West Potrillo Mountains
| West Potrillo Mountains | |
|---|---|
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|
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Cox Peak |
| Elevation | 5,957 ft (1,816 m) |
| Coordinates | 31°54′51″N 107°4′58″W / 31.91417°N 107.08278°W |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 25 mi (40 km) NNE-SSW |
| Geography | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New Mexico |
| County | Doña Ana |
| Range coordinates | 31°52′N 107°0′W / 31.867°N 107.000°WCoordinates: 31°52′N 107°0′W / 31.867°N 107.000°W |
| Borders on |
Interstate 10-N Rio Grande Valley-E East Potrillo Mountains-S |
| Geology | |
| Type of rock | Maar volcanoes, cinder cones, basalt outflows |
The West Potrillo Mountains are a mountain range in south central Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. They are located approximately 40 miles (65 km) northwest of El Paso, Texas, 25 miles (40 km) southwest of Las Cruces, New Mexico, and 35 miles (55 km) southeast of Deming, New Mexico Most of the mountains are located on land managed by the Bureau of Land Management as part of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument. Access to the vicinity is through Doña Ana County Road B-4 South from NM 549, which may be accessed from Interstate 10 Exit 116.
The West Potrillo mountains occupy the western part of the Potrillo volcanic field, an area of olivine basalts covering approximately 400 square miles. In addition to the West Potrillo Mountains, the Potrillo Volcanic Field includes Aden Crater and the Santo Tomas / Black Mountain basalts near La Mesa, New Mexico. The field includes hundreds of volcanic features, including maars, spatter cones, a shield volcano, and cinder cones. The most common peaks in the West Potrillos are cinder cones with a height of between 200 and 500 feet. They are relatively undissected by erosion, and have estimated ages of 0.5 to 3 mya. Some features (like Aden Crater) believed to be as young as twenty thousand years old.
The rocks in the area are extremely diverse, with exposed (non-volcanic) layers ranging in age from Paleozoic to Holocene. Marine deposits (carbonates) were deposited during repeated advances of late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic seas. Folding and faulting of Lower Cretaceous layers occurred during the Laramide disturbance in the nearby East Potrillo Mountains. The area has been above sea level since the Cretaceous period. In the early to middle Tertiary, the Riley Cox andesitic pluton was emplaced. This activity also seems to be associated with the intrusion of andesitic and quartz latite dikes in the East Potrillo range. During the middle Tertiary, high angle faulting and uplifting occurred in the East Potrillo range and began to form intermontane basins. In the middle to late Quaternary, alkali olivine basalt was extruded from fissures in the Fitzgerald, Robledo, and Aden faults. During the late to Holocene, movement occurred along the Fitzgerald and Robledo faults. Holocene deposits are mostly fine blown sand.
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