The Lucero volcanic field is a monogenetic volcanic field located New Mexico, US. The field is located on the transition between the southeastern Colorado Plateau and the Rio Grande rift and was erupted in three pulses, at 8.3−6.2, 4.3−3.3, and 1.1−0 Mya. The field consists of isolated outcrops scattered over an area of about 2,000 square kilometers (770 sq mi)[2] with a total eruptive volume of about 7.3 cubic kilometers (1.8 cu mi).[3]
| Lucero volcanic field | |
|---|---|
 Mesa Lucero, New Mexico, US | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 1,573 to 2,395 metres (5,161 to 7,858 ft)[1] |
| Coordinates | 34°42′N 107°20′W / 34.700°N 107.333°W[1] |
| Geography | |
 | |
| Location | New Mexico, United States |
| Geology | |
| Rock age | 8.3 million years[1] |
| Mountain type | Volcanic field[1] |
| Volcanic arc/belt | Rio Grande rift |
| Last eruption | 0.5 million years ago[2] |
The field erupted silica-poor (mafic) lavas ranging from low-alkali tholeiitic basalt to basanites and other alkaline magmas. The more recent eruptions are increasingly dominated by tholeiitic magmas, suggesting that the source region for the magma has become increasingly shallow over time. The pause between the first and second pulse coincides with a general decrease in volcanism on the Colorado Plateau and Rio Grande rift, while the pause between the second and third pulse seems to be local and to correspond to a shift in volcanism to the nearby Mount Taylor volcanic field.[2] Older eruptive centers are located at higher elevations than younger eruptive centers, illustrating development of inverted topography as the landscape has evolved.[4]
Because the field contains individual vents displaying hydromagmatic, Strombolian, and effusive eruption modes, and because the subsurface strata are well characterized, the field has been studied to develop models of entrainment of country rock in eruptive conduits.[5]
Notable vents
editSee also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e Wood, Charles A.; Jürgen Kienle (1992-11-27). Volcanoes of North America: The United States and Canada. Cambridge University Press. pp. 305–306. ISBN 978-0-521-43811-7.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Baldridge, W. Scott; Perry, Frank V.; Shafiqullah, Muhammad (1 October 1987). "Late Cenozoic volcanism of the southeastern Colorado Plateau: I. Volcanic geology of the Lucero area, New Mexico". GSA Bulletin. 99 (4): 463–470. doi:10.1130/0016-7606(1987)99<463:LCVOTS>2.0.CO;2.
- ^ Baldridge, W.S. (2004). "Pliocene-Quaternary volcanism in New Mexico and a model for genesis of magmas in continental extension". In Mack, G.H.; Giles, K.A. (eds.). The geology of New Mexico. A geologic history: New Mexico Geological Society Special Volume 11. pp. 312–330. ISBN 9781585460106.
- ^ Dunbar, N.; Lucas, S.G. (2005). "Quaternary volcanism in New Mexico". New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin. 28: 95–106. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
- ^ Valentine, Greg A.; Groves, Kristelle R. (January 1996). "Entrainment of Country Rock during Basaltic Eruptions of the Lucero Volcanic Field, New Mexico". The Journal of Geology. 104 (1): 71–90. doi:10.1086/629802. S2CID 140578937.
Further reading
edit- Wells, Stephen G. (January 1989). "A Synthesis and Review of Geomorphic Surfaces of the Boundary Zone Mt. Taylor to Lucero Uplift Area West Central New Mexico" (PDF). Los Alamos National Laboratory Technical Report. LA-SUB-95-158. Retrieved 2008-12-18.
- Crumpler, L. S.; J. C. Aubele (2001). "Volcanoes of New Mexico: An Abbreviated Guide for Non-Specialists" (PDF). Volcanology in New Mexico. New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin (18). New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science: 5–16. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-03-21. Retrieved 2008-12-18.
- "Lucero". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2021-06-28.