The Ancient Volcanoes of Firepit Knoll and Spendlove Knoll in Zion National Park

This is Firepit and Spendlove Knolls, located high on the Kolob  Terrace in Zion National Park. 

Zion's  proximity to the Basin and Range Province caused  relatively recent  volcanism which rings the plateau. This volcanism  takes the form of  cinder cone volcanoes and basalt flows found  throughout the Zion region  with the last activity estimated to have  occurred possibly only 1,000  years ago, a short time in geologic  happenings! This is calculated by  the artifacts found embedded in lava around  the park. 

Firepit Knoll on the lower left and Spendlove Knoll, slightly above and to the right, are two nearly perfectly conical cinder cones located near the Kolob Road in the west- central part of the park.  

These  mark two of the volcanic vents associated with the Grapevine Wash basalt flows. Volcanic vents form with a weakening of the Earth’s  crust  during uplift events, allowing lava flows and cinder cones to  form. Cinder is usually piled several hundred feet high in classic cone  shapes  and lava flowed outward and down into the valleys.   

On the Kolob Terrace in the park you can see both Cinder cones and black basalt flows are visible just west of Rockville. Though this  image  is not super clear due to the necessity of cranking up the ISO  due to low light, you can still clearly see the defined volcanic vent at the top of Firepit Knoll.   

This image was lensed late in the afternoon after the first small dusting of snow and while the snow has already begun to evaporate around the volcanoes it is still present on the north side of each due to the sun being so low in the winter sky. In the distance on the top right side of this image you can see the snow covered Tabernacle Dome.  

This image is from my ongoing project in which I am trying to raise awareness of the 47% of the USA and 90% of Canada that remain unpopulated wilderness.   

Where Eagles Fly - The American Wilderness Expedition is my personal mission to introduce people to these amazing locations that surround us.   

If you are interested in helping with this project I would love to have your assistance! Please consider upvoting or donating and please resteemit so that others may experience these wondrous places as well.  

Yehaw!!