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Mogollon-Datil volcanic field facts for kids

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Mogollon-Datil volcanic field
Highest point
Geography
Location New Mexico, United States
Geology
Age of rock Middle Tertiary
Mountain type Volcanic field

The Mogollon-Datil volcanic field is a huge area in western New Mexico. It's like a giant ancient volcano zone. This field covers about 40,000 square kilometers (15,000 sq mi). That's bigger than the country of Belgium!

This volcanic field is part of a much larger volcanic event. This event happened a long, long time ago. It took place during the Eocene and Oligocene periods. Other volcanic areas from this time include the San Juan volcanic field in Colorado. There's also the Trans-Pecos volcanic field in Texas. The Mogollon-Datil field formed in four main stages. These stages involved two separate groups of calderas working together.

Calderas of Mogollon-Datil volcanic field
Calderas of the Mogollon-Datil volcanic field

How the Rocks Formed

Scientists have studied the rocks in the Mogollon-Datil volcanic field for many years. They want to understand how these rocks formed. The different layers of rock tell a story about the area's past.

Originally, all the volcanic rocks here were called the Datil Formation. Later, scientists grouped them differently. They added some related sedimentary rocks. These are rocks made from bits of other rocks, like sand or mud.

In 1994, new ideas helped scientists understand the rocks better. They divided the rocks into three main groups. These groups help us see how the volcanoes changed over time.

Volcanic Units Sedimentary Units
Mogollon Group

tuff of Turkey Springs
Bearwallow Mountain Andesite
Uvas Basaltic Andesite
La Jara Peak Basaltic Andesite
South Canyon Tuff
Lemitar Tuff
Apache Springs Tuff
Bloodgood Canyon Tuff
Squirrel Springs Andesite
Shelley Peak Tuff
Vicks Peak Tuff
La Jencia Tuff
Davis Canyon Tuff
Sawmill Canyon Formation
Luis Lopez Formation
basaltic andesite of Poverty Creek

Spears Group

South Crosby Peak Formation
Rincon Windmill Formation
Chavez Canyon Formation
Dog Springs Formation
Rubio Peak Formation
Palm Park Formation
Pueblo Creek Formation
Bell Top Formation
Rock Springs Formation
Red Rock Ranch Formation
Piloncillo Sediments
unit of East Red Canyon
sandstone of Monument Park
sandstone of Escondido Mountain
volcaniclastic unit of Canon del Leon
volcaniclastic unit of Largo Creek

lacuna (31.4-29.0 Ma)
Datil Group

Tadpole Ridge Tuff
Caballo Blanco Tuff
Hell's Mesa Tuff
Box Canyon Tuff
Blue Canyon Tuff
Cooney Tuff
andesite of Dray Leggett Canyon
Rock House Canyon Tuff
tuff of Bishop Peak
Kneeling Nun Tuff
Bell Top Formation
Sugarlump Tuff
tuff of Farr Ranch
Datil Well Tuff
andesite of White House Canyon
Dona Ana Tuff
Squaw Mountain Tuff
Achenbach Park Tuff
Cueva Tuff

Some rocks from the Vicks Peak and La Jencia Tuffs have been found far away. They were found in the Rio Puerco valley. This shows that the volcanic flows from the Mogollon-Datil field spread out very far. They even reached the northern edge of the younger Mount Taylor volcanic field.

Famous Calderas

A caldera is a large, bowl-shaped hollow. It forms when a volcano erupts and its magma chamber empties. The ground above then collapses. The Mogollon-Datil volcanic field has many of these impressive calderas. They are grouped into northern and southern complexes.

Northern Caldera Group

This group of calderas is found west of Socorro. It is also south of Magdalena. And it is southeast of Datil.

Name Associated tuff Coordinates Age
Socorro Caldera Hells Mesa Tuff 34°00′N 107°06′W / 34°N 107.1°W / 34; -107.1 (Socorro) 32 Ma
Sawmill Canyon Caldera La Jencia Tuff 34°00′N 107°18′W / 34°N 107.3°W / 34; -107.3 (Sawmill Canyon) 28.7 Ma
Hardy Ridge Caldera Lemitar Tuff 33°54′N 107°18′W / 33.9°N 107.3°W / 33.9; -107.3 (Hardy Ridge) 28 Ma
Mount Withington Caldera South Canyon Tuff 33°48′N 107°30′W / 33.8°N 107.5°W / 33.8; -107.5 (Mount Withington) 27.4 Ma
Bear Trap Caldera tuff of Turkey Springs 33°45′N 107°36′W / 33.75°N 107.6°W / 33.75; -107.6 (Bear Trap) 24.3 Ma

Southern Caldera Group

This group of calderas stretches from Las Cruces to Mogollon.

Name Associated tuff Coordinates Age
Nogal Caldera Vicks Peak Tuff 33°36′N 107°24′W / 33.6°N 107.4°W / 33.6; -107.4 (Nogal) 28.4 Ma
Organ Caldera

Cueva Tuff
Achenback Park Tuff
Squaw Mountain Tuff

32°30′N 106°45′W / 32.5°N 106.75°W / 32.5; -106.75 (Organ) 32 Ma
Emory Caldera Kneeling Nun Tuff
Fall Canyon Tuff
33°00′N 107°45′W / 33°N 107.75°W / 33; -107.75 (Emory) 33 Ma
Twin Sisters Caldera Tadpole Ridge Tuff
Caballo Blanco Tuff
33°00′N 108°15′W / 33°N 108.25°W / 33; -108.25 (Twin Sisters) 31.4 Ma
Schoolhouse Mountain Caldera 32°45′N 108°36′W / 32.75°N 108.6°W / 32.75; -108.6 (Schoolhouse Mountain) 33.5 Ma
Mogollon Caldera
(just one fragment in the Bursum Caldera wall)
Cooney Tuff
Fanney Rhyolite
Apache Springs Tuff
33°30′N 108°30′W / 33.5°N 108.5°W / 33.5; -108.5 (Mogollon) 34.0 Ma
Bursum Caldera Bloodgood Canyon Tuff 33°30′N 108°30′W / 33.5°N 108.5°W / 33.5; -108.5 (Bursum) 28.0 Ma
Gila Cliff Dwellings Caldera Davis Canyon Tuff
Shelley Peak Tuff
33°30′N 108°15′W / 33.5°N 108.25°W / 33.5; -108.25 (Gila Cliff Dwellings) 28.1 Ma

Scientists sometimes find slight differences in the ages of these calderas. This can happen when different studies use different methods.

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