The ancient giant lava flow seen from space resembles a massive black scar on the New Mexico desert.
An astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS) captured stunning images of a lava flow stretching across the desert in New Mexico. From above, the solidified river of volcanic rock appears as a deep black scar carved into the desert.
An astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS) captured this image of the Carrizozo Malpaís lava flow in the Chihuahuan Desert, New Mexico, on June 30.
The lava flow is known as Carrizozo Malpaís, covering an area of approximately 337 square kilometers and stretching about 80 kilometers in length, located near the town of Carrizozo in the Chihuahuan Desert of New Mexico. According to the United States Geological Survey, this is one of the largest lava flows formed on Earth in the past 10,000 years.
Initial age estimates ranged from 1,000 to 1,500 years ago, but recent cosmic dating techniques suggest the eruption occurred approximately 5,200 years ago. At their southern end, the lava flows are about 19 kilometers north of the gypsum dunes of White Sands National Park.
Scientists estimate that the eruption that created Carrizozo Malpaís began around 5,000 years ago and lasted from 20 to 30 years. During this time, magma slowly flowed out from the ground from a volcano beneath the surface.
While flying over the southwestern United States, an astronaut on the International Space Station (ISS) took a series of photos of Carrizozo Malpaís on June 30, 2022. The new images form a mosaic of four pictures taken by the astronaut. The astronaut is a member of the Expedition 67 crew. Capturing images of Earth from space is highly valuable to scientists, and some of these images are widely shared on the internet for those interested.
The majority of the lava in the images rises from a small vent, 27 meters high, which locals refer to as “the little black peak.” The vent is located in the middle of a weakened area of the crust known as the Capitan line, where magma can easily pass through the Earth’s crust and erupt on the surface.
According to the Earth Observatory, the ancient lava flow appears lifeless from above, but some desert plants such as prickly pear cacti, perennial flowers, and juniper trees can thrive in the frozen magma.
