Carrizozo Volcanic Field and White Sands National Monument
32.7N 106.3W
USA – October 22nd, 2012
The Carrizozo volcanic field is a monogenetic volcanic field located in New Mexico, USA, appearing here as a long, dark brown line with bulbous ends near the image center. The volcanic field consists of two lava flows, the Broken Back flow and the Carrizozo lava flow, the second youngest in New Mexico. Both lava flows originated from groups of cinder cones.
The Broken Back flow is approximately 16 kilometres (10 mi) long and the Carrizozo, one of the largest in the world, is 68 kilometres (42 mi) long, covering 328 square kilometres (127 sq mi) with a volume of 4.2 cubic kilometres (1.0 cu mi).
Visible to the south of the lava flows is the White Sands National Monument, easily visible as a circular, bright white area. The area is in the mountain-ringed Tularosa Basin and comprises the southern part of a 710-km² (275-mi²) field of white sand dunes composed of gypsum crystals.
