No: 191
Access Public
Visible Yes
Name El Malpais NMType 1 Place Geological
Type 2 Location GrantsRegion NM
Country USA
Phone Web www.nps.gov/elma/index.htm
Video Month Rate Medium
Plan N
Done N
Comments The primeval black basalt terrain of El Malpais was created by volcanic forces over the past million years. Molten lava spread out over the high desert from dozens of eruptions to create cinder cones, shield volcanos, collapses, trenches, caves, and other eerie formations. This stark landscape preserves one of the best continuous geologic records of volcanism on the planet.