The Jornada del Muerto Volcano is a small shield volcano

Shield volcano

A shield volcano is a type of volcano usually built almost entirely of fluid lava flows. They are named for their large size and low profile, resembling a warrior's shield. This is caused by the highly fluid lava they erupt, which travels farther than lava erupted from more explosive volcanoes...

 and lava field in central New Mexico

New Mexico

New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...

, about 10 by in size and reaching an elevation of 5136 feet (1,565.5 m). Jornada del Muerto means ""Journey of the Dead Man" in Spanish

Spanish language

Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...

, referring to the desolate colonial era trail from New Spain

New Spain

New Spain, formally called the Viceroyalty of New Spain , was a viceroyalty of the Spanish colonial empire, comprising primarily territories in what was known then as 'América Septentrional' or North America. Its capital was Mexico City, formerly Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec Empire...

 through this Malpaís

Malpaís (landform)

A malpaís is a landform characterized by eroded rocks of volcanic origin in an arid environment. This describes many xeric places, but is strongly connected to Spanish-speaking countries and the Southwestern United States because of the Spanish settlers that gave the landform its name.-Badlands...

region.

Geography

The volcano and lava field is located at the northern end of the Jornada del Muerto Desert

Jornada del Muerto

The Jornada del Muerto in the U.S. state of New Mexico was the name given by the Spanish conquistadors to the Jornada del Muerto Desert basin, and the particularly dry stretch of a route through it.The trail lead northward from central Spanish colonial New Spain, present-day Mexico, to the farthest...

 basin

Basin

Basin may refer to:* Basin , a poem about Charlemagne's childhood* basin , the area of a drydock which can be flooded and drained* basin of attraction , an area of a nonlinear system with an attractor...

in the Basin and Range Province. The Jornada del Muerto basin runs between the Oscura Mountains and San Andres Mountains

San Andres Mountains

The San Andres Mountains are a mountain range in the southwestern U.S. state of New Mexico, in the counties of Socorro, Sierra, and Doña Ana. The range extends about 75 miles north to south, but are only about 12 miles wide at their widest...

 on the east, with the Caballo Mountains and the Fra Cristóbal Range

Fra Cristobal Range

The Fra Cristobal Range, is a 17 mi long, mountain range in central-north Sierra County, New Mexico. The range borders the eastern shore of Elephant Butte Reservoir on the Rio Grande, and the range lies towards the southwest of the Jornada del Muerto, the desert region east of the...

 on the west.

Volcano and cones

The main volcano vent is located slightly to the east of the center of the lava flows, rising about 150 feet (46 m) in a broad but conspicuous cone about a mile (1.6 km) in diameter. Within the outer cone are a series of nested spatter cones interspersed with lava pools. On the south side the innermost spatter cone rises to nearly 90 feet (27 m) above the surrounding lava pools, and surrounds an intact symmetrical crater 245 feet (75 m) across and about 30 feet (9 m) deep.

Volcanic field

The volcano erupted about 760,000 years ago in a series of basaltic flows. It produced a slow and viscous aa lava volcanic field

Volcanic field

A volcanic field is an area of the Earth's crust that is prone to localized volcanic activity. They usually contain 10 to 100 volcanoes, such as cinder cones and are usually in clusters. Lava flows may also occur...

 which has a very rough and uneven surface, making travel across it extremely difficult and hazardous; also time consuming. The total volume of erupted material is about 3 cubic miles (12.5 km³) and the lava fields cover an area of over 170 sq mi (440.3 km²).

The largest individual flow-field extends from a center in extreme southeastern Socorro County and extends into Sierra County

Sierra County, New Mexico

-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*85.6% White*0.4% Black*1.7% Native American*0.4% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*3.3% Two or more races*8.6% Other races*28.0% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...

. Currently the flow forms the east bank of the Rio Grande

Rio Grande

The Rio Grande is a river that flows from southwestern Colorado in the United States to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way it forms part of the Mexico – United States border. Its length varies as its course changes...

 from Fra Cristóbal north to Fort Craig

Fort Craig

Fort Craig was a U.S. Army fort located along El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, near Elephant Butte Lake State Park and the Rio Grande in Socorro County, New Mexico....

, but at the time of eruption it temporarily dammed the Rio Grande.