Marcus Landslide Trail
Arizona · United States
The Marcus Landslide Trail runs along the east edge of McDowell Sonoran Preserve to a massive landslide that scientists believe occurred 500,000 years ago. An estimated 194 M cubic feet of rock and vegetation slid off the side of East End Peak, the second largest known occurrence in Arizona.
Contents
10 sections · tap a section for its opening lines1Marcus Landslide Trail
Welcome, fellow travelers of deep time, to the magnificent McDowell Sonoran Preserve. I invite you to pause here at the Tom's Thumb Trailhead, the gateway to an extraordinary journey into Arizona's tumultuous geologic past. …
Listen in the app2The Lower Trail and Saguaro Forests
As we leave the trailhead and venture out onto the lower portions of the trail, you will notice how the path meanders gently through a vibrant forest of iconic saguaro cacti. The Sonoran Desert is not an empty wasteland, but a…
Listen in the app3The Grus Path and the Birth of Granite
Take a moment to stop and examine the actual trail surface beneath your hiking boots. The loose, gravelly material you are standing on has an official geological name. …
Listen in the app4Mushroom Rock Scenic Point
Before us stands a striking geological anomaly known affectionately as Mushroom Rock. This fascinating formation perfectly illustrates the unique manner in which coarse grained granite breaks down over the millennia. …
Listen in the app5The Fallen Mushroom Interpretive Point
We now arrive at a poignant natural exhibit called the Fallen Mushroom Interpretive Point. Here on the ground lies a massive granite boulder that clearly resembles the top of a mushroom, completely detached from its base. …
Listen in the app6Submarine Rock and the Shear Zone
Continuing our exploration through this chaotic boulder field, we encounter an imposing rock formation that locals affectionately call Submarine Rock. With a bit of imagination, it is easy to see why. …
Listen in the app7The Landslide Loop Junction and Matrix Material
We have reached a critical junction on our journey, where the main path meets the one mile Marcus Landslide Loop. It is here that we stand upon the very mechanism that allowed ten million tons of rock to defy logic and travel for…
Listen in the app8The View of East End Mountain and the Breakaway Zone
Pause for a moment, find a secure footing, and direct your gaze upward toward the towering peaks of the McDowell Mountains to our southwest. The highest point visible is East End Mountain, rising to an elevation of just over four…
Listen in the app9Vistas of Four Peaks and the Superstitions
From our elevated vantage point amid the landslide debris, the trail offers sweeping, unobstructed vistas of the vast Arizona landscape to the east. As you look out toward the horizon, you are essentially reading a massive, open…
Listen in the app10Closing
As our exploration of the Marcus Landslide Trail comes to an end and we direct our steps back toward the Tom's Thumb Trailhead, I encourage you to reflect on the staggering scales of time and force we have encountered today. In…
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What is Marcus Landslide Trail?
Marcus Landslide Trail is a place in Arizona · United States with 10 story sections on Tellby. You can read the opening of each section on this page; the sound plays in the app.
| Location | Arizona · United States |
|---|---|
| Type | Heritage |
| Story sections | 10 |
| Text language | English |
| Coordinates | 33.6877, -111.7885 |
| Last updated |