Location:
34°27'43.3"N, 106°25'51.5"WType:
Black Butte is a remanant of an older lava flow; the Los Piños volcanoes are small basaltic scoria cones and lava flowsAge:
Black Buttes looks like a volcano, but is actually a 23.4 Ma old remant of lava flows; the best estimate of the Los Piños cones is 3.5 MaSignificance:
Isolated small volcanic rocks and eruption sites near the southern end of the Albuquerque basin part of the Rio Grande riftComposition:
Basaltic to andesiticSummary of Locations and Known Ages of Volcanoes in the Albuquerque Basin, Rio Grande rift
Black Butte
This is a prominent dark conical hill in the southern Albuquerque Basin. Its isolation, and dark conical form give the impression that it is a small basaltic scoria cone. But, in fact, it is a dark remnant hill of a fairly old (24 Ma) more andesitic lava flow.
Black Butte lies within the southern Albuquerque basin part of the Rio Grande rift. L. Crumpler photograph.