Sierra Grande
Encyclopedia
For the city in Argentina, see Sierra Grande, Río Negro.


Sierra Grande is an extinct 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...

 in northeastern 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...

 that rises 2,200 feet above the surrounding plain. It is part of the inactive Raton-Clayton volcanic field
Raton-Clayton volcanic field
Raton-Clayton volcanic field is an extinct volcanic field located in the state of New Mexico, United States. Capulin Volcano National Monument is located in the volcanic field. It is thought to have been formed by the Raton hotspot.-Notable Vents:...

. Sierra Grande is the easternmost point in the United States that reaches an altitude of more than 8,000 feet above sea level (2,438 m).

U.S. Highway 64 and U.S. Highway 87 run along the north and east of the volcano with the town of Des Moines
Des Moines, New Mexico
Des Moines is a village in Union County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 177 at the 2000 census. It is located northeast of Sierra Grande, a large shield volcano.-Geography:Des Moines is located at ....

 just to the northeast. To the northwest is the town of Capulin and Capulin Volcano National Monument
Capulin Volcano National Monument
Capulin Volcano National Monument, located in northeastern New Mexico, was designated a U.S. National Monument on August 9, 1916. It is an example of an extinct cinder cone volcano that is part of the Raton-Clayton Volcanic Field. A paved road spirals around the volcano and visitors can drive up...

, an extinct cinder cone
Cinder cone
According to the , Cinder Cone is the proper name of 1 cinder cone in Canada and 7 cinder cones in the United States:In Canada: Cinder Cone In the United States:...

 volcano.

External links

  • Sleeping Monsters, Sacred Fires: Volcanos of New Mexico, 25 minute documentary at Google Video
    Google Video
    Google Videos is a video search engine, and formerly a free video sharing website, from Google Inc. Before removing user-uploaded content, the service allowed selected videos to be remotely embedded on other websites and provided the necessary HTML code alongside the media, similar to YouTube...

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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