Raton hotspot

The Raton hotspot is a volcanic hotspot which is responsible for the volcanic activity which forms the volcanoes in northeastern New Mexico, United States.

The Raton hotspot is believed to have been the origin of the Raton-Clayton volcanic field which is an extensive volcanic field with no observed activity in modern times.[1]

Trail

The Jemez volcanic lineament (Raton hotspot trail) consists of the San Carlos volcanic field, Springerville volcanic field, Red Hill volcanic field,[2] Zuni-Bandera volcanic field, Mount Taylor volcanic field, Jemez volcanic field and possibly the (Ocate volcanic field, Raton-Clayton volcanic field, and Mesa de Maya). There are few reliable age measurements of the oldest volcanic rocks. The Yellowstone hotspot trail was modified through faulting and extension of the Basin and Range Province, so this trail shows more accurately the movement of the North American Plate.[3]

References

  1. ^ "Raton-Clayton (Capulin Volcano) Volcanic Field (with map)". New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science. http://www.nmnaturalhistory.org/volcano/raton_disc.html. 
  2. ^ Wood, Charles A.; Jűrgen Kienle (1993). Volcanoes of North America. Cambridge University Press. pp. 284–286. ISBN 0-512-43811-X. 
  3. ^ W. Jason Morgan and Jason Phipps Morgan. Plate velocities in hotspot reference frame: electronic supplement. pp. 111. http://www.mantleplumes.org/P%5E4/P%5E4Chapters/MorganP4ElectronicSupp1.pdf. Retrieved 2010-04-23. 

External links