Datil-Mogollon Section facts for kids
The Datil-Mogollon Section is a special part of the Colorado Plateau, which is a huge area of high, flat lands. Think of it as a smaller piece of a very big puzzle! This section acts like a bridge or a 'transition zone' between two different types of land: the Basin and Range Province and the main Colorado Plateau. It's a newly named area that includes the southern part of what was once called the Datil Section.
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Exploring the Datil-Mogollon Section
The Datil-Mogollon Section is found along the southeastern edge of the Colorado Plateau. You can find it in New Mexico and eastern Arizona.
Western Arizona's Volcanic Lands
Most of the Datil-Mogollon Section in Arizona is covered by the White Mountain volcanic field. This is a huge area with thick layers of hardened lava and ash, called tuffs.
You can also see parts of old, large volcanoes here. These volcanoes were mostly made of a type of rock called basaltic andesite. High, flat areas, known as tablelands, are topped with tuffs, andesite, and basalt lavas. There are also sandstones and mudstones that formed from volcanic materials.
Southern New Mexico's Giant Volcanoes
The main feature in the southeastern Datil-Mogollon area is a very large volcano called Mount Taylor. It rises to about 11,389 ft (3,471 m) (3,471 meters) high!
Around Mount Taylor, you'll find many smaller volcanoes and volcanic necks. There are also wide, flat-topped hills called mesas, covered with lava. The biggest mesa is about 46 miles (74 km) (74 km) long and 23 miles (37 km) (37 km) wide. Its top is about 1,900 ft (580 m) (579 meters) higher than the land around it. This mesa is covered with about 300 ft (91 m) (91 meters) of lava.
These ancient lava flows stretch south into the Mexican Highlands. This makes the exact border of the Colorado Plateau Province a bit hard to see in this area.
The main feature in the southwestern Datil-Mogollon Section is the Mogollon Rim in Arizona. This long cliff stretches for about 200 miles (320 km) (322 km). It goes from northern Yavapai County east towards the New Mexico border.
Eastern Borders and the Rio Grande
To the east, the Datil-Mogollon Section meets the basins of the Rio Grande rift. These basins are part of the Mexican Highland Section. Along the eastern edge of the Datil-Mogollon, the Mexican Highland stretches north along the Rio Grande valley. It reaches all the way to the Southern Rocky Mountains.
The edge between this valley and the uplifted Colorado Plateau is very clear. It's marked by the westernmost faults (cracks in the Earth's crust) of the valley. This area has several large basins and mountain ranges formed by blocks of land moving up and down.
Northern Neighbors of the Plateau
To the north of the Datil-Mogollon Section are other parts of the Colorado Plateau Province. From east to west, these include the Navajo Section in New Mexico and Arizona. Further west is the southeastern Grand Canyon Section.
