Global Volcanism Program

The Global Volcanism Program has no activity reports available for Zuni-Bandera.

The Global Volcanism Program has no Weekly Reports available for Zuni-Bandera.

The Global Volcanism Program has no Bulletin Reports available for Zuni-Bandera.

Basic Data

Volcano Number

Last Known Eruption

Elevation

Latitude
Longitude

327120

1170 BCE

2,550 m / 8,366 ft

34.8°N
108°W

Morphology

Volcano Landform
Cluster

Volcano Types
Volcanic field

Rock Types

Major
Basalt / Picro-Basalt

Tectonic Setting

Rift zone
Continental crust (> 25 km)

Population

Within 5 km
Within 10 km
Within 30 km
Within 100 km

18
18
246
54,738

Geological Summary

The Zuni-Bandera volcanic field covers 2,460 km² along the Jemez lineament west of the Rio Grande Rift. An older volcanic episode, mostly from vents along the Chain of Craters, took place about 3.8-3.7 million years ago (Ma); the younger episode began about 1.7 Ma and formed an extensive area of lava flows known as El Malpais. The youngest lava flow, the McCartys flow, traveled 60 km NE, fed by lava tubes up to 29 km long. The McCartys flow was recorded in native legends and was thought to have been erupted about 1,000 years ago, but radiocarbon dating indicates an age of about 3,000 years before present. The only other dated flow of Holocene age originated from Bandera Crater about 9,000-10,000 radiocarbon years ago. An earlier flow, the massive Pleistocene Fence Lake lava flow, traveled as far as 90 km W.

References

The following references have all been used during the compilation of data for this volcano, it is not a comprehensive bibliography.

Dunbar N W, Phillips F M, 2004. Cosmogenic 36Cl ages of lava flows in the Zuni-Bandera volcanic field, north-central New Mexico, U.S.A.. New Mex Bur Geol Geophys Bull, 160: 309-317.

Laughlin A W, Brookins D G, Causey J D, 1972. Late Cenozoic basalts from the Bandera lava field, Valencia County, New Mexico. Geol Soc Amer Bull, 83: 1543-1552.

Laughlin A W, Poths J, Healey H A, Reneau S, WoldeGabriel G, 1994. Dating of Quaternary basalts using the cosmogenic 3He and 14C methods with implications for excess 40Ar. Geology, 22: 135-138.

Lipman P W, Moench R H, 1972. Basalts of the Mount Taylor volcanic field, New Mexico. Geol Soc Amer Bull, 83: 1335-1344.

Maxwell C H, 1982. El Malpais. New Mexico Geol Soc Guidebook, 33rd Field Conf, p 299-301.

Maxwell C H, 1986. Geologic map of El Malpais lava field and surrounding areas, Cibola County, New Mexico. U S Geol Surv Map, I-1595.

Nichols R L, 1946. McCartys basalt flow, Valencia County, New Mexico. Geol Soc Amer Bull, 57: 1049-1086.

Eruptive History

There is data available for 2 confirmed Holocene eruptive periods.

1170 BCE ± 300 years Confirmed Eruption (Explosive / Effusive) VEI: 0

Episode 1 | Eruption (Explosive / Effusive)

McCartys flow

1170 BCE ± 300 years - Unknown

Evidence from Isotopic: 14C (calibrated)

List of 4 Events for Episode 1 at McCartys flow

Start Date	End Date	Event Type	Event Remarks
- - - -	- - - -	Explosion	weak or small
- - - -	- - - -	Lava flow	violent, strong, or large
- - - -	- - - -	Cinder Cone
1170 BCE ± 300 years	- - - -	VEI (Explosivity Index)

8710 BCE ± 300 years Confirmed Eruption (Explosive / Effusive)

Episode 1 | Eruption (Explosive / Effusive)

Bandera Crater

8710 BCE ± 300 years - Unknown

Evidence from Isotopic: 14C (calibrated)

List of 4 Events for Episode 1 at Bandera Crater

Start Date	End Date	Event Type
- - - -	- - - -	Explosion
- - - -	- - - -	Lava flow
- - - -	- - - -	Cinder Cone
- - - -	- - - -	Scoria

This compilation of synonyms and subsidiary features may not be comprehensive. Features are organized into four major categories: Cones, Craters, Domes, and Thermal Features. Synonyms of features appear indented below the primary name. In some cases additional feature type, elevation, or location details are provided.

Synonyms

Bandera Lava Field | Malpais Volcanic Field | Grants Malpais

Cones

Feature Name

Feature Type

Elevation

Latitude

Longitude

Bandera, Cerro

Pyroclastic cone

2550 m

35° 0' 0.00" N

108° 6' 0.00" W

Colorado, Cerro

Cone

Encierro, Cerro

Vent

2298 m

34° 53' 0.00" N

108° 3' 0.00" W

Hoyo de Cibola

Vent

2380 m

34° 53' 0.00" N

108° 7' 0.00" W

Hueco, Cerro
Deer Mountain

Shield volcano

2441 m

Lost Woman

Cone - Crater

2459 m

34° 58' 0.00" N

108° 5' 0.00" W

Paxton Springs

Cone

35° 4' 0.00" N

108° 4' 0.00" W

Rendija, Cerro

Cone

34° 57' 0.00" N

108° 8' 0.00" W

Tetra, La
Tetera, Cerro

Cone - Crater

2458 m

34° 59' 0.00" N

108° 3' 0.00" W

Craters

Feature Name

Feature Type

Elevation

Latitude

Longitude

Bandera Crater

Crater - Cone

35° 0' 0.00" N

108° 5' 0.00" W

Calderon, El

Crater

2320 m

34° 58' 0.00" N

108° 1' 0.00" W

Laguna

Fissure vent

McCartys

Fissure vent

34° 48' 0.00" N

108° 0' 0.00" W

Twin Craters

Crater

2423 m

34° 59' 0.00" N

108° 4' 0.00" W

Photo Gallery

Bandera Crater in the center is part of the Zuni-Bandera lava field that covers a 2460 km² area of central New Mexico. The lava field contains 74 vents that erupted voluminous lava flows, including the 90-km-long Fence Lake flow and the youngest flow of the lava field, the 3000-year-old McCartys lava flow. The McCartys flow traveled 60 km to the north, extending to the base of the Mount Taylor range, the peak in the distance.

Photo by Lee Siebert, 1987 (Smithsonian Institution).

Bandera Crater, one of the youngest features of the Zuni-Bandera lava field, is a breached cinder cone that fed a lava flow dated about 9000 BCE. The Bandera lava flow forms part of El Malpais (Spanish for "badlands"), the largely unvegetated, youngest Quaternary basaltic lava flows that cover a broad area south of Grants, New Mexico.

Photo by Lee Siebert, 1987 (Smithsonian Institution).

Smithsonian Sample Collections Database

There are no samples for Zuni-Bandera in the Smithsonian's NMNH Department of Mineral Sciences Rock and Ore collection.

External Sites

Copernicus Browser

The Copernicus Browser replaced the Sentinel Hub Playground browser in 2023, to provide access to Earth observation archives from the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem, the main distribution platform for data from the EU Copernicus missions.

MIROVA

Middle InfraRed Observation of Volcanic Activity (MIROVA) is a near real time volcanic hot-spot detection system based on the analysis of MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) data. In particular, MIROVA uses the Middle InfraRed Radiation (MIR), measured over target volcanoes, in order to detect, locate and measure the heat radiation sourced from volcanic activity.

MODVOLC Thermal Alerts

Using infrared satellite Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data, scientists at the Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawai'i, developed an automated system called MODVOLC to map thermal hot-spots in near real time. For each MODIS image, the algorithm automatically scans each 1 km pixel within it to check for high-temperature hot-spots. When one is found the date, time, location, and intensity are recorded. MODIS looks at every square km of the Earth every 48 hours, once during the day and once during the night, and the presence of two MODIS sensors in space allows at least four hot-spot observations every two days. Each day updated global maps are compiled to display the locations of all hot spots detected in the previous 24 hours. There is a drop-down list with volcano names which allow users to 'zoom-in' and examine the distribution of hot-spots at a variety of spatial scales.

WOVOdat
   Single Volcano View
   Temporal Evolution of Unrest
   Side by Side Volcanoes

WOVOdat is a database of volcanic unrest; instrumentally and visually recorded changes in seismicity, ground deformation, gas emission, and other parameters from their normal baselines. It is sponsored by the World Organization of Volcano Observatories (WOVO) and presently hosted at the Earth Observatory of Singapore.

GVMID Data on Volcano Monitoring Infrastructure The Global Volcano Monitoring Infrastructure Database GVMID, is aimed at documenting and improving capabilities of volcano monitoring from the ground and space. GVMID should provide a snapshot and baseline view of the techniques and instrumentation that are in place at various volcanoes, which can be use by volcano observatories as reference to setup new monitoring system or improving networks at a specific volcano. These data will allow identification of what monitoring gaps exist, which can be then targeted by remote sensing infrastructure and future instrument deployments.

Volcanic Hazard Maps

The IAVCEI Commission on Volcanic Hazards and Risk has a Volcanic Hazard Maps database designed to serve as a resource for hazard mappers (or other interested parties) to explore how common issues in hazard map development have been addressed at different volcanoes, in different countries, for different hazards, and for different intended audiences. In addition to the comprehensive, searchable Volcanic Hazard Maps Database, this website contains information about diversity of volcanic hazard maps, illustrated using examples from the database. This site is for educational purposes related to volcanic hazard maps. Hazard maps found on this website should not be used for emergency purposes. For the most recent, official hazard map for a particular volcano, please seek out the proper institutional authorities on the matter.

IRIS seismic stations/networks

Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) Data Services map showing the location of seismic stations from all available networks (permanent or temporary) within a radius of 0.18° (about 20 km at mid-latitudes) from the given location of Zuni-Bandera. Users can customize a variety of filters and options in the left panel. Note that if there are no stations are known the map will default to show the entire world with a "No data matched request" error notice.

UNAVCO GPS/GNSS stations

Geodetic Data Services map from UNAVCO showing the location of GPS/GNSS stations from all available networks (permanent or temporary) within a radius of 20 km from the given location of Zuni-Bandera. Users can customize the data search based on station or network names, location, and time window. Requires Adobe Flash Player.

DECADE Data

The DECADE portal, still in the developmental stage, serves as an example of the proposed interoperability between The Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program, the Mapping Gas Emissions (MaGa) Database, and the EarthChem Geochemical Portal. The Deep Earth Carbon Degassing (DECADE) initiative seeks to use new and established technologies to determine accurate global fluxes of volcanic CO₂ to the atmosphere, but installing CO₂ monitoring networks on 20 of the world's 150 most actively degassing volcanoes. The group uses related laboratory-based studies (direct gas sampling and analysis, melt inclusions) to provide new data for direct degassing of deep earth carbon to the atmosphere.

Large Eruptions of Zuni-Bandera

Information about large Quaternary eruptions (VEI >= 4) is cataloged in the Large Magnitude Explosive Volcanic Eruptions (LaMEVE) database of the Volcano Global Risk Identification and Analysis Project (VOGRIPA).

EarthChem

EarthChem develops and maintains databases, software, and services that support the preservation, discovery, access and analysis of geochemical data, and facilitate their integration with the broad array of other available earth science parameters. EarthChem is operated by a joint team of disciplinary scientists, data scientists, data managers and information technology developers who are part of the NSF-funded data facility Integrated Earth Data Applications (IEDA). IEDA is a collaborative effort of EarthChem and the Marine Geoscience Data System (MGDS).