The Magdalena Mountains are a small in area, but regionally high, mountain range in Socorro County

Socorro County, New Mexico

-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*75.1% White*1.1% Black*11.7% Native American*1.2% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*2.8% Two or more races*8.1% Other races*48.5% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...

, in west-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...

 in the southwestern United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The highest point in the range is South Baldy

South Baldy (New Mexico)

South Baldy is the highest point of the Magdalena Mountains in central New Mexico, in the United States. It is located in the Magdalena Ranger District of the Cibola National Forest, about 9 mi south of Magdalena and 18 mi west-southwest of Socorro...

, at 10,783 ft (3,287 m). The range runs roughly north-south and is about 18 miles (28 km) long. The range lies just south of the community of Magdalena

Magdalena, New Mexico

Magdalena is a village in Socorro County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 938 at the 2010 census."The Lady on the Mountain" is a rock formation on Magdalena Peak overlooking Magdalena. Spanish soldiers saw the face of a woman on the west face of the peak...

, and about 18 miles (28 km) west of Socorro

Socorro, New Mexico

Socorro is a city in Socorro County in the U.S. state of New Mexico. It stands in the Rio Grande Valley at an elevation of . The population was 9,051 at the 2010 census...

. The range takes its name from a volcanic peak on the west side, named Magdalena Peak, after Mary Magdalene

Mary Magdalene

Mary Magdalene was one of Jesus' most celebrated disciples, and the most important woman disciple in the movement of Jesus. Jesus cleansed her of "seven demons", conventionally interpreted as referring to complex illnesses...

. A talus formation on the mountain is said to resemble a woman's face.

The Magdalena Mountains are an east-tilted fault-block

Fault-block mountain

Fault-block landforms are formed when large areas of bedrock are widely broken up by faults creating large vertical displacements of continental crust....

 range, superimposed on Cenozoic

Cenozoic

The Cenozoic era is the current and most recent of the three Phanerozoic geological eras and covers the period from 65.5 mya to the present. The era began in the wake of the Cretaceous–Tertiary extinction event at the end of the Cretaceous that saw the demise of the last non-avian dinosaurs and...

 caldera

Caldera

A caldera is a cauldron-like volcanic feature usually formed by the collapse of land following a volcanic eruption, such as the one at Yellowstone National Park in the US. They are sometimes confused with volcanic craters...

s. They form part of the western edge of the Rio Grande Rift

Rio Grande Rift

The Rio Grande Rift is a north-trending continental rift zone. It separates the Colorado Plateau in the west from the interior of the North American craton on the east. The rift extends from central Colorado in the north to the state of Chihuahua, Mexico in the south. The rift zone consists of four...

 Valley, fronting the La Jencia Basin. Much mining activity, involving gold, silver, zinc and lead, occurred on the west side of the range between 1866 and 1960. The mines in the vicinity are particularly well known for museum-quality specimens of the zinc carbonate mineral Smithsonite

Smithsonite

Smithsonite, or zinc spar, is zinc carbonate , a mineral ore of zinc. Historically, smithsonite was identified with hemimorphite before it was realised that they were two distinct minerals. The two minerals are very similar in appearance and the term calamine has been used for both, leading to some...

.

Most of the Magdalena Mountains are within the Magdalena Ranger District of the Cibola National Forest

Cibola National Forest

The Cibola National Forest is a United States National Forest in western and central New Mexico, USA. The forest also manages four National Grasslands that stretch from northeastern New Mexico eastward into the Texas Panhandle and western Oklahoma. It is administered by the United States Forest...

, and parts are also administered by the Bureau of Land Management

Bureau of Land Management

The Bureau of Land Management is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior which administers America's public lands, totaling approximately , or one-eighth of the landmass of the country. The BLM also manages of subsurface mineral estate underlying federal, state and private...

. There are no designated wilderness areas in the range, but there are sizeable (up to approximately 35,000 acre) roadless areas featuring trails and abundant hiking

Hiking

Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...

 opportunities. There are two Wilderness Study Areas in the southern end of the range. At the southern end of the main range crest, just south of South Baldy, lies the Langmuir Laboratory for Atmospheric Research

Langmuir Laboratory for Atmospheric Research

The Langmuir Laboratory for Atmospheric Research is a scientific laboratory studying the cloud processes that produce lightning, hail, and rain, located in the Magdalena Mountains of central New Mexico in the United States...

 of the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology is a university located in Socorro, New Mexico....

 (New Mexico Tech). The same area hosts the Magdalena Ridge Observatory Interferometer, also operated by New Mexico Tech, along with other institutions. A well-established network of trails exists in the Magdalena Mountains. GPS tracks of many hikes, trail runs, and mountain biking routes can be found at the NMT Earth and Environmental Science Department Outdoor Recreation web page and in the Socorro Area Fat Tire Guide.

Significant summits include:

Mountain	Height (ft)	Height (m)	Coordinates	Prominence Topographic prominence In topography, prominence, also known as autonomous height, relative height, shoulder drop , or prime factor , categorizes the height of the mountain's or hill's summit by the elevation between it and the lowest contour line encircling it and no higher summit...  (ft)
South Baldy South Baldy (New Mexico) South Baldy is the highest point of the Magdalena Mountains in central New Mexico, in the United States. It is located in the Magdalena Ranger District of the Cibola National Forest, about 9 mi south of Magdalena and 18 mi west-southwest of Socorro...	10,783	3,287	33.9913°N 107.1880°W	3,813
Timber Peak	10,510	3,203	33.9790°N 107.1603°W	650
North Baldy	9,858	3,005	34.0503°N 107.1813°W	554
Buck Peak	9,085	2,769	33.9827°N 107.1307°W	625