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Comondu-La Purisima

Volcanic field · Mexico · 780m

A young scoria cone rises above cactus-covered terrain NE of the town of La Purísima. The Comondú-La Purísima volcanic field, located in southern Baja California, west of the Sierra de la Giganta, has been active from the Miocene to the Quaternary. The youngest lava flows are mostly located in the area between the Comondú and La Purísima rivers.
A young scoria cone rises above cactus-covered terrain NE of the town of La Purísima. The Comondú-La Purísima volcanic field, located in southern Baja California, west of the Sierra de la Giganta, has been active from the Miocene to the Quaternary. The youngest lava flows are mostly located in the area between the Comondú and La Purísima rivers. · Photo: Photo by Brian Hausback, 1983 (California State University, Sacramento).
Type
Volcanic field
Country
Mexico
Region
Eastern Pacific Volcanic Regions / Gulf of California Rift Volcanic Province
Elevation
780m
Coordinates
26.000, -111.920
Last eruption
Unknown
Tectonic setting
Rift zone / Continental crust (> 25 km)
Landform
Cluster
Major rock type
Trachyandesite / Basaltic Trachyandesite
Geological summary

The Comondú-La Purísima volcanic field, located in southern Baja California, west of the Sierra de la Giganta, dates back to the Miocene. However, the youthful morphology of some cinder cones suggested possible Holocene ages (Sawlan, 1991). The youngest lavas form blocky flows with flow ridges and are mostly located in the area between Comondú and the La Purísima river. Vents usually occur along NNW-trending faults, and many lava flows are offset, sometimes repeatedly, along grabens. Both basaltic and andesitic lava flows are present. The former are typically 5-10 m thick, and the latter are up to 60-80 m thick and form dense, glassy flows with subhorizontal fractures.

Eruption history

Detailed timeline

No eruption records available.

External links

⚠ For reference only. Not for emergency response.