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 |
