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New Mexico's Volcanic Hazards: a Matter of Time

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New Mexico's Volcanic Hazards: a Matter of Time WINTER 2021 New Mexico’s Volcanic Hazards: A Matter of Time ew Mexico’s world-renowned land- one side of the fault moves upward, forming (known as calderas to volcanologists, because Nscapes reflect the vigorous geologic mountains, while the other side of the fault of their resemblance to large caldrons) activity of the region. For those who live moves downward, producing a basin. The erupted in southwestern New Mexico, each here, we see—and sometimes even feel—this Sandia Mountains and the Albuquerque of which injected dozens to hundreds of Earth energy. However, such geologic vigor basin are a textbook example of this process. cubic miles of ash into the atmosphere, and comes with a price in the form of geologic Recent volcanism in New Mexico can be spilled hot, incandescent ash-flows across hazards. Reports on the evening news about divided into two broad periods of activ- the landscape. Before and after the colossal earthquakes in eastern New Mexico are ity, each with their own distinctive traits. supereruptions, numerous “small” volcanoes increasingly common. Driving over moun- Between about 37 and 25 million years ago, erupted, producing explosions similar to tain passes and through deep gorges of a cluster of about twenty supervolcanoes the famous May 18, 1980 eruption of Mt. northern New Mexico may require dodging boulders on the road—evidence of recent Maps and photographs A) Basaltic lava flows, rock falls and landslides. Floods from the showing the two different B such as the 5,200-year-old summer monsoons frequently reshape our styles of recent eruptions flow near Carrizozo (the neighborhood arroyos, and redesign in New Mexico. second youngest eruption in New Mexico), are the rapids in our rivers. One of the A greatest potential hazards in New Mex- 380 common. The lava flowed 45 miles south down the Mexico, one not experienced by Tularosa Basin. B) Young any humans in recent history, is a flows, such as in Valley of volcanic eruption from the many Carizzozo Fires State Park, typically young volcanic fields found in the have very little vegetation state. In this article, we explore and a well-preserved 54 the history of young volcanoes in flow surface. New Mexico, describe recent n i s research to better understand these a B hazards, and ponder the likely a s o events during a future eruption. r 0 2 miles a D l u T 0 2 kilometers A Brief History of New Mexico Volcanism Pick nearly any place in New Mexico and C you are likely to find some evidence for past volcanic activity. Most volcanism in the ek state has occurred in just the last 35 million re C o i years. This is when the Rio Grande rift, a n Valles o t n continental-scale feature related to extension A caldera n a of the crust, began to form. Rifting triggered S Los Alamos C) Young, explosive rhyolitic eruptions two major geologic processes, volcanism and in New Mexico are rare and are found only faulting. Extension causes Earth’s crust to 501 in the Jemez Mountains. D) Ash-rich deposits Jem are common during rhyolitic eruptions. thin, allowing the molten mantle to either ez Riv er 4 This outcrop, along NM 4, exposes a rise toward the surface, or to melt overlying 4 0 2 miles 40-foot sequence of ash ejected during rocks, both of which can produce volcanic a 74,000-year-old eruption. Photo by 0 2 kilometers eruptions. During faulting, the crust on Nick Meszaros. Published by the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources • A Research Division of New Mexico Tech Laser This younger pulse of activity is clustered (heats samples) into eight major volcanic fields and a few iso- Extraction line lated vents and related flows. Some of these (cleans sample gas) volcanic fields are located in the Rio Grande rift. Others are located along a feature called the Jemez lineament, a zone of crustal weakness that has focused volcanic activity along a northeast-trending line. Although most eruptions in New Mexico in the last 10 million years are small, the Valles caldera, Mass spectrometer also known as “New Mexico’s supervolcano,” (measures argon isotopes) produced two immense, explosive eruptions at 1.6 and 1.2 million years ago, generating Photo of students working in the New Mexico Geochronology Research Laboratory. The lab has widespread ash falls. supported hundreds of projects from around the world, many led by New Mexico Tech students. Why did the style of eruptions shift between the older and younger volcanoes? St. Helens. Thankfully, this field of New lava with very little ash. Some examples of Geologists have determined that the shift was Mexico’s supervolcanoes is now extinct, and these small volcanoes include cinder cones related to a change in the composition of the is beautifully exposed in the Gila Mountains (steep-sided cones built from the accumula- magma. The older calderas typically erupted and surrounding areas. tion of small, cooled fragments of lava called rhyolite composition magma, which contains Beginning about 12 million years ago cinders), shield volcanoes (volcanoes with large amounts of silica, making the magmas and continuing until about 3,900 years ago, very shallow slopes formed by many lava more viscous (less likely to flow). When mag- the style of volcanic activity in New Mexico flows), fissure vents (lines of small volcanoes mas rise through the crust, the decrease in dramatically changed. Instead of the cataclys- that erupt along a fracture), and maar craters pressure allows dissolved gases to be released. mic, caldera-forming eruptions, the younger (formed when rising magma meets ground- However, the viscous rhyolite prevents gas volcanoes produced smaller eruptions of water, causing a violent steam explosion). expansion, and causes pressure to build, Valles caldera Brazos Cones Taos Plateau Ocate magma body ?–179,000 yrs, 4 vents ~6.0–1.0 m.y., 50 vents 8.3 m.y.–810,000 yrs, 50 vents unknown frequency 1 per 100,000 yrs 1 per 150,000 yrs Jemez Mountains no <500,000 yr old eruptions no <500,000 yr old eruptions 16.5 m.y.–68,000 yrs, 400–450 vents 109o 103o 1 per ~39,000 years 37o only two eruptions <500,000 yrs at 74,000 and 68,000 yrs TAOS Raton-Clayton Mt. Taylor and Mesa Chivato 9.2 m.y.–37,000 yrs, 140 vents 4.5–1.3 m.y., >100 vents 1 per 65,000 yrs ~1 per 32,000 yrs 368,000–37,000 yrs, 9 vents no <500,000 yr old eruptions 1 per 37,000 yrs SANTA FE Zuni-Bandera Albuquerque Volcanoes ? to 3,900 yrs, 80–90 vents JEMEZ LINEAMENT 1 fissure eruption at 195,000 yrs GRANTS ALBUQUERQUE unknown frequency 380,000–3,900 yrs, 38 vents Cat Hills 1 per 10,000 yrs 268,000–116,000 yrs, 3 fissure eruptions 1 per 50,000 yrs Red Hill-Quemado 8 m.y.–25,000 yrs, 40 vents SOCORRO Valley of Fire 1 per 200,000 yrs (home of the Bureau of Geology) 347,000–5,200 yrs, 4 vents RIO GRANDE RIFT 120,000–25,000 yrs, 7 vents 1 per 85,000 yrs 1 per 14,000 yrs Jornada del Muerto Lucero 817,000–78,000 yrs, 2 vents 8.3 m.y.–192,000 yrs, 25 vents only 1 <500,000 yr old eruption 1 per 324,000 yrs 1 <500,000 yr old eruption Potrillo 916,000–16,000 yrs, 111 vents Socorro magma body 0 50 mi N 1 per 8,000 yrs LAS CRUCES 327,000–16,000 yrs, 14 vents Animas 0 50 km 1 per 22,000 yrs 1 eruption at 349,000 yrs 32o Map showing locations and eruption Active magma bodies Name of volcanic field frequencies of late Cenozoic (less than Age range, number of eruptions and 10 million years old) volcanic activity Late Cenozoic volcanic rocks average eruption frequency for the entire history of field in New Mexico. Vents are clustered into (10 m.y. to present) Age range, number of eruptions and eight major volcanic fields and numerous Vent migration direction (if applicable) average eruption frequency for eruptions in the last 500,000 yrs isolated vents and flows. NEW MEXICO EARTH MATTERS 2 WINTER 2021 resulting in a highly explosive eruption. The a key element in understanding this threat by heating with a laser at progressively higher rapid release of pressure during the eruption was missing until recently. To answer any of temperatures to remove more and more gas. causes bubbles to quickly expand and burst, the three questions we must know the precise The extracted gases are then cleaned so that fracturing the rapidly solidified magma into ages and locations of past eruptions. Although only argon is delivered to the mass spectrome- small fragments called ash. However, most of many studies have investigated aspects of ter (an instrument that measures the abun- the younger volcanoes in New Mexico (Valles eruptive behavior in the state, no study dances of isotopes) for the age determination. caldera is the exception) erupted basalt, a existed that addressed state-wide eruptive time A major upgrade to the lab in 2011 improved type of magma that is low in silica and rich in patterns. This data gap began to close in 2013, our precision for dating young volcanic rocks iron and magnesium. These types of magmas when researchers at the New Mexico Bureau of to less than a few thousand years, allowing have low viscosity (more likely to flow). The Geology and Mineral Resources (NMBGMR) volcanologists to detect patterns in eruptive gases in the rising basaltic magmas can easily at New Mexico Tech were awarded a National activity that were previously unresolvable.
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