Carrizozo Lava Flow

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The 75-km- (50-mi-) long Carrizozo lava flow is located in south-central New Mexico in the Tularose Basin.

Quick Facts

Location: New Mexico, Lincoln County

Latitude: 33.78° N

Longitude: 105.93° W

Elevation: 1,731 (m) 5,679 (f)

Volcano type: lava flow

Composition: basalt

Most recent eruption: 5,000 years ago

Nearby towns: Carrizozo

Threat Potential: Low/Very Low*

_{*based on the National Volcano Early Warning System}

Summary

Carrizozo Lava Flow from space — View of the Carrizozo lava flow from space.

The 75-km- (50-mi-) long Carrizozo lava flow is located in south-central New Mexico in the Tularose Basin. Eruption began approximately 5,000 years ago, and after two to three decades at a relatively low effusion rate, 4.3 km³ (1 mi³) of basalt lava covered 330 km² (130 mi²) of land. All of the lava originated from a vent, Little Black Peak, on the northern end, which is visible today as a 27-m (88-ft) tall cinder cone that rises above the flow. The vent lies within a zone of known crustal weakness, the Capitan lineament, where magmas are able to rise through the crust and erupt on the surface. The lava flow is one of the longest known that has erupted on Earth in the past 10,000 years. It achieved its great length by flowing in insulated lava tubes. Carrizozo Malpais is the local name, which roughly translates to “bad footing” in Spanish, and describes the difficulty of traversing the area.

Publications

October 22, 2018

2018 update to the U.S. Geological Survey national volcanic threat assessment

When erupting, all volcanoes pose a degree of risk to people and infrastructure, however, the risks are not equivalent from one volcano to another because of differences in eruptive style and geographic location. Assessing the relative threats posed by U.S. volcanoes identifies which volcanoes warrant the greatest risk-mitigation efforts by the U.S. Geological Survey and its partners...

Authors

John W. Ewert, Angela K. Diefenbach, David W. Ramsey

Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center, Agrigan, Ahyi Seamount, Alamagan, Anatahan, Asuncion, Belknap, Black Butte Crater Lava Field, Black Rock Desert Volcanic Field, Blue Lake Crater, Carrizozo Lava Flow, Cascade Range Weekly Update, Cinnamon Butte, Clear Lake Volcanic Field, Coso Volcanic Field, Crater Lake, Craters of the Moon Volcanic Field, Daikoku Seamount , Davis Lake Volcanic Field, Devils Garden Lava Field, Diamond Craters Volcanic Field, Dotsero Volcanic Center, East Diamante, Esmeralda Bank, Farallon de Pajaros, Fukujin Seamount , Glacier Peak, Guguan, Haleakalā, Hell's Half Acre Lava Field, Hualālai, Indian Heaven Volcanic Field, Jordan Craters Volcanic Field, Kama‘ehuakanaloa, Kasuga 2, Kīlauea, Lassen Volcanic Center, Long Valley Caldera, Mammoth Mountain, Markagunt Plateau Volcanic Field, Maug Islands, Mauna Kea, Mauna Loa, Medicine Lake, Mono Lake Volcanic Field, Mono-Inyo Craters, Mount Adams, Mount Bachelor, Mount Baker, Mount Hood, Mount Jefferson, Mount Rainier, Mount Shasta, Mount St. Helens, Newberry, Ofu-Olosega, Pagan, Red Hill-Quemado Volcanic Field, Ruby, Salton Buttes, San Francisco Volcanic Field, Sand Mountain Volcanic Field, Sarigan, Soda Lakes, South Sarigan Seamount, Supply Reef, Ta'u Island, Three Sisters, Tutuila Island, Ubehebe Craters, Uinkaret Volcanic Field, Valles Caldera, Wapi Lava Field, Weekly Update, West Crater Volcanic Field, Yellowstone, Zealandia Bank, Zuni-Bandera Volcanic Field

Carrizozo Lava Flow

Quick Facts

Summary

Publications

2018 update to the U.S. Geological Survey national volcanic threat assessment

Quick Facts

Volcanoes Hazards Program Links

U.S. Geological Survey

U.S. Department of the Interior