A sentinel in the center of metropolitan Phoenix, Squaw Peak dominates the skyline from almost any direction.  This view looks north, from the Biltmore area.  "basement" rocks of North America rise here to 2608 ft above sea level (795m), and form most of the .
   The State of Arizona has recently renamed this mountain "Piestewa Peak", but that name will not officially take hold until it is changed at the Federal level, and on US Geological Survey maps.
   Basement rocks here and elsewhere are those rock formations which are beneath all of the layers (missing here now, having eroded away), and are remnants of early parts of the Earth's continental crust.
   They are usually complex associations of and rocks -- in the case of Squaw Peak, , , and quartz.

If you want more information about the Squaw Peak area and the Phoenix Mountains, download these two FREE short GeoStories™  (PDF files, each <1MB): Touchstone   The next time you pick up a stone, treat it nicely.  Rocks have feelings, too!  And you never know what they might be telling you.   Step back into time 1700 million years, and hold your breath.  But don't look for any fish.  They don't exist yet. Time Travel and other Everyday Things

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   See the GeoHistory page if you want to know more about why the landscape looks the way it does, or return to the map of "The Rocks of the Valley of the Sun" for more view locations.
   You can also send this as an E-Postcard to your friends!