Carrizozo Malpais

The Carrizozo Malpais is the long dark streak across the bottom half of the image. The red arrowhead marks the location of Trinity site. Sierra Blanca is visible at lower right, and the low ridge towards the top of the photo is the Oscura Mountains. Credit: NASA Astronaut photograph ISS008-E-5604, taken at an altitude of 198 miles.

The Carrizozo Malpais is a large lava flow on the west side of Carrizozo, New Mexico, on the northern part of the Tularosa Basin between Sierra Blanca to the southeast and the Oscura Mountains to the west.

The lava making up the flow came from Little Black Peak, about 10 miles north-northwest of Carrizozo, and went about 40 miles south-southwest down the bottom of Tularosa Basin in two active flows. Initial age estimates ranged from 1,000 to 1,500 years ago, but recent cosmogenic dating techniques revealed the eruption date is 5200 ± 700 years ago. At their southern end, the lava flows are about 12 miles north of the dune fields of White Sands National Monument.

The Valley of Fires Recreation Area provides access to the malpais on its east edge, about 3 miles west of Carrizozo on U.S. Route 380. There are several scenic overlooks through the area where the highway crosses the malpaís, and entire extent of the flow can be seen from higher elevations to the east on U.S. Route 380.

• Carrizozo.jpg

  The location of Carrizozo.

• Carrizozo Lava Flow.jpg

  Satellite image of Carrizozo.

• Carrizozo Malpais Overview.jpg

  An overview of the lava flows (Little Black Peak in distance).

• Carrizozo Malpais Closeup.jpg

  A close-up view of the lava flows.

• Carrizozo Malpais Juniper.jpeg

  A Juniper tree grows out of the Carrizoz Malpais.

See also

• Jornada del Muerto
• Jornada del Muerto Volcano
• Lava plain