Jornada del Muerto Volcano


The Jornada del Muerto Volcano is a small shield volcano and lava field in central New Mexico, about in size and reaching an elevation of. Jornada del Muerto means "Dead Man's Route" in Spanish, referring to the desolate colonial era trail from New Spain through this Malpaís region.

Geography

The volcano and lava field is located at the northern end of the Jornada del Muerto Desert basin in the Basin and Range Province. The Jornada del Muerto basin runs between the Oscura Mountains and San Andres Mountains on the east, with the Caballo Mountains and the Fra Cristóbal Range on the west.

Geology

Volcano and cones

The main volcano vent is located slightly to the east of the center of the lava flows, rising about in a broad but conspicuous cone about a mile in diameter. Within the outer cone are a series of nested spatter cones interspersed with lava pools. On the south side the innermost spatter cone rises to nearly above the surrounding lava pools, and surrounds an intact symmetrical crater across and about deep.

Volcanic field

The volcano erupted about 760,000 years ago in a series of basaltic flows. It produced a slow and viscous ʻaʻā lava volcanic field which has a very rough and uneven surface, making travel across it extremely difficult and hazardous; also time consuming. The total volume of erupted material is about and the lava fields cover an area of over.
The largest individual flow-field extends from a center in extreme southeastern Socorro County and extends into Sierra County. Currently the flow forms the east bank of the Rio Grande from Fra Cristóbal north to Fort Craig, but at the time of eruption it temporarily dammed the Rio Grande.