Capulin Volcano National Monument is a U.S. National Monument located in northeastern New Mexico, east of Raton. It encompasses around of land that includes an extinct cinder cone volcano and is part of the Raton-Clayton volcanic field. The volcano and surrounding area was established as a national monument by president Woodrow Wilson in 1916.

Geology

Geological history

The Capulin Volcano lies in between the Raton-Clayton Volcanic Field (RCVF). Volcanic eruption started around 9 million years ago and continued intermittently until around 37,000 years ago. The field itself is between the cities of Raton amd Clayton which it derivies its name from.

Advanced dating techniques from the mid 1990s estimate the eruption of Capulin happened approximately 60,000 years ago over the course of several weeks to several years. More precise argon-argon dating placed the age of eruption at around 54,200 ±1,800 years before present.

Geologic Features

The crater has a diameter around with a base circumference of and a maximum depth at .

With the endorsement of the Secretary of the Interior, John Willock Noble, the US withdrew from “settlement, entry or other

disposition under any of the public land laws until such time as Congress may see fit,” as quoted from the General Land Office.

In 1987, Congress changed “Capulin Mountain National Monument” to “Capulin Volcano National Monument,”.

On December 19, 2025, the monument was listed on the National Register of Historic Places

Ecology

thumb|Horned toad at Capulin Volcano National Monument

The vegetation around Capulin Volcano are apart of the pinyon-juniper woodland, with tree species including pinyon pines, juniper trees ponderosa pines, Rocky Mountain juniper, Gambel oak, quaking aspens and chokecherry. The last one being primarily important due to its Spanish name, Capulin, being used to name the volcano. An endemic plant, the Capulin Goldenrod was also found in 1930 and was identified as a new species found in 1936.

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File:Capulin 1909 lwt01406.jpg|Congealed lava flows, viewed from the top of Capulin Volcano (1909)

File:Capulin 1916 lwt01401.jpg|Capulin Volcano, viewed from the west (1916)

File:Homer farr after the building of the road.jpg|Homer Farr after the completion of the road (1925)

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See also

  • List of national monuments of the United States
  • Black Mesa (Oklahoma)
  • Eastern New Mexico
  • Johnson Mesa
  • Sierra Grande

References

  • Sayre, W., & Ort, M. (1999). A Geologic Study of the Capulin Volcano National Monument and surrounding areas, Union and Colfax Counties, New Mexico. New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources. https://geoinfo.nmt.edu/publications/openfile/downloads/500-599/541/ofr_541.pdf
  • Official Capulin Volcano National Monument website—National Park Service
  • Sangres.com: Information and photos
  • Geology Fieldnotes: Capulin Volcano National Monument—National Park Service