Looking northeast from a high spot along Saguaro
Lake, near Apache Junction, Arizona, you can see Four Peaks in the
background, along the skyline. If you notice that this mountain can be seen in many
of the photos on our interactive Superstition
Mountains Map, that is because it is the most prominent summit in the region.
The more nearby rocks on the other side of the lake are
on the left, and on the right, age volcanic rocks left over
from cataclysmic explosions of massive volcanic several miles to the southeast.
Four Peaks (elevation 7657 feet; 2334 meters) can also be seen from many
places in Phoenix, Mesa, and Scottsdale. The peaks are made of
,
resting upon , and are the source of Four Peaks Amethyst, a vivid purple, natural precious
stone. The mine is located just below the
meeting of the two highest points of the mountain.
Arizona's Four Peaks is geology upside down.
And you can even wear a piece of it!
You can also to our
FREE monthly newsletter about all kinds of rocks.
There are 2 views in
this sequence (so far) -- this is scene #1.
You can read the tale of how Four Peaks formed in my GeoStory (PDF
version) called "Pendants Big and Small".
There are more GeoStories available, too.
Above is a nice example of Four Peaks ,
cut into a trillion shaped gemstone. This gem is one of GemLand's specialties! See
our Gemology section for more information, and how to purchase.