05/30/2026
We get a little excited about volcanoes and mantle xenoliths!
After wrapping up field work for Project 5, our Field Campers explored more of the area in and around the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument, this time focusing on the cinder cones and maar volcanoes of the Potrillo Volcanic Field, including the (geologically) famous Kilbourne Hole. Kilbourne Hole is a maar volcano, a crater that forms from an explosive eruption caused when hot magma or lava comes in contact with groundwater. Kilbourne Hole was an active volcano for a while, but the eruption that created the crater likely occurred sometime after 80,000-70,000 years ago. While its dramatic formation is interesting, KH is best known for the nodules of green peridotite that the lava carried to Earth’s surface from the mantle.
