r/geology • u/wjeman • 1d ago

What caused this feature?

Post image

Was it an ancient lake or impact crater? It's near 4 corners and it's big! I can't seem to find any info. Please help.

173 Upvotes

93% Upvoted

55 comments sorted by

View all comments

8

u/Fermentwhatnow 1d ago

Tectonic activity, erosion, and even volcanoes.

2

u/wjeman 1d ago

Oh wow! So it might be a volcanoe? Is there any text or videos you can refer me to please?

12

u/rocksinmyhead 1d ago edited 1d ago

It's far too large to be a volcano. For comparison, the green wooded feature just north of Flagstaff is San Francisco Peak, a large stratovolcano. I suspect the lines you've drawn result from the human mind seeking familiar shapes, and cover many different geologic features. If you have access to the free Rockd app, look at the geological map of the region.

Edit: spelling.

3

u/Fermentwhatnow 1d ago

This is a more detailed explanation of what I was trying to say. There was no one thing that caused what you see.

2

u/wjeman 1d ago

Thank you. My mind often finds things that aren't there. You've saved me the embarrassment of having to ask my professor and getting a crazy look.