| Dotsero | |
|---|---|
Dotsero maar in central Colorado near the junction of the Colorado and Eagle rivers. |
|
| Elevation | 6,783 ft (2,067 m) [1] |
| Location | |
| Location | Dotsero, Colorado, USA |
| Coordinates | [1] |
| Topo map | USGS Dotsero |
| Geology | |
| Type | maar[1] |
| Age of rock | Holocene[1] |
| Last eruption | 2200 BC ± 300 years[1] |
|
Dotsero near the confluence of the Eagle and Colorado Rivers in Eagle County.
|
Dotsero is a 700-meter (2,300 ft) wide by 400-meter (1,300 ft) deep maar volcano located in Dotsero, Colorado near the junction of the Colorado River and the Eagle River. It is classified as a scoria cone with evaporitic rock, basaltic tephra, and oxidized sandstone. Erupting approximately 4200 years ago, it is the youngest volcano in Colorado. It is currently dormant.[1]
This Holocene volcano erupted in the year 2220 ± 300 years B.C. When Dotsero blew, it created small scoria cones that were constructed along a NNE-SSW line on either side of the maar.[1] The eruption date is based upon radiocarbon dating of wood found underneath some of the scoria.[2] It is one of the youngest eruptions in the continental U.S. and it produced an explosion crater, a lahar, and a 3-kilometer (1.9 mi) long lava flow.[1]
Volcanoes that have erupted in the past 10,000 years are more likely to become active again.[3]
Interstate 70 cuts across the lava flow.