Ocate volcanic field

The Ocate volcanic field, also called the Mora volcanic field, is a monogenetic volcanic field in northeastern New Mexico that includes Wagon Mound and extends from the southern Cimarron Range. Volcanic activity began about 8.12 million years ago and occurred in fourteen eruptive pulses, with the latest eruptions roughly 0.67 to 0.95 million years ago. Lying along the Jemez Lineament, the field preserves varied basaltic and more silica-rich lavas and an unusual reverse stratigraphy in which older flows cap high mesas and younger flows lie lower, shaped by uplift, canyon cutting, and later lava infill. Its study has helped reveal how volcanism, tectonics, and erosion transformed this landscape over millions of years.

New Mexico · United States