This is one in a possible series of I-40 Park-and-Earthcache caches that highlight various geological features in New Mexico. The cords for this earthcache are accessible at the Bluewater Exit from EITHER DIRECTION of Interstate 40. There is plenty of space for Truckers/RVs to pull off and back on the ramps. It can be done from your car, so it is fully handicap accessible.
General Geology:
There are four general geological regions in New Mexico – The Western Highlands; The Rift; The Rockies; and the East of the Rift areas. Each has a distinct geological footprint, though the variety present within each region is astounding. You are in the Western Highlands geological region.
"From the Rest Area at milepost 102 (eastbound), Mount Taylor (11,301 feet) shows up to the north, towering over a lava-capped mesa" (sandstone landforms have been "coated" with lava, kind of like hard icing on a cake).
Mount Taylor is one of New Mexico's largest extinct volcanoes and is classified as a stratovolcano (composite volcano). It rises more than a mile (about 5,500 feet) above the surrounding landscape, making it one of the state's most recognizable landmarks. (Geoinfo)
"Mount Taylor is built of many successive lava and ash flows, the oldest of basalt, the younger ones of dacite and andesite." The mountain began to form following the Miocene Epoch and continued erupting through the Pliocene Epoch (roughly 4.3 to 1.5 million years ago). By this time, the older sedimentary rock formations surrounding the volcano had already been deposited and weathered for millions of years. (USGS)
During its lifetime, the volcano erupted many times. Lava domes repeatedly formed near the summit, only to be destroyed by later eruptions. Massive lava flows spread for many miles, while volcanic ash blanketed much of the surrounding area. Most of the lava you see capping nearby mesas came from these eruptions. Because basalt is much harder than the sandstone beneath it, it protected the softer rock from erosion, creating the flat-topped mesas visible throughout western New Mexico. (GeoInfo)
Today the volcano is no longer symmetrical. The summit contains a large horseshoe-shaped amphitheater that opened on the east flank. Geologists believe this feature formed after eruptions ended, when erosion and large landslides removed part of the volcano's eastern side over hundreds of thousands of years. (GeoInfo)
Mount Taylor also sits along the Jemez Lineament, a northeast-trending zone where magma has repeatedly reached Earth's surface. This ancient structural weakness has helped produce many of New Mexico's volcanic fields, including Mount Taylor, the Valles Caldera, and several younger volcanic areas. (GeoInfo)
Today, the volcano is somewhat horseshoe shaped with a valley on its ______ flank (see logging requirements).
Did You Know?
Mount Taylor is known by several Indigenous names, including Tsoodził (Tsodzil) to the Navajo Nation. It is considered one of the Four Sacred Mountains that traditionally mark the boundaries of the Navajo homeland and remains sacred to numerous Native American tribes today. (GeoInfo)
Congrads to frankandginny for FTF (First To Finish logging requirements)
Logging Requirements:
Send the answers to #1-#4 to me through my geocaching profile. DO NOT post the answers to any logging requirements on this site.
1. List the name “GC2J47D Mount Taylor Volcanics Earthcache” in the first line of your email. Also, list the number of people in your group.
2. Describe the “look” of Mount Taylor. What color is the dominate rock? What shape is the mountain?
3. You are looking at Mount Taylor from the west, looking east. What side (east, west, north, south) seems to be the side that was “blown out” during a major eruption?
4. The elevation of Mountain Taylor is 11,301 feet. Subtract your current elevation and tell me how high the mountain towers above the highland plain.
5. No photo is requested or suggested for this earthcache. If you attach a photo(s) to your log, please be sure they don't give away logging requirement answers!
I will only respond if you have incomplete logging requirements. Go ahead and log your cache
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