Posted on 10/06/2022 5:38:10 AM PDT by Red Badger
Photos taken by astronauts on the International Space Station show a giant black streak created by a lava flow thousands of years ago.
The photos, taken in June but not released until late September, have been put together by NASA in order to create a larger photo showcasing the streak in its entirety. In total, the streak, located in New Mexico, measures 50 miles (75 kilometers) in length across the Chihuahuan Desert, according to the NASA Earth Observatory.
Black lava streak.jpeg
An astronaut onboard the International Space Station took photos of Carrizozo Malpaís, a large basaltic lava flow in central New Mexico....NASA
The lava flow began 5,000 years ago, when a vent located at Little Black Peak erupted, and went on for 20-30 years. The vent was within a zone of crustal weakness, known as the Capitan lineament, where molten rock was able to rise through the Earth's crust, according to the U.S. Geographical Study.
There is little to no concern that another lava flow will begin from the vent in the near future, as USGS lists the threat potential as "low/very low."
The local name for the flow, Carrizozo Malpais, roughly translates to “bad footing” in Spanish, as it describes how difficult it can be when traversing the area, according to the USGS.
The upper portion of the streak is divided by a road, with a railway that connects to the city of Carrizozo, New Mexico.
PinGGG!......................
Fascinating stuff!
Of course, if said vent were to open up today and start flowing, it would be another terrifying example of man made climate change.
that’s a lot of money for such a picture... shows this planet has a lot of secrets man has yet to discover...
I’ve driven through Carrizozo. There’s a reserve or park near the town that features a lava bed.
The real feature of the town is cherry cider.
Our family went to Colorado every August from Texas, on the way was an old volcano in New Mexico. I got interested in rocks picking up a piece of lava rock there, we had for 20 years in the back yard. Still collect rocks to this day of most every cool destination I go.
Google Maps beat NASA... by a LOT.
Where do you think Google got them?...........................
Well, first, I’m not sure Google actually DID get them from NASA, but also, I only meant to say that Google assembled the images first.
That flow is not a “modern discovery”. It is called Ship Rock, and has been crawled over by Geologist for 100 years...I know, I was one.
Ship Rock is more than 250 miles away from the flow in question, and it’s about 27 million years older.
Beg pardon if I mis-understood, but, the picture is not Shiprock (which is in the 4 corners area of the state.
This lava field is mid-south state, near White Sands.
There is also a large lava field up in the North of the state near the town of Capulin.
There is also the similar named El Malpais NM just south of Grants on Interstate 40. It is a large lava flow and some caves.
You have a lot of interesting areas near there concerning Navajo and Zuni culture and current tribal lands.
The Grants area was what I thought of first because of seeing all the volcanic rock along I-40 in that area.
I did field work approximately 50 years ago there, so it is possible that I mixed up the site. My point was that the volcanic dikes that they are photographing from space are not ‘new’ revelations. I am sure that some reporter will try to make the case that the poor folks in NM are ‘doomed’ from an imminent eruption from Mt. Capulin.
Decades ago I drove across the continent, and somewhere in AZ or NM there was an ancient lava floe that looked like freshly turned muck. Not sure it was this one.
I stopped at a rest area to, uh, go, and it was a portajohn, because of the impracticality of putting in a building, running electricity, digging a well and a septic system, etc. I looked around — there was some kind of historical marker telling about the lava, which was dozens of miles long, and all over the black stone were shards of glass from years of the local gentry throwing their empty booze bottles.
Next time you go through, stop and go south to the National Monument site and get out into the surrounding area. The whole area is worth an afternoon. I spent a lot of time in the last 25 years going back and forth between AZ/NM and Missouri. Had property in both places as well as kids out there in school.
Beautiful area. The lava is very sharp and fresh. Not far from Trinity site.
Oh I agree with you about the views from space. I just didn’t want to be confused (a relatively easy thing to do to me now days).
I had a aunt and uncle who owned a motel in Farmington, NM many years ago, and, I aways wanted to go out there and visit Ship Rock. It never worked out that way, but, I still hope to go one day.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.