Vegetation has been cleared from the surface of a massive lava flow from Xitle volcano to form a park on the campus of the National University of México (UNAM). Pahoehoe textures of the roughly 1,600-year-old basaltic lava flow are exposed in the park. The tube-fed flow traveled 13 km from Xitle, a small scoria cone whose summit forms the flat area on the horizon to the left of Volcán Ajusco, the large lava dome complex on the horizon.

Photo by Lee Siebert, 1998 (Smithsonian Institution).

This image is made available under the Public Domain Dedication CC0 license, but proper attribution is appreciated.

Keywords: lava flow | pahoehoe

Chichinautzin