Red Rocks of Sedona, Arizona

The video below explains how Sedona's rocks "got there."

     But what makes the rocks "red"?

     Sedona’s red rocks owe their color to iron oxide. The sediments that became sandstone were originally mixed with tiny amounts of iron minerals. Over time, when oxygen and water interacted with those iron-bearing grains, the iron oxidized, becoming iron oxide, which is basically “rust.”

    The chemistry is essentially the same as what happens to an old, derelict car. In both cases, iron reacts with oxygen and moisture to form reddish compounds (hematite or limonite in rocks, flaky rust on steel).

     Rocks can require thousands to millions of years to fully acquire their reddish hues, while cars can take days, weeks, or months to show signs of rust. Rust on metal is a weak, flaky coating. In rocks, the iron oxide forms within the grains of the sandstone or as a thin cement binding them, so the color is baked into the rock itself, not a surface layer that flakes off.    

     But how did the rocks "get to" Sedona?