so much less disturbed than the eastern half of the country. And so much natural beauty to explore.

  • @charlottesimonin2551
    @charlottesimonin2551 2 дня назад +9

    With experience in Tennessee limestone caves my first question was: How extensive is the cave network? Are there other open points of the network? Does the formation support Mexican freetail bats?

    • @edwardlulofs444
      @edwardlulofs444 2 дня назад

      I’m thinking that with the depth of limestone of 600 feet, there would be no access to the cave proper but bats would likely be found around and in the collapsed part.

    • @kaboom4679
      @kaboom4679 2 дня назад +4

      There are similar karst features along the Cumberland Plateau from Kentucky to Georgia , where large sinkholes have formed in the sandstone cap rock due to collapse of caves in the underlying limestones .
      Like the Devils Kitchen, they almost never have penetrable passages at the bottom.
      The great thing about karst , however , is it is a living landform .
      What was known for decades as a barren hillside , may suddenly sport a cave entrance tomorrow or next week .
      Unfortunately , the opposite is also true .
      So it pays to constantly recheck and keep your eyes open .
      Erosion is driven by gravity , and gravity is always on .

    • @garyb6219
      @garyb6219 20 часов назад

      ​@@kaboom4679 I like that, 'gravity is always on'.

    • @ingridcc1-123
      @ingridcc1-123 36 минут назад

      There are limestone caves in the west, I've been to one in Nevada called Leviathan Cave that was spectacular, once you rope down a short way down inside the big 'maw' of the sort of large sinkhole-like opening, a lot of people don't know about or find the little hole at the end of one of the tunnels where you have to kind of crawl through a hidden hole to get to a huge cavern with colorful stalactites etc. I don't know how much further the system goes past that big cavern. The opening is fairly close to the peak of a mountain, so maybe the cave system keeps going downward? We were there in the '90's when there was no internet, there might be online info available now. There were bats, one landed on and walked around on my husband's shoulder and nibbled his ear the first time he went and he didn't realize it could have been sick or contagious, just thought it was cute! Not a quick hike to get to the cave, dirt road to the start (at least back then), no real trail (at least back then) and random tracks can mislead you to a really bad route (tiny ledges on the sides of towering cliffs!), but even the good way requires some exposure and climbing. If you want to spend much time exploring the cave you should plan on camping at the site. Carry-water hike and camp, so needs a fairly heavy pack, and it's desert so you need more water than you think, a gallon a day...

  • @stevewhalen6973
    @stevewhalen6973 2 дня назад

    Thanks!

  • @grandparocky
    @grandparocky 2 дня назад +1

    Cool explanation of what went on here! Beautiful area!

  • @masterg6754
    @masterg6754 2 дня назад +23

    needs better volume control on your end i'm maxed out and still not loud enough

    • @glenwarrengeology
      @glenwarrengeology День назад +3

      I have no problem.

    • @ladyflimflam
      @ladyflimflam День назад +3

      he does need to boost his audio track. I usually hear everything fine at 1/4 volume on my headphones, had to turn this up to over 1/2 volume level

    • @CodeGrayHere
      @CodeGrayHere День назад +1

      @@masterg6754 plenty loud here.

    • @HerbertWard-jq6oe
      @HerbertWard-jq6oe 50 минут назад

      Not loud enough here.

  • @williamlloyd3769
    @williamlloyd3769 2 дня назад +2

    Appreciate the field lesson.!

  • @MadAnthonyI
    @MadAnthonyI День назад +1

    The material below the upper rock layers either washed out underneath or was a cavern. Eventually the upper layers weakened and collapsed into the void.
    Oh, I see I was on the right track.

  • @kestenyi3873
    @kestenyi3873 День назад

    Making a loop out of Soldier's Pass and Brin Mesa up there is my favourite Sedona hike, passed the sinkhole many times and knew the basics so this was cool to watch and learn a bit more.

  • @LeenAppeldoorn
    @LeenAppeldoorn 2 дня назад

    Bedankt

  • @hestheMaster
    @hestheMaster День назад

    Wonderful explanation about why this even exists way out west in sandstone country. Thank you Shawn.

  • @tomday7309
    @tomday7309 2 дня назад

    Thanks, Shawn. My family loves that whole area and we hope to get back there soon.

  • @leonardvernon7176
    @leonardvernon7176 День назад

    Was in Sedona in August. I didn't know about this. Very nice video!

  • @petefurman
    @petefurman 2 дня назад

    So close to our home. Very excited that you covered it.

  • @kwgm8578
    @kwgm8578 2 дня назад +1

    Hello Shawn, You're up early this morning! Beautiful Sedona red rocks -- Ancestral Rocky Mountain runoff. Feel the healing power of that vortex energy! I could use some of that this morning. 🧙🏽‍♂️

  • @marymachunis3778
    @marymachunis3778 2 дня назад

    Very interesting. Thank you for taking the time to explain it.

  • @dgrah
    @dgrah 2 дня назад

    Great video, Shawn. This feature reminds me of a somewhat similar feature that has always fascinated me. It's at 36.676 north, 111.683 west in northern Arizona near the Colorado River.

  • @xwiick
    @xwiick 2 дня назад

    Thanks for all the hard work on these videos!
    Nice logo too

  • @kevindorland738
    @kevindorland738 2 дня назад +1

    Thank you Professor

  • @kevinrenn9123
    @kevinrenn9123 2 дня назад

    Thanks Shawn, because of your (and other youtube geologists) videos I was able to correctly surmise how this was formed before your explanation

  • @carolyntolliver1146
    @carolyntolliver1146 2 дня назад

    Fascinating! First thing I thought of was a sink hole like we have here in mid-Michigan, but not expected in the red rocks of AZ. Thank you.

  • @HalfWarrior
    @HalfWarrior Час назад

    I grew up in Flagstaff and Sedona; went to devils kitchen many times; my brothers and I were throwing rocks in there in the mid 80s;we were amazed at how long it took for the rocks to hit the bottom.There’s far more big collapsed rock in the re now. Wow; crazy to see this place again after so long.👍🏻

  • @calicocritterscrafts886
    @calicocritterscrafts886 2 дня назад

    I remember standing at the edge of this thing! Your video doesn’t do its size justice but your explanation is spot on :) My in-laws lived around the corner from Soldiers Pass Trailhead over on Rim Shadows Cir. Stunning area to be in!

  • @AmericanWanderers
    @AmericanWanderers 2 дня назад +1

    Interesting, perhaps you should look at the "Bottomless Pit" in Capitol Reef which is close to the Crystal Mountaun

  • @oldtop4682
    @oldtop4682 2 дня назад

    Nice job! I immediately thought it was a sink hole, but your explanation of how it formed was excellent and at a very appropriate level for this venue - mad props.
    Sedona is an awesome area, and brother if I could afford it it would be in my top 3 for retirement destinations.

  • @xsHaDyMuPpEtx
    @xsHaDyMuPpEtx 20 часов назад

    Been here a few times and knew it was a sinkhole but wasn't sure of the geology or history of it. Thanks for the explanation!

  • @CraigInNC
    @CraigInNC 2 дня назад

    Scenes like this reminds me of some of my Minecraft locations. I have been looking at the game differently since watching you and Geologyhub and learning about the different kinds if rock. I wish I had made it to Sodona when I was stationed in NM.

  • @TCook-d3s
    @TCook-d3s 2 дня назад

    Used to live in Flagstaff and loved going to Sedona to play.

  • @mikeblubaugh8988
    @mikeblubaugh8988 2 дня назад

    Thank to you Shawn, Nick and others, I'm better at recognizing Geologic events like this one 😊. opened up a whole new world for me. ( I guessed right this time😅)

  • @Cnsalmoni
    @Cnsalmoni 2 дня назад

    Thank you…makes me realize how lucky many of us are to be alive today, and in relative safety and comfort, knowing experts like geologists can detect unsafe environments. I always wondered how the ancient Puebloans dealt with the dangers of living in the cliffs below overhanging rocks, and I try to imagine how they experienced sudden collapses or boulders falling without warning. How precarious their lives must have been.

  • @codyedwards6922
    @codyedwards6922 День назад

    Thank you Shawn!

  • @davidk7324
    @davidk7324 2 дня назад

    That there's a top five Willsey diagram. Thanks Shawn.

  • @AManIsNoOne67
    @AManIsNoOne67 2 дня назад +1

    If you're in Arizona maybe you could give us your take on Tonto Natural Bridge, the world's largest travertine bridge .if I'm not mistaken., it's over north of Payson in Mogollon Rim country. It would probably get more attention if there was no Grand Canyon.

  • @patriciamueller3986
    @patriciamueller3986 2 дня назад

    My first thought was limestone. Very interesting. 😊

  • @thompsonjerry3412
    @thompsonjerry3412 2 дня назад +1

    Have you ever flown into the airport at Sedona, sits on top of a Mesa, very cool?

  • @mikes1345
    @mikes1345 2 дня назад

    Wow, that's cool and sort of scary at the same time. I always loved seeing the different landscapes when I traveled west from North Central Texas. Every trip was by a different highway and nothing was the same. Now in my twilight years these videos remind me of all of nature's beauty I have seen. Reminds me of even mu alaska trip. Thanks

  • @zach2980
    @zach2980 2 дня назад +1

    So cool, thx!

  • @marty01957
    @marty01957 2 дня назад

    Thanks, Professor!

  • @KnucklebarkRanch
    @KnucklebarkRanch 2 дня назад

    Another great video

  • @FieryWACO
    @FieryWACO 2 дня назад

    All your geology lectures seemed to have left me hard of hearing. Worth it!

  • @billhollinshead
    @billhollinshead 2 дня назад

    When it’s a little warmer, consider rappelling down The Jug in Salome Creek (central AZ) with a camera. And the nearby view of the Mazatzal Mountains from the top of Aztec Peak (when drivable) is also spectacular. Just don’t sample the prospects around Aztec Peak (uranium and asbestos)😊.

  • @georgelaiacona111
    @georgelaiacona111 2 дня назад

    Wish I could send you photos. Got similar structures seen right off I 40 in Santa Rosa, NM. Pecos River passes through there, as well as cool structures like the Blue Hole.

  • @sandrine.t
    @sandrine.t 2 дня назад

    Beautiful, thank you Shawn! This immediately made me think of the cenotes in Mexico, same geological process here?

    • @shawnwillsey
      @shawnwillsey  2 дня назад +1

      Yes. Dissolution of rock by groundwater.

    • @sandrine.t
      @sandrine.t 2 дня назад

      @@shawnwillsey Thanks! :)

  • @UncommonDenominatorj528
    @UncommonDenominatorj528 2 дня назад

    Can't believe I have never seen anyone else bother to stop in to the Sedona red Rock country and Breakdown the geological artifacts found there, of course it would be you Shawn.
    The place is so beautiful and sadly it's not really experienced as much because it is not cheap to even visit the place nonetheless live there. Which honestly is probably the best way to keep it beautiful, unlike So. Cal. and its expansive monoculture of geological prowess called "Concrete" from the coast all the way to the Mojave desert😂, lol.

  • @McMinderbinder
    @McMinderbinder 2 дня назад

    While you're in the area, the drive up to Jerome has some interesting geology with redwall limestone and older precambrian Cleopatea rhyolite.

  • @eddeeotero786
    @eddeeotero786 2 дня назад

    Thank you, Check out Dante's descent, north west of Ashfork. It has been said that it is a vent hole for fresh air at the Grand canyon Caverns, 30 miles west.

  • @northsconnienerd742
    @northsconnienerd742 2 дня назад

    Thanks for another informative video Shawn.
    Would this still be considered to be karst topography?

    • @shawnwillsey
      @shawnwillsey  2 дня назад +1

      Yes, essentially it is caused by dissolution of limestone by groundwater.

  • @angelaknisely-marpole7679
    @angelaknisely-marpole7679 2 дня назад

    Excellent!

  • @sueellens
    @sueellens 2 дня назад

    Thank you. 😊

  • @jfmezei
    @jfmezei День назад

    I mounted a month long expedition to the latitude/long you provided 33.88668 -111.78251 and did not find any hole. It was quite desolate and many of my support team did not survive. Eventually had to abandon the expedition when water ran out. Upon returning home, I googled Devil's Kitchen" in Google Earth found out it was at 34.88658 -111.78251. At that latitude, the Earth radius (if you beleive in the conspiracy the Earth is an obloid sphere) is 6371.181km which means that purposefully sending me 1° off means I was over 111.19km off from where you were. Many men died because of that typo in your video 🙂

  • @davec9244
    @davec9244 2 дня назад

    Hate to walk into that hole! But love to be in Sedona! thank you

  • @BubblesintheDesert
    @BubblesintheDesert 2 дня назад

    It would be really neat to actually excavate the bottom layers to see if there any remains, pottery, etc and to create a possible time line for the multiple collapse and exposure events.

  • @leechjim8023
    @leechjim8023 День назад

    You should do a video on Dante's Descent near Seligman. It is similar, but much deeper.

  • @JonathanNielsen-n5k
    @JonathanNielsen-n5k День назад

    Cool, I went there in I think 1990 or 1991 and didn't know there had been a collapse just as recent as 1989. I was elementary school age at the time.

  • @mardelrick4534
    @mardelrick4534 7 часов назад

    😧Awesome area! Could it be shifting of the area underneath the area?

  • @johnlord8337
    @johnlord8337 2 дня назад

    There is another YT person, who did an aerial view of a cave-in in the AZ high desert region.. Little scrub brush on the high plateau, nothing around for any hills or mountains, then whoof ! there is a cave-in and no roads going in, as you would expect some mine quarry. Just a singular cave-in area. Amazing to then look at its geology and figure out its cave-in specifics.

  • @nothanks3236
    @nothanks3236 2 дня назад +1

    Since it's sandstone/sedimentary, I figure it's some kind of weird sinkhole? Edit: Hey I was right. I assumed there was some limestone somewhere lol...

  • @USchyldt
    @USchyldt 2 дня назад +1

    Cave, sink-hole... We know a Hell Mouth when we see one, Shawn! 😂

  • @CrystalWillinghamccmc
    @CrystalWillinghamccmc 10 часов назад

    Have you been to the Cliff Rose trail in cottonwood? I'd love to know how the geology formed there. It looks like something really hot melted the ground and then a lot of water went through. It's only about 20 miles from this Sedona location.

    • @shawnwillsey
      @shawnwillsey  5 часов назад

      I haven't been there. Will add to list.

  • @811dal54
    @811dal54 2 дня назад

    In some ways it looks similar to Karst formation like in the Badlands but that happens with limestone not sandstone that I remember?

  • @jfmezei
    @jfmezei День назад

    Your diagrams show the water table in the supai limestone layer. Below is the Redwall limestone where the cave initially formed. Right?
    would the redwall ls layer be dry with water table above it, and the location of the Devil's kidchen unique in that cracks allow water to infilrandw down to the redwall ls and disolved it to create the initial cave? Curious on why it happened at that specific spot instead of a much larger sinkhole or multiple smaller sink holes in the vicinity that would have had similar rock layers?
    Or is thsi a case of a underground creek that had a narrow area where it passed over those rocks and thus limited scope of where it would disolve the limestone to create caves?

  • @brentonboutin9584
    @brentonboutin9584 2 дня назад +1

    There could be others, just waiting to collapse.

  • @johnnyfreedom3437
    @johnnyfreedom3437 День назад

    A sinkhole might look strange in such a dry rocky area but I knew that's what it was from the start! It's a simple process to have the water eat up the Limestone and the ground collapse into it! A man in Florida had his whole bedroom swallowed up he was never seen again

  • @kevinhouse7143
    @kevinhouse7143 17 часов назад

    Devils Kitchen? I'm going to call it "Hell hole" ;-)

  • @CFEF44AB1399978B0011
    @CFEF44AB1399978B0011 День назад

    You should run a gain on your final edit. Your final volume is quite low. Not sure if you're aware. I have my volume on full blast and it still is only average.

  • @johncooper4637
    @johncooper4637 2 дня назад

    It looked like a sinkhole but I have never seen one in sandstone before. Knowing the process I could not figure out how sandstone could dissolve to form a sinkhole. Having lived in Florida for many years I am very familiar with limestone sink holes.

  • @Raptorman0909
    @Raptorman0909 День назад

    Correction: The latitude is off by a degree, instead of 33.88658 it should be 34.88658.

  • @tedkrasicki3857
    @tedkrasicki3857 2 дня назад

    Karst below sandstone. Sneaky!

  • @MusicFromNowhere
    @MusicFromNowhere Час назад

    The bottom is a sort-of oval. The top, as seen from space, is a sharp hourglass shape.

  • @weaksause6878
    @weaksause6878 9 часов назад

    Curious: Do they know for certain how deep the original cave was? If so how do they know that? Thanks

    • @shawnwillsey
      @shawnwillsey  5 часов назад

      Groundwater wells in area allow water table to be determined. The cave is forming below the water table.

  • @Jon-xq3kn
    @Jon-xq3kn 2 дня назад

    Just wondering if the cave system has any known entrances?

  • @ronm3245
    @ronm3245 2 дня назад

    I wonder how many more upwardly mobile caves there are in this area. From what I understand, where there is a sinkhole, there are usually many others nearby.

    • @karlbarros2849
      @karlbarros2849 2 дня назад

      Montezuma's well, stoneman lake, at least two at Wupatki National Monument.

    • @ronm3245
      @ronm3245 2 дня назад

      @@karlbarros2849 OK, nice to know! I guess they're all related.

  • @vipertwenty249
    @vipertwenty249 2 дня назад

    Right at the start of the video my first thought is undermining by erosion of the ground below the surface leading to collapse of the surface rock into the cavity below. Now let's see if I was right.....
    End of video edit: Yup - spot on.

  • @leechjim8023
    @leechjim8023 День назад

    I never heard of this.

  • @greedygringoprospecting6941
    @greedygringoprospecting6941 2 дня назад +1

    lot of iron in that rock. whats the black and white stuff.

  • @wardsdotnet
    @wardsdotnet 2 дня назад

    Is this the only one in the area? I would expect a number of them to be nearby, like the cenotes in Mexico. Are there other voids underground that might collapse to make more sinkholes?

  • @Jack-ne8vm
    @Jack-ne8vm 2 дня назад

    No getting out for any animal down there. There may be other cave entrances to that limestone layer?

  • @joedoe6444
    @joedoe6444 День назад

    i wonder, has anyone ever drilled any boreholes around this area to determine if there is more of a cave system hidden and also slowly collapsing. you never know, this could be the birth of a new grand canyon making event. maybe even a new understanding of how it initially formed.

  • @glenwarrengeology
    @glenwarrengeology День назад

    Thanks, all those cars causing vibrations, it will be fun.

  • @williammontgrain6544
    @williammontgrain6544 2 дня назад

    Cave collapse or sinkhole were my first thoughts give all the breccia.

  • @cynthiacrooks-garcia5571
    @cynthiacrooks-garcia5571 2 дня назад

    Looks like a quarry .

  • @dianacardon1346
    @dianacardon1346 День назад

    Audio is not working.

  • @primarytrainer1
    @primarytrainer1 2 дня назад +1

    Is that a new logo as your profile pic? It looks cool!! reminds me of the toadstools in kanab! This is not meant to be negative or stir anything up, but if you're upgrading your channel, it would be awesome to add a little bit of music to the first 15 seconds. I always go to adjust my volume and by the time you began talking I either have it way too quiet or way too loud. In all honesty, not trying to be rude at all :)

    • @shawnwillsey
      @shawnwillsey  2 дня назад

      Yes, logo is patterned after a pic I took of Toadstools. Other logos and designs on merch here: geologyexplained-shop.fourthwall.com/

  • @dunnkruger8825
    @dunnkruger8825 2 дня назад

    Prehistoric amphitheater?
    Prehistoric quarry?
    Let’s not over complicate

  • @montanausa329
    @montanausa329 День назад

    Why not?😊

  • @berthaduniverse
    @berthaduniverse День назад

    So, am I correct in thinking this is like karst?

  • @cailieravn3718
    @cailieravn3718 2 дня назад

    Thanks, for sharing, Shawn! I thought, this must be a zinkhole and I was right! So I have learned a little! I enjoy your way of teaching!!
    Greetings from Cailie
    from Denmark 🇩🇰

  • @Darisiabgal7573
    @Darisiabgal7573 2 дня назад

    You have to take us to a meteor crater, then we can ask it’s a meteor crater or not. But in this case it’s pretty obvious it’s a cavitation sinkhole because of the sheer surface and undercuts indicate an ongoing subterranean process.
    But the question then becomes how you get limestone under metal rich mudstone formations and there we need to discuss ages and sources of silt.
    Let’s crash something big into Earth and make some meteor formations😎 What could go wrong?

  • @jefferyporter9645
    @jefferyporter9645 2 дня назад

    Hello everyone

  • @recentparty8369
    @recentparty8369 2 дня назад

    Kitchen because of not so Ancient vapor's fragrance ?