NewMexicoStateParksSeries
Valleyof Fires
a v d l r . Yo l F i r e s S i o r . t u r k
The black, fissuredlava of the Carrizozo Malpaison US-380,westof Cartizozo,
has fascinatedtravelersfor many years.
Becauseof its unusual scenicand scientific features,a 463-acretract adjoining
the highwaywas dedicatedas the Valley
of FiresStatePark on May 6, 1966.
Locatedabout 3 mi northwestof Carrizozo at an elevationof 5,250 ft, Park
facilitiesincludecampsiteswith shelters,
tables,barbecuegrills, playgroundequipment, rest rooms, and electricalhookup
for trailers. Motels and restaurantsare
availablein Carrizozo (population 1,546),
the countyseatof Lincoln CountY.
Geology
The Carrizozo Malpais is one of the
youngestand bestpreservedlava fieldsin
the United States. The term malpais
(meaning "badlands"), was used by
Spanish explorers and travelers in the
Southwest to designaterough-surfaced
lava flows that seriously obstructed
travel. Eventoday, 4-wheeldrive vehicles
areno matchfor thisterrain.
The two principal olivine basalt flows
comprising the Carrizozo Malpais issued
from a volcanicvent at Little Black Peak
near the northern end of the Tularosa
Valley. The glowing, molten lava flowed
44 mi, blanketingan area
southwestward
of 127sq. mi of valleyfloor. In narrow
of the valleythe flows wereconsegments
strictedto a ribbon one-half mile wide,
whereasin wider parts of the valley they
spreadout to a width of over 5 mi. A
thicknessof 162 ft was measuredat one
point 2 mi south of the highway.As the
lava flowed down the valley, the surface
crustcooledand solidified,preservingthe
ropy surface corrugationscharacteristic
of pohoehoe(a Hawaiian term for very
fluid basaltflows).Molten lava continued
to flow down the valley and laterally
toward the marginsbeneaththe increasingly rigid crust that bulged locally into
domelike mounds. buckled and cracked
along pressureridges,and collapsedinto
subcircularpits where fluid lava beneath
pressuredomeswaswithdrawn.
Eruptionsof fluid lava wereinterrupted
at leastthree times by explosiveepisodes
that built conical mounds of cinders,
bombs, and ash about the mouth of the
volcano.The lastof theseexplosiveeYents
createdthe smallcinderconecomposing
Little Black Peak, which risesto a height
of 85 ft and containsan intact crater32 ft
deep.
In time, the entirelava masscooledand
crystallizedto solid rock, exhalingsteam
and other gasesduring the cooling process.These gaseoussubstancesreleased
during cooling left vesicles (bubble
cavities)in the upper crust. Strongwinds
blew sandand silt into pits and crevicesin
the malpais surface,providing a fertile
soil that now supportsabundantplant life
sustainedby scantyrains that penetrate
readily into the fractured, porous rock'
Mammals,reptiles,and birds soon found
shelter and sustenancehere among the
protectivecrevicesand ledges.
Beneaththe glassyto very fine grained
crust. closeexaminationrevealsthe mineralscomposingolivinebasalts.Visibleto
the naked eye are scattered,glassygreen
of olivinesetin an
crystals(phenocrysts)
interlocking network of smaller crystals
of plagioclase feldspar and minor
amountsof augitetoo small to be recognizedwithout a microscope.
When these volcanic eruptions took
place cannot be preciselydeterminedas
yet. A searchfor charcoalin treesinundatedby the lava flows, that wouldpermit
datingby the carbon-14method,hasbeen
unsuccessful.Geologicaland archeologan ageof
ical evidence,however,suggests
approximately1,500to 2,000years.
Accessroads and facilitiesat the park
aresituatedon an "island" of older rock,
a kipuko in Hawaiian terminology,surroundedby a "sea" of lava. The kipuka
consistsof a hill of Dakota Sandstone
depositedalong the shoresof a Cretaceoussearoughly 100 m.y. ago. Weathered surfacesare stainedbrown by iron
oxides: some of the more resistantsurfaces bear a black coating of desert
varnish-a mixture of iron and manganese oxides that accumulateduring prolonged exposureto the weather in dry
climates.Red claysof still older rocks in
the ChinleFormation(Triassicage,about
200 m.y. old) are poorly exposedbelow
the Dakota Sandstoneon the western
slope of the kipuka. These beds were
depositedby streamson the continental
of the
land surfaceprior to encroachment
Cretaceoussea.Bedsof shaleand sandstonealso of Cretaceousage,but overlying the Dakota Sandstone(hencesomewhat younger), are exposedalong the
easternmargin of the malpais and eastward toward the baseof the mountains.
Fossil shellsof sea animalsand beds of
bituminous coal in theserocks attest to
shallowseasand swampycoastalforests
Period.
duringthe Cretaceous
Plantsand animals
Although geologic features are the
park's chief attraction,variousplantsand
animalsnativeto the areaalsomerit mention. Many plantsflourish herein greater
abundanceand luxuriancethan on the adjacent valley slopes.Becauserain penetratesthe porousbasaltreadily,thereare
fertile patches of soil in crevicesand
depressions.In addition, the black lava
May 1979
New Mexico Geology
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surfaces absorb heat from the midday
sunshine and reradiate it at night. Among
the more conspicuous plants of the malpais are juniper, hackberry, algerita
(hollygrape), squawbush, saltbush (chamiso), sparse clumps of desert olive and
Apache plume, sotol, yuccas (2 species),
beargrass, chollas (2 species), prickly
pear, claret cup cactus, and various
grasses.The dry, rocky soil of the kipuka
supports a less luxuriant assemblagethat
includes stunted juniper, algerita, and
mesquite; beargrass, yuccas (2 species),
chollas (3 species),prickly pear, saltbush,
creosotebush, Mormon tea, snakeweed,
and grasses.
Among the smaller mammals are numerous rodents-mice, rats, squirrels,
and rabbits. Larger mammals include the
skunk, bobcat, fox, coyote, mule deer,
and an occasional black bear. Mice,
snakes, and lizards have developed darkhued colorations that protect them from
predators among the dark rocks. At the
White Sands gypsum dunes, within a few
miles of the southern tip of the lava field,
these same species have adapted to the
glaring whiteness of the sands by acquiring very pallid colorations.
History
Prehistoric man also found shelter
here, undoubtedly collected plant foods
and fiber, and hunted and trapped animals. Petroglyphs pecked and scribed into
the rock surfaces along the edges of the
flows, and occasional bits of pottery and
May 1979
New Mexico Geology
spallsof stonetestify to visitsby Indians
of the JornadaBranch of the Mogollon
Culture during the period prior to 1400
was to
A.D. The region subsequently
become the domain of the Mescalero
to intrusionsof
Apache,whoseresistance
of nearwhite settlersled to establishment
by Fort Stantonin 1855.The vast open
rangelandsextendingeastwardacrossthe
Pecosinto Texasattractedcattlemensuch
as John Chisum,whosebrand was registeredin Lincoln (then the county seat)in
1869.Amicable relationshipsamong the
rancherswere shatteredin the interval
from 1878to l88l by the LincolnCounty
rangewars; and an early-daydelinquent,
William "Billy the Kid" Bonney,left his
mark in the registerof infamy. In the
more peacefulyearsthat followed,ranching, mining, farming, and railroading
became the principal activities in the
development
of the area.
Panoramicview
An excellent panorama of the surrounding countrysidemay be seenfrom
the rocky Dakota Sandstone hillock,
where the flagpole is located (see accompanyingdiagram). Viewed in clockwisesequence,
the following featuresmay
be seen. Slightly west of north is the
cinder cone of Little Blsck Peak. The
Gallinas Mountains are on the distant
horizon slightly east of north. To the
northeastareLone Mountain, a stock or
laccolithof intrusiveigneousrock of Ter-
tiary age(about 30 m.y. old), and Baxter
age
Mountain, whererocks of Cretaceous
are cut by gold-bearingveins.Hidden in
the adjacentcanyon is the town site of
White Oaks, now faded from its boom
days of gold mining in the period from
1879into the early 1900's,and memorialized as the settingof EmersonHough's
novel, Hearts Desire. South of White
Oaks, the Tertiary intrusivemassof Carrizozo Peak juts up abruptly. Farther
south are lhe Vera Cruz Mountains. To
the southeastis Carrizozo (Spanishfor
"abundanceof reed grass"), founded in
1905on the El Paso& NortheasternRailroad. The high, forestedmountain range
south of Carrizozo is the Sierra Blanca
(White Mountains), a thick pile of volcanic rocks (andesites)of Tertiary age
(35-40m.y. old), surmountedby Nogal
Pesk onthe north (9,550ft) and by Sierro
BlancaPeak on the south.The Mescalero
Sierra
encircles
ApacheIndianReservation
BlancaPeak. Cub Mountain is the prominentpeakat the westernfoot of the Sierra
Blanca. Slightly west of south are the
Godfrey Hills, alsocomposedof Tertiary
volcanicrocks.
Although not visible from this point,
White SandsNational Monument is Iocatedon the floor of the TularosaValley
ThePhillips
65 mi to the south-southwest.
Hitls are a tilted block of marine limestonesand associatedsedimentaryrocks
of Permianage(about250m.y. old). The
San Andres Mountains, a tilted faultblock range, form the westernborder of
the valleyto the southwest.At the northern end of that rangeis Mockingbird Gap,
famousas the test siteof the first atomic
bomb in 1945.The SierraOscuraare the
tilted fault-blockrangenorth of the gap.
Easternslopesof ChupaderoMesa Io the
northwestare obscuredby the hill in the
foreground on the Carrizozo dome (an
anticlinal upfold), composed of limestone,dolomite,and gypsumof Permian
age.
The Valleyof Firesis a vivid exampleof
that have
someof the dynamicprocesses
shapedthe face of the earth. This is a
region of many contrasts,ranging from
plains to mountainsvercactus-studded
dant with pine and fir; dry arroyo beds,
clearmountain brooks with trout to lure
the angler; snow-coveredslopesfor skiing, and warm wintersun for basking.All
arecloseat hand or within little morethan
an hour's drive from eachother, beckoning thevisitorto seekthem out.
- Robert H. lUeber( 197I )
NM BunE,q.uop MtNes nNo MtNEnaL RpsouRcps
nature trail through the malpais
Editor's note-A
!
has recentlv beenadded to the park.