Kilbourne Hole, New Mexico

Aerial view of Kilbourne Hole, located in southern New Mexico about 30 miles west of El Paso, TX. This maar erupted approximately 80,000 years ago in a violent eruption that left a crater over a mile wide. As magma encounters the water table, steam is produced, causing severe expansion and results in a large crater (called a maar). This feature occurs within the southern Rio Grande Rift, a rift valley extending north from El Paso, Tx to central Colorado.

contributed by Aaron Velasco, University of Texas, El Paso