Resize Text: The wonderful diversity of Arizona landscapes results from a very complex geologic history. The scenery was created from environments ranging from warm shallow seas to windy desert dunes and from violent volcanic eruptions to lazy lava flows. The many episodes of mountain-building and the intrusion of igneous rocks deep in the crust with their accompanying veins of rich mineral deposits have created the abundance of mineral species found in Arizona.
Landscape Types
Two very different types of landscapes occur in Arizona: the Basin and Range Province of southwestern Arizona and the Colorado Plateau Province of northern Arizona, with a Transition Zone between them (fig. 1). The present topographic differences between these provinces result in major contrasts in the distribution of population, agriculture, industry, water supply, and tourist attractions.
During Dr. Jan C. Rasmussen's long and varied career as a consulting economic geologist, mainly in Tucson, she has also taught physical, historical, and environmental geology at local community colleges and worked for the Arizona Geological Survey. Most recently she was curator of the Arizona Mining and Mineral Museum in Phoenix. Currently she is writing geologic and mineral resource reports on mining properties for investors and writing permitting documents for various clients of a consulting firm.
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