Chapter 13

Sedona Arizona is located in the Empty Interior. Its low average population density is the key identifying feature of the region. The Empty interior stretches from the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains westward to the Sierra Nevada of California, to the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest and into Alaska, is the largest area of sparse population in America. Sedona's landscape reflects the region's description very well;  one of the region's main physical geographic elements is its ruggedness. "Most of the mountains of the eastern United States appear rounded and molded; the ranges of the West present abrupt, almost vertical slopes, and the peaks frequently appear as jagged edges pointing skyward. This difference is due partly to age. Most of the western mountains, although by no means all of them, are substantially younger than the eastern ranges. Thus erosion, which results in an eventual smoothing of the land surface, has been active for a much shorter time." Any visitor can see the layers of erosion in the mountains. Here are some pictures showing the layers.

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