Cabezon Peak facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cabezon Peak
Cabezon Peak at sunrise
Highest point
Elevation	7,785 ft (2,373 m)
Prominence	1,508 ft (460 m)
Isolation	10.35 mi (16.66 km)
Parent peak	Pt 9114
Geography
Cabezon Peak Location in New Mexico Show map of New Mexico Cabezon Peak Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	Sandoval County, New Mexico, US
Parent range	Colorado Plateau
Topo map	USGS Cabezon Peak
Type of rock	basalt
Climbing
Easiest route	class 3+ scrambling

Cabezon Peak is a large volcanic plug that is a prominent feature in northwestern New Mexico. It rises to 7,785 feet (2,373 meters) in elevation, and nearly 2,000 feet above the floor of the Rio Puerco Valley. Cabezon Peak is two miles south of the old ghost town of Cabezon and the Rio Puerco. This volcanic neck is formed of basalt and is part of the Mount Taylor volcanic field. A volcanic neck or plug is formed when magma from an existing volcano solidifies in the pipe or neck and the surrounding sediment is eroded away. Marine Cretaceous rocks of the Mancos Shale and Point Lookout Sandstone are exposed around the base of Cabezon Peak.

Cabezon means “big head” in Spanish. This stems from a Navajo myth which holds that it is the head of the giant Ye’i-tsoh after being slain by the twins Nayenezgani and To’badzistsini.

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