Roden Crater is a cinder cone type of volcanic cone from an extinct volcano, with a remaining interior volcanic crater. It is located northeast of the city of Flagstaff in northern Arizona, United States.

The geological area in which the Roden Crater is located started forming 260 million years ago. It is part of the Colorado Plateau geologic province and the San Francisco volcanic field. Predominant rocks in the area are the Kaibab and the Moenkopi, both characterized by their red color.

Art project [ edit ]

The artist James Turrell, for his land art project, acquired the 400,000-year-old, 3-mile-wide (4.8 km) crater's land.[3] Turrell has since been transforming the inner cone of the crater into a massive naked-eye observatory, designed specifically for viewing and experiencing sky-light, solar, and celestial phenomena. The fleeting winter and summer solstice events will be highlighted.[4]

Future [ edit ]

The Dia Art Foundation is continuing to advocate for the development of James Turrell's Roden Crater project in the Painted Desert in Arizona which was begun in the 1970s with Dia's support.[5][6] James Turrell, who purchased the Roden Crater in 1979, had plans to open the crater for public viewing in 2011, [7] but now has tentatively set the opening for 2024.[8]

2015 Fundraising Tours [ edit ]

A fundraising event held daily from May 14th to 17th, 2015, allowed a limited number of visitors to tour Roden Crater for a donation of $5,000 to the Skystone Foundation, Turrell’s nonprofit organization.[9] An additional $1,500 covered a hotel room, tour, onsite dinner, and breakfast the following morning.

See also [ edit ]

References [ edit ]

10. Harwood, Richard. "The Geological History of Roden Crater". Retrieved Feb. 20, 2019. [1]



