A Geoscience Digital Image Library
A Geoscience Digital Image Library
| Title | Kilbourne Hole Maar, Potrillo Volcanic Field, New Mexico |
|---|---|
| Description | This is a view of the east side of Kilbourne Hole from the parking area at the end of the access road. Kilbourne Hole is a type of volcanic feature called a maar. Maars are broad, shallow craters that in many ways look like meteor impact craters. (In fact, that was one of the incorrrect explanations for the origin of Kilbourne Hole.) Kilbourne hole formed by a violent, gaseous eruption about 80,000 years ago. The eruption blew much ashy debris into the air which settled to give layered deposits such as seen in this photo. Only minor amounts of basaltic magma were erupted. The ashy deposits contain abundant xenoliths - samples from the earth's crust and mantle that were carried to the surface by the exploding magma. |
| Geologic province | Potrillo Volcanic Field |
| Location | USA ▹ New Mexico. Near El Paso, Texas. Southeast corner of Kilbourne Hole, in Potrillo Volcanic Field, 35 miles NW of El Paso. |
| Photographer | Dexter Perkins. 2003-02-16. |
| Key words | Kilbourne Hole, New Mexico, maar, xenolith |
| Tech details | 564 KB. Vista. Canon Powershot S40 digital camera. |
| GeoDIL number | 2972 |
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