Jornada del Muerto Volcano facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jornada del Muerto Volcano
View north across the malpaís lava field to the Jornada del Muerto Volcano splatter cones
Highest point
Elevation	5,137 ft (1,566 m) NAVD 88
Naming
English translation	Dead Man's Route
Language of name	Spanish
Geography
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Location	Socorro County, New Mexico, U.S.
Topo map	USGS Harriet Ranch
Geology
Age of rock	760,000 years
Mountain type	Basaltic shield volcano, volcanic field
Last eruption	760,000 years
Climbing
Easiest route	Scrambling over rough ʻaʻā lava

The Jornada del Muerto Volcano is a small shield volcano and lava field in central New Mexico, about 10 by 15 miles (16 by 24 km) in size and reaching an elevation of 5,136 feet (1,565 m). 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 150 feet (46 m) in a broad but conspicuous cone about a mile (1.6 km) 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 90 feet (27 m) above the surrounding lava pools, and surrounds an intact symmetrical crater 245 feet (75 m) across and about 30 feet (9 m) 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 3 cubic miles (13 km³) and the lava fields cover an area of over 170 square miles (440 km²).

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.

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  View north to the malpaís lava field and a spatter cone

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  View south towards the nested splatter cones