Arizona is super diverse geographically. People think it’s just one big desert without realizing we have everything from alpine tundra to tropical valleys.
I grew up in Arizona. I love the heat and my daughter lives in Alaska. I’m going to go visit her for the first time in May. I am very excited for this visual, beautiful glaciers.
Spent a summer working with the forest service in these mountains and I am a local. These mountains and this region is truly a gift that so few people know about. Great video! Did you ever hear about the parrots that used to live in these mountains and became extinct in the range by overhunting? In the Huachuca Mountains to the west of here it's supposed there are currently two jaguars.
I love Huachucas! did miller peak trail awhile back. Fascinating that we get gifted with brief visits from these awesome big cats. I did read about the parrots, it's a shame what human greed does to a lot of these amazing endangered creatures. Thanks for your comment!
@DuneJumper they are living in a mountain range in Mexico currently. Scientists are saying once they get their numbers back up they'll probably start migrating to the chiricahuas like they did historically.
@@swatoffrmb they are currently massive in the pet trade and the habitat in Mexico is hugely threatened. There's absolutely NO reason why we can't reintroduce them. The other attempt was very poor. Advocates think they can live across the entire Mogollon rim which I think is a super cool future to live in
Arizona is one of the most amazing states in our country. The geology is incredible and the diversity of ecosystems and species really makes it stand out. I lived in Tucson and Flagstaff and people are always amazed when I tell them it rains in the summer and snows in the winter in AZ.
I live 20 miles south of Tucson at 3,000 elevation and during summer monsoon I grew coconut palms from seeds and they grew faster than in the Bahamas where I lived for ten years because of the higher heat. Of course I had to bring them inside when it started to get cool but they are doing fine 7 months outdoors 5 months inside. One tropical palm Bismarckia nobilis I planted in my front yard grew ten feet in five years and withstood temps 115f to lows of 25f and is doing great. Love the tropical monsoon summer season in southern Arizona!
My wife and I just bought 20 acres in this area, I’m so excited. I really didn’t understand the climate, thought it was just high desert. Great video man
The Sonoran desert in Arizona falls between 32° N and 33° N, and is a low elevation desert, unlike the Mojave desert which averages over 1,000 feet in elevation higher. Due to the monsoon rain patterns in Arizona and it's proximity to the tropics, it is considered a subtropical desert. When people hear the rumor, "it's a dry heat", they are actually false, as the dew point can get very high in the peak summer months. A typical desert or Mediterranean climate gets a majority of its rain during the cold season, however the Sonoran desert has a rain pattern closer to that of a tropical monsoon climate. We have the highest number of subtropical plant species, and reptile/amphibian species, only 2nd to the Amazon. The Sonoran desert in Arizona ranges from hardiness zones 9A through 10A, and there are rumors of microclimates that are 10B. We truly have an incredible and unique state! I loved the video by the way!
God i love it here so much i really dont think i could live anywhere else 😭. Born and raised here and more people need to appreciate just how amazing our ecology is it really is under appreciated
The first time I went hiking around in the desert north of Phoenix I was surprised to find "beaches" surrounded by trees with leaves that change color with the seasons. Northeast of lake pleasant is where I found it all. There was sand just like at a beach all along the stream that feeds into lake pleasant, with large pools of water, making you feel like your at the beach. And throughout arizona you mainly see pine, juniper and palo verde trees, so seeing an area with trees that look like they're from vermont or something in the middle of the desert was a surprise. You wouldn't even know any of it was there until you walk up on it. Its all hidden in a canyon.
Can you send me a coordinate of the approximate area you’re talking about? I’m staying in the area for the next few weeks and would love to explore it.
I've been exploring Florida for a month for the first time ever here in my life and it's a similar thing that I've experienced here finding vast Forest of pine trees and oak trees in oak woodlands the list goes on and on this place is incredible you wouldn't know how incredible this place is until you come here. Next on my list is Arizona and I'm from California and have been exploring the West Coast for many years Oregon California and Nevada. I've been for a few years in the tundra of Buffalo and humid Summers, and Florida is absolutely incredible.
Is it just me or is geology getting its Renaissance? Everyone seems to know and understand at least a little about plate tectonics and geologic history. Used to be (when I was in college) considered important only in the petroleum industry, which at that time (late 90's early 2000's) was struggling to shift students into the myriad of environmental work needed today. Its so great to me to see videos like this explaining things geologically but in a way the audience understands. Geology is the history of the earth, it's insanely fascinating. I am glad everyone can get this "education" now, just tune into UA-cam. Well done! 👍
I am also so glad that these videos exist, I would have never learned anything about geology if it wasn't for UA-cam, I would have just thought it's that dumb thing where people study rocks. There are so many awesome subjects and sciences that I've been exposed to on UA-cam and it's made me want to go back to college
The Chiricahua Mountains are my favorite part of Arizona. Living in this state we are spoiled with choices with Sedona, the Grand Canyon, and the White Mountains, but the Chiricahua's are a place I could happily visit every year. Thank you for making this video!
The spanish wrote of solid and spotted big cats all the way up into western Colorado. They obviously were seeing mtn lions AND jaguar. Primary resources are a wealth of information!
@Olddog-Wiserdog i read it in a book full of Spanish journals when I was young at a local library, which has a section on local culture. I am sorry, but I do not remember the title. Steve Rinela of Meat Eater talks about this topic every so often.
it's a shame their range has been limited by recent human settlement; but i'm glad a few of those majestic beasts still make there way up to Arizona every once and awhile
@@Olddog-Wiserdog I have had on game cameras, three types of cats, the mountain lion , bobcat, and Jaguarundi. I have not seen the Jaguar here. Having a goat farm , I hope I do not.
I live in a small city in southern AZ. My grandpa, who use to be cotton farmer, swears that he seen 3 jaguars at the same time walking along the Gila river. One of his friends, who is also a cotton farmer, just a couple years ago set a trail camera around his property and caught a couple jaguars taking out his chickens and a few of his peacocks. So they are out here for sure, not just in the forest areas of AZ either.
While the Rim is truly awesome, SE Arizona has a significantly higher number of moths than the Rim (after beetles, there are more described species of moths than any other organism, so a good indicator of general biodiversity)
i'd like to eventually individually cover every notable sky island in Arizona! For now you can watch the video I made on general sky island geology: ua-cam.com/video/D7h75iiEmxg/v-deo.htmlsi=er1Fm0_oLHEYs04v
The last jaguar killed in Arizona was in the 1950’s near Alpine Arizona. Alpine is in the white mountains and sits at about 9k feet above sea level. It is in the Apache Sitgreves National Forest, a Ponderosa Pine Forest. Jaguars used to be all over AZ before they were hunted down.
Wolves too. We had all sorts of cool beasts out here! Hunting serves a purpose but species elimination is just a force if destruction that snowballs faster than most realize. I hope we can return some of the creatures the their natural ranges. It would help a lot with our climate efforts and possibly even with fires.
so sad to hear about all this stuff; many amazing animals have been driven to extinction by human greed. I'm just glad it's getting some attention nowadays
I don't know how accurate it is but I heard, not to long ago, that they are making their way back again. I think at least one was sighted in AZ. I don't remember where in AZ 🤷♀ I guess we can Google it 😄
@@patriciarivera8108 They have been spotted in the south eastern part of the state, I thin in the chirachauas and mountains south of sierra vista. None in the White Moutnains tho.
I am so grateful to find this channel! Seriously! I love arizona with all my heart. Have you ever seen the granite dells in prescott? We have a mystery butte too, thumb butte, that my old geology teacher purported may be the core of an ancient volcano. Great video!
I've seen it, and i'd agree with your teacher. During the 25-30 million year ago period I talked about in this video, the granite intrusions and volcano forming volcanism was wide spread throughout the basin and range region. A decent sized granite pluton deposited near prescott, as well as a couple decently sized volcanoes. After a couple million years of burial and then re-emergence when the tectonics of the area created the many fault block mountains; the granite and old volcanic plug revealed themselves (the plug is left over because it is chocked full of really tough material relative to the rest of the volcano). Thanks for your comment!
Hey, great video! Thanks for sharing this hidden gem with the world. I’m a winemaker in the Willcox AVA and I’ve done several lectures about the geology of the area and how it impacts the wine. People are constantly surprised by the elevation, precipitation, and ecology of the area and I love that you appreciate a place that is very special to me. Cheers!
i've been to some wineries in southern Arizona; can't believe how good the product is coming out of that region. I'm so glad that a lot of Southern AZ locals are as fascinated about their locally geology as I am. Cheers!
I've been camping in this region a few times. Cave Creek Canyon is a really lovely place. There's a small diner, a convenience store, and a museum near the canyon. Really cool stuff
This is awesome, I live in arizona and found the portal area on google maps a couple years ago thinking it looked like an interesting place to go camping but I haven't gone because of the distance away from Phoenix. It's been majestic looking more into the area and the biome that's created there in southern Arizona from these little mountain ranges. Thanks for the video!
I took Natural History of Sonoran desert and this video pretty much sums up the entire semester pretty well. One thing I remember from the text book was that the Fault-block mountains on a terrain map looked caterpillars walking down from Nevada to Mexico. Also, I remember that AZ has all the climate regions in one state from tundra to tropics. Except the east coast eastern temperate forest.
Great video my dood. Chiricahua's is one of my favorite places to hike. Really love the geological breakdowns given in this vid. Aravaipa is another place where you don't feel like your in Arizona since your crossing rivers half the hike somewhat similar to West Fork up in Sedona.
I will eventually go to Aravaipa and probably make a video on it; I used to live in Flagstaff and have done west fork many times. Thanks for your comment!
Hey great vid!!! Looking forward to visiting there now!! Apparently somewhere in that region is one of the most diverse owl regions with many different species and such. Looks like a beautiful part of the country living in the southwest it’s not that far!
Very cool. Reminds me of the Big Bend region of Texas. I’m from Arkansas so this would be a longer drive, but I’ll need to make it down there sometime!
Thanks for the great video! I have taught summer courses at the SWRS in Portal for over a decade, and the students are always shocked by the biodiversity there!
At this time of year, I want to stand at Massai Point overlook to see the orange band sunset behind those rhyolite figures at the horizon line. It's a amazing place and all day hike. Thanks for making this video, well done and informative, should be played at the Visitor Center there.
Been there in person lately, it's crazy how the mountains on the border have completely different trees than the mountains in central Arizona (this is partly due to recent fires but still).
Yeah fire seasons have been crazy as of late! Although when fires happen all of this new life and interesting species are able to take over. Thanks for watching!
@@thenaturalexperience2140 Yes there is depressions where the water is on the surface, in the San Pedro river. ,or it may be rock formations below the surface. The water is flowing North under ground. It seems in areas it surfaces and shortly afterwards submerges. I have three wells here, the water table is at twenty feet or less. Some of the wells in this area were dug bye hand. East Pinal county should have been the most sought after real-estate in the state. It is virtually untouched.
The San Pedro River is the last major River in the southwest that has not been dammed. It also host 50 percent of the avian diversity found in North America, given that many different species use its waters during migrations. There is also archaeological sites along the San Pedro from the Clovis period, about 10k years ago. I believe in the San Pedro Valley north of Benson, mammoth bones were found which gave the town of Mammoth its name.
I love visiting the Chiricahuas. It's so amazingly different than the Sonoran desert that I'm used to. I used to go up there with my dad when I was a kid and it really grabbed my imagination.
Who knew those formations were hoodoos? Thank you for sharing Cochise County's geological information. I drive past Carr and Ramsey canyons on my way to work. Each day when the sun comes up, I see a beautiful postcard picture. The best sight to see is when a full moon is cradled by Miller Peak and Carr.
I’m from a forested part of Ohio. Elusive black panthers have been seen in the forest. Some of them have very dark spotted coats. They look very much like dark jaguars.
Jaguars live in a variety of habitats, including: * Arid scrubland * Tropical forests * Swamps * Coastal mangroves * Lowland by big river valleys * Grasslands * Mixed-conifer forests
I know right! you either have to swing up on that long road from Douglass, come from rodeo, new mexico; or do a semi-off-roading route from I10. It was well worth it though!
I knew it! Visited Tombstone and the region around it I thought wrre part of a caldera. Because of this I probed the region using something like sonography and noted a void under the nearby city of Sierra Vista estimated to be extend beyond the estimated 17 mile deep depth of the system I used. I don't know how big the void is, though. It's more than 1 mile wide north to south based on my quick examination. I would use another phrase than 'deep depth' in my prior paragraph, but UA-cam doesn't like certain "P" words being used regardless of context.
Hey man, I can tell you don't have a super technical background in Geology, but you are doing a really good job sourcing your information and explaining the details in a simple manner. Messing up the pronunciation of a term here and there is totally expected. Also, putting a gif of thrust faulting while describing the extensional dynamics of the basin and range is a funny mistake that ultimately doesn't detract from the value your video provides overall. Keep it up! And feel free to reach out to me if you want to discuss some technical aspects or more obscure geologic details for upcoming videos. I am a geologist, name is Connor McVey, I've worked for the USGS and the State of California, and I love learning about the intricacies of earth's history in different places!
I have had the thrust fault gif mistake pointed out several times, and i'm mad about it cause I literally just found the perfect gif for horst and graben topography that I wish I would've used instead. Thanks for your comment, I always appreciate insights from other fellow geologists!
@@chuckokelley2448 now if I told everybody that it's one of the greatest hummingbird preserves on Earth, I don't think the mountain would ever see a moment of solitude again! lol
there is lodging in portal; or you can stay around 45 mins away in Douglas. Heart of the rocks trail, the herb martyr trail, and silver peak trail are probably the tops. If you want water flowing go in later summer or early spring!
@ I’m fortunate enough to 1 live in Phx and 2 my mentor introduced me to the area some time ago. He got married at the research Station back in the 70s. He’s taken my sons and I down there for tours.
Very interesting video! Lovely visuals and very informative. Also, for a while now I've been confused about the pronounciation of Farallon, since in Mexico we pronounce it as "farayon" because spanish grammar. But havent found the intended/correct pronunciation. Maybe you have?
@@elenap15227 everybody I have ever met pronounces it differently. All of my colleagues and my professors in university pronounce it using the La sound from L; but i've also heard it be pronounced "Farayon". I would just go with whatever feels right to you 😂
great video and love the geology overview (as a recent geo grad)!!! anyone interested in these kinds of arizona-specific natural science topics should look into the "sky islands" we have here, ecologically-unique mountain "islands" scattered across a "sea of desert" **i just saw you have a video on them (:
Your diagram at about 4:39 shows reverse faulting with the hanging wall going up. For basin and range type faulting (normal faulting) the foot wall goes up and the hanging wall goes down.
yeah admittedly the graphics were a bit sparse, but you are correct, 2 roughly parallel normal faults cause the foot wall to go "up" relative to the hanging walls 👍🏻
FYI there is unique underground geology there as well. Look up Crystal Cave in Cave Creek. One of very few caves that has sections of quartz crystals you crawl through. Fyi permision is regulated by the USFS. I recommend going with an experienced caver that knows the cave. The conditions that allowed the crystals to form..will probably interest you. Thanks for your work.
Arizona is super diverse geographically. People think it’s just one big desert without realizing we have everything from alpine tundra to tropical valleys.
@@rubinortiz2311 I always tell folks that google Earth is their best friend
There are even African Lovebirds.✌️
I looove Arizona !! Amazing place like NO other ❤
Alaska here, Arizona is awesome! I visit all the time. Especially when it's freezing here.
I grew up in Arizona. I love the heat and my daughter lives in Alaska. I’m going to go visit her for the first time in May. I am very excited for this visual, beautiful glaciers.
Spent a summer working with the forest service in these mountains and I am a local. These mountains and this region is truly a gift that so few people know about. Great video! Did you ever hear about the parrots that used to live in these mountains and became extinct in the range by overhunting? In the Huachuca Mountains to the west of here it's supposed there are currently two jaguars.
I love Huachucas! did miller peak trail awhile back. Fascinating that we get gifted with brief visits from these awesome big cats. I did read about the parrots, it's a shame what human greed does to a lot of these amazing endangered creatures. Thanks for your comment!
They've tried to reintroduce them a couple times, I bet if Chirachaua becomes a national park they'll try again.
@DuneJumper they are living in a mountain range in Mexico currently. Scientists are saying once they get their numbers back up they'll probably start migrating to the chiricahuas like they did historically.
@@swatoffrmb they are currently massive in the pet trade and the habitat in Mexico is hugely threatened. There's absolutely NO reason why we can't reintroduce them. The other attempt was very poor.
Advocates think they can live across the entire Mogollon rim which I think is a super cool future to live in
Jaguars there sound as scarce as mountain lions at my home dirt of central oregon.
Arizona is one of the most amazing states in our country. The geology is incredible and the diversity of ecosystems and species really makes it stand out. I lived in Tucson and Flagstaff and people are always amazed when I tell them it rains in the summer and snows in the winter in AZ.
truly is one of the most magical places on Earth in my opinion
I live 20 miles south of Tucson at 3,000 elevation and during summer monsoon I grew coconut palms from seeds and they grew faster than in the Bahamas where I lived for ten years because of the higher heat. Of course I had to bring them inside when it started to get cool but they are doing fine 7 months outdoors 5 months inside. One tropical palm Bismarckia nobilis I planted in my front yard grew ten feet in five years and withstood temps 115f to lows of 25f and is doing great. Love the tropical monsoon summer season in southern Arizona!
Hey, I think you live in or right by my hometown! I grew up in Sahuarita!
My wife and I just bought 20 acres in this area, I’m so excited. I really didn’t understand the climate, thought it was just high desert. Great video man
I am so jealous of you I can't even put it to words. You're gonna enjoy it, it's truly a magical place!
I'm near Dudleyville, where are you located. The San Pedro River Basin is my back yard.
Ur just surrounded by desert
@@Graymenn Once you leave the river basins, it's all desert in the lower half of AriDzona. Most of this state is desert, like 70%
@Graymenn your brain is surrounded by desert. Me and my pet Mojave tortoise are fine.
The Sonoran desert in Arizona falls between 32° N and 33° N, and is a low elevation desert, unlike the Mojave desert which averages over 1,000 feet in elevation higher. Due to the monsoon rain patterns in Arizona and it's proximity to the tropics, it is considered a subtropical desert. When people hear the rumor, "it's a dry heat", they are actually false, as the dew point can get very high in the peak summer months. A typical desert or Mediterranean climate gets a majority of its rain during the cold season, however the Sonoran desert has a rain pattern closer to that of a tropical monsoon climate. We have the highest number of subtropical plant species, and reptile/amphibian species, only 2nd to the Amazon. The Sonoran desert in Arizona ranges from hardiness zones 9A through 10A, and there are rumors of microclimates that are 10B. We truly have an incredible and unique state! I loved the video by the way!
the massive amount of diversity in the Sonoran is what keeps me going back to it time and time again! Thanks for sharing!
The sky islands are almost a mile in elevation.
The sky islands are all ober a mile tall @leotardbanshee
God i love it here so much i really dont think i could live anywhere else 😭. Born and raised here and more people need to appreciate just how amazing our ecology is it really is under appreciated
amen to that !!
The first time I went hiking around in the desert north of Phoenix I was surprised to find "beaches" surrounded by trees with leaves that change color with the seasons. Northeast of lake pleasant is where I found it all. There was sand just like at a beach all along the stream that feeds into lake pleasant, with large pools of water, making you feel like your at the beach. And throughout arizona you mainly see pine, juniper and palo verde trees, so seeing an area with trees that look like they're from vermont or something in the middle of the desert was a surprise. You wouldn't even know any of it was there until you walk up on it. Its all hidden in a canyon.
Can you send me a coordinate of the approximate area you’re talking about? I’m staying in the area for the next few weeks and would love to explore it.
I've been exploring Florida for a month for the first time ever here in my life and it's a similar thing that I've experienced here finding vast Forest of pine trees and oak trees in oak woodlands the list goes on and on this place is incredible you wouldn't know how incredible this place is until you come here. Next on my list is Arizona and I'm from California and have been exploring the West Coast for many years Oregon California and Nevada. I've been for a few years in the tundra of Buffalo and humid Summers, and Florida is absolutely incredible.
You found the ocean front property in Arizona. I guess the author of the song knew what he was writing about ❤
Is it just me or is geology getting its Renaissance? Everyone seems to know and understand at least a little about plate tectonics and geologic history. Used to be (when I was in college) considered important only in the petroleum industry, which at that time (late 90's early 2000's) was struggling to shift students into the myriad of environmental work needed today. Its so great to me to see videos like this explaining things geologically but in a way the audience understands. Geology is the history of the earth, it's insanely fascinating. I am glad everyone can get this "education" now, just tune into UA-cam. Well done! 👍
@@evonne315 I really appreciate the comment; i'm hoping to get people excited in more niche applications of this wonderful section of science!
I am also so glad that these videos exist, I would have never learned anything about geology if it wasn't for UA-cam, I would have just thought it's that dumb thing where people study rocks. There are so many awesome subjects and sciences that I've been exposed to on UA-cam and it's made me want to go back to college
As a former geophysicist now working at a tire shop - I find myself also asking this question.
The Chiricahua Mountains are my favorite part of Arizona. Living in this state we are spoiled with choices with Sedona, the Grand Canyon, and the White Mountains, but the Chiricahua's are a place I could happily visit every year. Thank you for making this video!
Yeah the chiricahuas are truly one of a kind!
I totally agree with it being tropical, many don't know that parrots were once found in Tucson.
The spanish wrote of solid and spotted big cats all the way up into western Colorado. They obviously were seeing mtn lions AND jaguar. Primary resources are a wealth of information!
Do you have a source by chance? I am not asking you out of disbelief, I would like to read it.
@Olddog-Wiserdog i read it in a book full of Spanish journals when I was young at a local library, which has a section on local culture. I am sorry, but I do not remember the title. Steve Rinela of Meat Eater talks about this topic every so often.
@DaMoose13 Thank you all the same
it's a shame their range has been limited by recent human settlement; but i'm glad a few of those majestic beasts still make there way up to Arizona every once and awhile
@@Olddog-Wiserdog I have had on game cameras, three types of cats, the mountain lion , bobcat, and Jaguarundi. I have not seen the Jaguar here. Having a goat farm , I hope I do not.
I live in a small city in southern AZ. My grandpa, who use to be cotton farmer, swears that he seen 3 jaguars at the same time walking along the Gila river. One of his friends, who is also a cotton farmer, just a couple years ago set a trail camera around his property and caught a couple jaguars taking out his chickens and a few of his peacocks. So they are out here for sure, not just in the forest areas of AZ either.
They used to make it all the way up to Mogollon Rim but were hunted quite frequently so their range got pushed back to fringe areas of southern AZ
By the way, thank you for the time and energy you’re putting into your channel. Very educational and love the flow of information.
i appreciate that!
The 4 corners and the White Mountains are my personal favorites 🥰🙏🌎👀
Love the white mountains. I’ve lived up here for a few years and always awe at those ancient volcanoes.
I was in Portal and the Chiricahua about a month ago. What a great place! Thanks for the informative video.
Wasn’t expecting a geology lesson but I’m here for it. Unexpected delight.
Excellent video. I have lived in tucson SW for 55 years and love this area. Keep up the good work
I appreciate that
The most biodiverse places in the United States is the Mogollon rim. Which runs from central Arizona all the way to New Mexico.
I used to live in Flagstaff, I know the area well. Some of the forest near Payson is so dense with life, it's incredible!
While the Rim is truly awesome, SE Arizona has a significantly higher number of moths than the Rim (after beetles, there are more described species of moths than any other organism, so a good indicator of general biodiversity)
Graduated with my bachelors in geology back in May and man do I learning about this stuff, happy I found your channel
I appreciate that!
Love this! Can you talk about Oro Valley, Pusch Ridge, and/or the Catalinas?
i'd like to eventually individually cover every notable sky island in Arizona! For now you can watch the video I made on general sky island geology: ua-cam.com/video/D7h75iiEmxg/v-deo.htmlsi=er1Fm0_oLHEYs04v
The boulders in Oracle always intrigued me. They almost look unnaturally stacked on hills
Never heard of this area before now, thanks for sharing!
I appreciate you watching
I love learning more about about my county, Cochise. Thank you!
i'm jealous, wish I lived there 😮
@ nearly born and raised here!!!! I wish I had more time and motivation to go out more
1st of your posts I've seen and well done!! TONS of information and amazing rock formations and canyons! best from Colorado!
I'm coming up to your neck of the woods soon to make a comprehensive video about the southwestern rockies; stay tuned!
Well done! Been to Tucson, wish I could visit this part of Arizona as well.
never too late!
Cool! Informative video men. I am planning to backpack the Chiricahua's soon and really appreciate the education on how these mountains came to be.
awesome vid man! glad I found you. gonna visit there in December!!!
@@andyhunt2720 as you should! the creek will probably be ripping a lot stronger than it was when I was there!
Arizona is a beautiful state.
I totally agree
The last jaguar killed in Arizona was in the 1950’s near Alpine Arizona. Alpine is in the white mountains and sits at about 9k feet above sea level. It is in the Apache Sitgreves National Forest, a Ponderosa Pine Forest. Jaguars used to be all over AZ before they were hunted down.
Wolves too. We had all sorts of cool beasts out here! Hunting serves a purpose but species elimination is just a force if destruction that snowballs faster than most realize. I hope we can return some of the creatures the their natural ranges. It would help a lot with our climate efforts and possibly even with fires.
so sad to hear about all this stuff; many amazing animals have been driven to extinction by human greed. I'm just glad it's getting some attention nowadays
Perhaps these animals can make a comeback.
I don't know how accurate it is but I heard, not to long ago, that they are making their way back again. I think at least one was sighted in AZ. I don't remember where in AZ 🤷♀ I guess we can Google it 😄
@@patriciarivera8108 They have been spotted in the south eastern part of the state, I thin in the chirachauas and mountains south of sierra vista. None in the White Moutnains tho.
Place is amazing!
Visited 5 years ago and now go back there at least once a year.
Cool video. I am traveling to Arizona next spring. Hopefully I can squeeze in a day to explore this area.
Very cool video. The area is beautiful. Hopefully it will be respected and cherished by people for years to come.
@@robertdiehl1281 It is right on the fringes of gaining national park status, so it looks like it's on track for true thorough preservation!
Awesome video. Thanks for putting this together.
glad you enjoyed it!
I camped right next to that waterfall the day this was posted. Great video! Can’t get enough of the sky islands
so you were that one other person at the camp site! small world 😂
Loved everything about this well done video. 👍
I am so grateful to find this channel! Seriously! I love arizona with all my heart. Have you ever seen the granite dells in prescott? We have a mystery butte too, thumb butte, that my old geology teacher purported may be the core of an ancient volcano. Great video!
I've seen it, and i'd agree with your teacher. During the 25-30 million year ago period I talked about in this video, the granite intrusions and volcano forming volcanism was wide spread throughout the basin and range region. A decent sized granite pluton deposited near prescott, as well as a couple decently sized volcanoes. After a couple million years of burial and then re-emergence when the tectonics of the area created the many fault block mountains; the granite and old volcanic plug revealed themselves (the plug is left over because it is chocked full of really tough material relative to the rest of the volcano). Thanks for your comment!
@thenaturalexperience2140 you are, by far, the coolest bipedal hominid I've encountered in a while! Keep up the knowledge drops!
Hey, great video! Thanks for sharing this hidden gem with the world. I’m a winemaker in the Willcox AVA and I’ve done several lectures about the geology of the area and how it impacts the wine. People are constantly surprised by the elevation, precipitation, and ecology of the area and I love that you appreciate a place that is very special to me. Cheers!
i've been to some wineries in southern Arizona; can't believe how good the product is coming out of that region. I'm so glad that a lot of Southern AZ locals are as fascinated about their locally geology as I am. Cheers!
I've been camping in this region a few times. Cave Creek Canyon is a really lovely place. There's a small diner, a convenience store, and a museum near the canyon. Really cool stuff
yeah it was quite the nice area; I can't wait to go back
I grew up spending weekends in a cabin between Hilltop and Paradise. The area is truly magical!
This is awesome, I live in arizona and found the portal area on google maps a couple years ago thinking it looked like an interesting place to go camping but I haven't gone because of the distance away from Phoenix. It's been majestic looking more into the area and the biome that's created there in southern Arizona from these little mountain ranges. Thanks for the video!
Nice work, brother! You deserve more subs!
Thanks for the great program.
Great video!
I took Natural History of Sonoran desert and this video pretty much sums up the entire semester pretty well.
One thing I remember from the text book was that the Fault-block mountains on a terrain map looked caterpillars walking down from Nevada to Mexico. Also, I remember that AZ has all the climate regions in one state from tundra to tropics. Except the east coast eastern temperate forest.
i appreciate that; informative content is what I try to deliver. That whole region is amazing on google Earth, but even better in person!
Great video! Among the best geology videos I've seen. I've seen a lot. Keep up the good work.
I really appreciate that, I got a new video coming on Sunday!
Great video my dood. Chiricahua's is one of my favorite places to hike. Really love the geological breakdowns given in this vid. Aravaipa is another place where you don't feel like your in Arizona since your crossing rivers half the hike somewhat similar to West Fork up in Sedona.
I will eventually go to Aravaipa and probably make a video on it; I used to live in Flagstaff and have done west fork many times. Thanks for your comment!
Hey great vid!!! Looking forward to visiting there now!! Apparently somewhere in that region is one of the most diverse owl regions with many different species and such. Looks like a beautiful part of the country living in the southwest it’s not that far!
Amazing video, very informative. Subscribed!
Worked as a BP Agent in Douglas, AZ. Portal was a whole other world!
Great video and great information
Very cool. Reminds me of the Big Bend region of Texas. I’m from Arkansas so this would be a longer drive, but I’ll need to make it down there sometime!
Used to live in San Simon and would always visit portal especially during the winter months when it would snow
I’m from mass and have been to 49 states(missing HI) and they all have pretty places but imo none of the contiguous states are as stunning as AZ.
Nice. I still remember the Disney nature video of the region talking about the nature.
Thanks for the great video! I have taught summer courses at the SWRS in Portal for over a decade, and the students are always shocked by the biodiversity there!
that's absolutely awesome! I appreciate the comment
Fascinating information, thank you!
I appreciate that!
At this time of year, I want to stand at Massai Point overlook to see the orange band sunset behind those rhyolite figures at the horizon line. It's a amazing place and all day hike. Thanks for making this video, well done and informative, should be played at the Visitor Center there.
i appreciate the comment; I went to Massai point 4 years ago, changed my whole perspective and inspired me to study geology
Been there in person lately, it's crazy how the mountains on the border have completely different trees than the mountains in central Arizona (this is partly due to recent fires but still).
Yeah fire seasons have been crazy as of late! Although when fires happen all of this new life and interesting species are able to take over. Thanks for watching!
@thenaturalexperience2140 fire coverage is nothing compared to the 1st half of the 20th century. Its not even close.
The San Pedro River Basin. A large water table in Aridzona. Which I live next too. Is a major area for wild life. One great area.
from what i've seen, there is tiny little areas where the river still emerges above ground; the whole region is very fascinating
@@thenaturalexperience2140 Yes there is depressions where the water is on the surface, in the San Pedro river. ,or it may be rock formations below the surface. The water is flowing North under ground. It seems in areas it surfaces and shortly afterwards submerges. I have three wells here, the water table is at twenty feet or less. Some of the wells in this area were dug bye hand. East Pinal county should have been the most sought after real-estate in the state. It is virtually untouched.
The San Pedro River is the last major River in the southwest that has not been dammed. It also host 50 percent of the avian diversity found in North America, given that many different species use its waters during migrations. There is also archaeological sites along the San Pedro from the Clovis period, about 10k years ago. I believe in the San Pedro Valley north of Benson, mammoth bones were found which gave the town of Mammoth its name.
I love visiting the Chiricahuas. It's so amazingly different than the Sonoran desert that I'm used to. I used to go up there with my dad when I was a kid and it really grabbed my imagination.
Portal is a fitting name for one of the towns at its base; it truly is a portal to another world
Who knew those formations were hoodoos? Thank you for sharing Cochise County's geological information. I drive past Carr and Ramsey canyons on my way to work. Each day when the sun comes up, I see a beautiful postcard picture. The best sight to see is when a full moon is cradled by Miller Peak and Carr.
Ramsey Canyon is one of the best places to view hummingbirds anywhere on Earth! I'm jealous
Wow beautiful information ❤❤❤❤
many thanks 🙏🏻
México is amazing. Cheers from Ireland 🇮🇪
This is America🗣
@ Can’t be a historian and not call it Mexico and the jaguars know it
@@mzt7595 state lines say otherwise, I believe we won that land fair and square in a war.
@@Ballistics_Computer
Manifest destiny is not winning
@@Ballistics_Computer
That land will always be native Mechica land
Living in Tucson, we have riparian habitat all over a few miles outside city limits. Arizona really is geographically diverse
Great video
I’m from a forested part of Ohio. Elusive black panthers have been seen in the forest. Some of them have very dark spotted coats. They look very much like dark jaguars.
Jaguars live in a variety of habitats, including:
* Arid scrubland
* Tropical forests
* Swamps
* Coastal mangroves
* Lowland by big river valleys
* Grasslands
* Mixed-conifer forests
Cool! Thanks!😊
Was there in the spring. A little difficult to get to but an amazing place.
I know right! you either have to swing up on that long road from Douglass, come from rodeo, new mexico; or do a semi-off-roading route from I10. It was well worth it though!
I knew it! Visited Tombstone and the region around it I thought wrre part of a caldera. Because of this I probed the region using something like sonography and noted a void under the nearby city of Sierra Vista estimated to be extend beyond the estimated 17 mile deep depth of the system I used. I don't know how big the void is, though. It's more than 1 mile wide north to south based on my quick examination.
I would use another phrase than 'deep depth' in my prior paragraph, but UA-cam doesn't like certain "P" words being used regardless of context.
Hey man, I can tell you don't have a super technical background in Geology, but you are doing a really good job sourcing your information and explaining the details in a simple manner. Messing up the pronunciation of a term here and there is totally expected. Also, putting a gif of thrust faulting while describing the extensional dynamics of the basin and range is a funny mistake that ultimately doesn't detract from the value your video provides overall. Keep it up! And feel free to reach out to me if you want to discuss some technical aspects or more obscure geologic details for upcoming videos.
I am a geologist, name is Connor McVey, I've worked for the USGS and the State of California, and I love learning about the intricacies of earth's history in different places!
I have had the thrust fault gif mistake pointed out several times, and i'm mad about it cause I literally just found the perfect gif for horst and graben topography that I wish I would've used instead. Thanks for your comment, I always appreciate insights from other fellow geologists!
So interesting. I had no idea about this place.
you should go check it out!
I saw a black panther in Maggie Valley - NC - A bigtime legend.
Awesome video! Gotta follow
We are actually concidered subtropical so it's not too surprising we have a tropical pocket out there. Really neat!
it's such a cool area
Beautiful!
First time I've been interested in Geography. I'm from AZ and no idea this area was here. Goiong to have to visit some day.
Looks gorgeous
go check it out!
Can't believe you left out the hummingbirds.
@@chuckokelley2448 now if I told everybody that it's one of the greatest hummingbird preserves on Earth, I don't think the mountain would ever see a moment of solitude again! lol
Voucher's, earns, Turkeys, Blue hearings, cardinals and like 100 more
Good work.
thank you
Born here and moved back in1994 after my military service and a stint in Illinois and Colorado
Nice video!
I appreciate that!
Well done!
Any tips for visiting this area like time of year where to stay and good trails?
there is lodging in portal; or you can stay around 45 mins away in Douglas. Heart of the rocks trail, the herb martyr trail, and silver peak trail are probably the tops. If you want water flowing go in later summer or early spring!
The Chiricahuas are my favorite place in AZ. We try to camp there or stay in portal at least twice a year.
I am jealous, i've only been there twice in my lifetime
@ I’m fortunate enough to 1 live in Phx and 2 my mentor introduced me to the area some time ago. He got married at the research
Station back in the 70s. He’s taken my sons and I down there for tours.
Had a friend with a cabin on cave creek and would go up there all the time. Fantastic area and very different than the rest of AZ.
very jealous of your friend, I saw some of the cabins in that area; absolutely stunning
can you do a video on the granite dells of Arizona?
Sierra vista and Nogales is really cool country.
I met my in the Chiricahua in 1963.
Man, I love Arizona, proud Arizonan right here
as you should be! the state is beautiful
On any given day of the year, AZ can have the hottest place in the country (usually near Yuma) AND the coldest (Flagstaff mountain area).
Very interesting video! Lovely visuals and very informative. Also, for a while now I've been confused about the pronounciation of Farallon, since in Mexico we pronounce it as "farayon" because spanish grammar. But havent found the intended/correct pronunciation. Maybe you have?
@@elenap15227 everybody I have ever met pronounces it differently. All of my colleagues and my professors in university pronounce it using the La sound from L; but i've also heard it be pronounced "Farayon". I would just go with whatever feels right to you 😂
Jaguars have been spotted in the Santa Rita mountains as well
I've been to the top of mt wrightson; beautiful area!
great video and love the geology overview (as a recent geo grad)!!! anyone interested in these kinds of arizona-specific natural science topics should look into the "sky islands" we have here, ecologically-unique mountain "islands" scattered across a "sea of desert"
**i just saw you have a video on them (:
@@cowbellcutie much appreciated; as a student of geology myself I got a ton of respect for you and your recent graduation!
@@thenaturalexperience2140 thank you, and have fun during the rest of your program!! it is really such a special field of study
Oh wow, amazing!!! ❤❤❤
Your diagram at about 4:39 shows reverse faulting with the hanging wall going up. For basin and range type faulting (normal faulting) the foot wall goes up and the hanging wall goes down.
yeah admittedly the graphics were a bit sparse, but you are correct, 2 roughly parallel normal faults cause the foot wall to go "up" relative to the hanging walls 👍🏻
I’ve personally witnessed a jaguar outside of Tucson
that's awesome
FYI there is unique underground geology there as well. Look up Crystal Cave in Cave Creek. One of very few caves that has sections of quartz crystals you crawl through. Fyi permision is regulated by the USFS. I recommend going with an experienced caver that knows the cave.
The conditions that allowed the crystals to form..will probably interest you. Thanks for your work.
caving scares the ever living crud out of me because i'm quite claustrophobic; but if I ever muster the courage i'll have to check it out!
Go to the Wilcox mtns “ el jefe” is up there have to click up to the pines but he’s up there he’s huge take gun😊
Interesting video
thank you
Ive been camping around Mogollon Rim. Few years ago
I felt 2 harmonic tremors.
really? that's pretty fascinating stuff; the mogollon rim is a beautiful area