The sparsely vegetated lava flow filling a broad valley is the Carrizozo lava flow, which was erupted from a low shield volcano topped by the Little Black Peak cinder cone. The massive lava flow, which was dated at about 5200 years Before Present, traveled 75 km down the Tularosa Basin in south-central New Mexico. The extremely lengthy travel distance of the flow (one of the longest on Earth during Holocene time) was facilitated by movement within lava tubes, which thermally insulated the flow.

Photo by Lee Siebert, 1999 (Smithsonian Institution).

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

Carrizozo