32 (D-99) Meteor Crater

After visiting The Petrified Forest and The Painted Desert, we'll head back to Flagstaff, stopping to visit Meteor Crater and Walnut Canyon along the way.

32 (D-99) Meteor Crater is 69 km east of Flagstaff. At an elevation of about 1740 m, it is a meteorite impact crater, 1200 m in diameter, 170 m deep. It was created about 50,000 years ago! It was discovered by European settlers and at first it was thought to be volcanic in origin. In 1903, mining engineer and businessman Daniel M. Barringer suggested that the crater had been produced by the impact of a large iron-metallic meteorite. Scientists have shown that his theory is correct. The crater is not protected as a national monument because it is still privately owned by the Barringer family.

Jane
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VOCABULARY
to head back = to go back, to return
"head back" is an example of a phrasal verb, a verb with a prepostion which gives new meaning to the verb. "Head" is a noun, now used as a verb!
Other examples of phrasal verbs using "head":
head in: It's time to head in for lunch. = It's time to go back into the house to have lunch.
head out: It's time to head out. = It's time to leave.
head off: We need to be heading off now. = We need to leave now.
head for: She was heading for the door when the phone rang. = going in the direction of the door.
I hope all this isn't giving you a HEADACHE! But I hope that it helps you to make HEADWAY in understanding English!