Image: Capulin oli 2016095 lrg

Description: Nestled in the northeast corner of New Mexico, Capulin volcano protrudes from the flat expanse, an anthill of giant proportions. A bowl-shaped crater tops the steep, conical hill. From its perch at the eastern edge of the Great Plains, it commands a clear view of New Mexico, Colorado, and Oklahoma. Capulin last erupted roughly 56,000 to 62,000 years ago. The volcano sits near the center of the Raton-Clayton field, a cluster of smaller volcanoes spread across 7,500 square miles (roughly 19,400 square kilometers). The oldest of these date back about 9 million years, while the youngest emerged roughly 45,000 years ago. Scientists suspect Capulin formed in a series of bursts and starts over a few weeks to several years. After an initial, large eruption that laid the volcano’s foundation, a number of small lava flows and cinder eruptions paved over the mound, steepening its slopes. In cinder-cone eruptions, “the supply of magma is small or episodic, facilitating the cooling and clogging of a vent and subterranean pathway,” according to the National Park Service. Over time, wind has nibbled away at the mound, eroding its surface. While Capulin volcano probably won’t erupt again, magma may push out of the ground at a new spot in the surrounding volcanic field.
Title: Capulin oli 2016095 lrg
Credit: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=88581
Author: NASA Earth Observatory image by Jesse Allen, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Caption by Pola Lem. Instrument(s): Landsat 8 - OLI
Usage Terms: Public domain
License: Public domain
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