Cabezon Peak
Cabezon Peak | |
---|---|
![]() Cabezon Peak at sunrise | |
Highest point | |
Elevation | 7,785 ft (2,373 m)[1] |
Prominence | 1,508 ft (460 m)[1] |
Parent peak | Pt 9114[2] |
Isolation | 10.35 mi (16.66 km)[2] |
Coordinates | 35°35′58″N 107°05′45″W / 35.5994727°N 107.0958761°W[3] |
Geography | |
Location | class 3+ scrambling[2] |
Cabezon Peak is a large volcanic plug that is a prominent feature in northwestern New Mexico. It rises to 7,785 feet (2,373 meters) in elevation, and nearly 2,000 feet above the floor of the Rio Puerco Valley.[4] Cabezon Peak is two miles south of the old ghost town of Cabezon and the Rio Puerco. This volcanic neck is formed of basalt and is part of the Mount Taylor volcanic field. A volcanic neck or plug is formed when magma from an existing volcano solidifies in the pipe or neck and the surrounding sediment is eroded away.[5] Marine Cretaceous rocks of the Mancos Shale and Point Lookout Sandstone are exposed around the base of Cabezon Peak.
Cabezon means “big head” in Spanish. This stems from a
Mesa Prieta is south of Cabezon Peak.
Geology
Cabezon Peak is the solidified core of a volcano that erupted 2.658 ± 0.032 million years ago, based on
The visible plug is nearly cylindrical in shape; it is approximately 0.5 kilometers (0.3 mi) across at its base, and tapers to 0.15 kilometers (0.1 mi). The plug is composed mostly of basalt columns, about 0.5 to 2.5 meters (1.6 to 8.2 ft) in diameter, that are vertical in the upper part of the plug but splay outwards at its base. The topmost part of the plug is scoria that remains from the original cone.[11]
The lava erupted at Cabezon Peak was
The basalt of Cabezon Peak contains a small number of xenoliths, fragments of solid rock that were entrained in the magma from the upper mantle or lower crust.[14]
Gallery
-
Cabezon Peak is a volcanic plug located near the "ghost town" of Cabezon, NM
-
Cabezon Peak in northwestern New Mexico
-
Oblique air photo of Cabezon Peak, facing north
-
Winter scene
-
The view from the top of Cabezon Peak looking south. On the far left Mount Taylor's north side can be seen.
References
- ^ a b "Cabezon Peak, New Mexico". Peakbagger.com.
- ^ a b c "Cabezon Peak - 7,785' UT". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2020-09-26.
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Cabezon Peak
- ^ "Cabezon Peak Wilderness Study Area". Archived from the original on 2010-05-28. Retrieved 2010-06-26.
- ^ Hallett, C. Bruce (1992). "Volcanic geology of the Rio Puerco necks" (PDF). New Mexico Geological Society Field Conference Series. 43: 135–144. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
- ^ Locke, R. F. (1990) Sweet Salt: Navajo folktales and mythology, Roundtable Publishing Company, Santa Monica
- ^ a b Hallett 1992, pp. 1369.
- .
- doi:10.3133/pp189B.
- ^ Hallett 1992, pp. 135, 139.
- ^ Hallett 1992, pp. 140.
- ^ Hallett 1992, pp. 136.
- ^ Hallett 1992, pp. 137.
- ^ Hallett 1992, pp. 139.
Further reading
- Chronic, Halka, 1987, Roadside Geology of New Mexico: Roadside Geology Series, Mountain Press Publishing Company.
- Dictionary of Geological Terms, Anchor Press/Doubleday, third edition
- Julyan, Robert, 1998, The Place Names of New Mexico: The University of New Mexico Press, revised edition.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Cabezon Peak: Weather forecast
- Cabezon Peak: Bureau of Land Management
- Cabezon Peak flyover: YouTube