The Raton NM - San Carlos AZ Hotspot Enigma.

[1dave]

Raton Hotspot:

Jemez Lineament
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The Jemez Lineament (Raton hotspot trail) corresponds to a series of faults, 600 km long, from Springerville and White Mountains volcanic fields in East-Central Arizona to Raton-Clayton volcanic field in Northeastern New Mexico.[1]
Volcano fields

The Jemez Lineament (Raton hotspot trail) consists of (p286) the San Carlos volcanic field, (p284) Springerville volcanic field, (p.306) Red Hill volcanic field,[1] (p303) Zuni-Bandera volcanic field, (p.300) Mount Taylor volcanic field, (p.295) Jemez volcanic field and possibly the (p 293) Ocate volcanic field, (p.292) Raton-Clayton volcanic field, and Mesa de Maya.
(Page numbers inserted from Volcanoes of North America by Wood & Kienle- Dave Crosby)

Lipman (1980) rules out a hotspot origin, as there is no systematic progression of age.[1] This faulting probably reflects the combined effects of faster spreading in the Española Basin than the area North of the lineament (Abiquiu embayment and San Luis Basin), the right step in the Rio Grande rift zone that juxtaposes the San Luis Basin (Taos Plateau) against the Picuris Mountains, and counterclockwise rotation of various crustal blocks within the rift zone.[2]

The Yellowstone hotspot trail was modified through faulting and extension of the Basin and Range Province, so this lineament shows more accurately the movement of the North American Plate.[3]

References

Wood, Charles Arthur; Kienle, Jürgen (1992). Volcanoes of North America: United States and Canada. Cambridge University Press. pp. 284–286. ISBN 978-0-521-43811-7.
Aldrich Jr., M. J. (1986). "Tectonics of the Jemez Lineament in the Jemez Mountains and Rio Grande Rift". Journal of Geophysical Research 91 (B2): 1753–1762. Bibcode:1986JGR....91.1753A. doi:10.1029/JB091iB02p01753.
W. Jason Morgan and Jason Phipps Morgan. Plate velocities in hotspot reference frame: electronic supplement. p. 111. Retrieved 2010-04-23.

No Age Progression, and yet . . .

so this lineament shows more accurately the movement of the North American Plate.[3]

Left off the map is the San Carlos Volcanic Field, perhaps the most informative part of the "Jemez Lineament."

San Carlos volcanic field is a monogenetic (erupts only once) volcanic field in Arizona. The field lies within the San Carlos Apache Reservation about 40 km (25 mi) east of Globe, Arizona. It is a small field covering approximately 50 km2 or less of volcanic cones and lava flows. The basanite to hawaiite basaltic flows contain xenoliths of peridotite. The Peridot Mesa vent is noted for the occurrence of quantities of gem quality peridot found within lherzolite xenolith nodules.[1]
Notable Vents
Name Elevation Coordinates Last eruption
Aden Crater[1] - - -
Peridot Mesa[1] - 33°20?02?N 110°29?08?W -
San Carlos Volcanic Field
Elevation 1,000 m (3,300 ft)[1]
Location
Location Arizona, United States
Coordinates 33°15?N 110°15?W Coordinates: 33°15?N 110°15?W[1]
Geology
Type Volcanic field[1]
Age of rock Neogene[1]
Last eruption ~ 1 million years ago[1]
References: Wood, Charles A.; Ju"rgen Kienle (1993). Volcanoes of North America. Cambridge University Press. pp. 310–313. ISBN 0-521-43811-X.

Luckily, I have the book in my library, and the actual reference is to page 286.

From day one, geologists have been unable, or unwilling, to distinguish between impact and volcanic phenomena.

Before Gene Shoemaker, everything melted HAD TO BE volcanic, and there were no impact craters.
Shattercones and shocked quartz has forced the acceptance of around half of the visible continental impact craters.
Ten years ago, the discovery of the Ewing 150 Km Diameter 7 - 11 million year old crater in the Pacific
provided the opportunity of recognizing oceanic impact sites. Few have taken the opportunity to learn.

In 1963, J. Tuzo Wilson came up with the idea that volcanic chains like the Hawaiian Islands result from the slow movement of a tectonic plate across a "fixed" hotspot deep beneath the surface of the planet.
The term "mantle plume" was coined, and once we had a label it became gospel fact.

Disturbing observations are forcing thinking people to search for a new explanation for hotspots.
For me, to only possibility is major impacts.

Above I quoted:

Lipman (1980) rules out a hotspot origin, as there is no systematic progression of age.

This all seems to have happened around 4 million years ago. And they all erupted only once!



What if: Those "xenolith nodules" are actually parts of an asteroid, and the entire Jemez Lineament - Raton hotspot trail is actually an impact train and strewn field?

Anyone excited enough to try and check it out?

[1dave]

This is a very complicated area and lots of smart people are trying to figure it out.

The Rio Grande Rift is splitting the USA into two continents, and then this . . . ?

Fraser Goff, in his book Valles Caldera: A Geologic History (2009), points out that the geologic history of the Valles Caldera region goes back 1.8 billion years and even includes ancient rocks from the North American craton (an ancient tectonic plate). One can find examples of Precambrian rocks, roughly 1.6 billion years old, across the highway from Soda Dam and in the area of Guadalupe Box. There is fossil evidence that the area was once a shallow sea 320-285 million years ago. As the seas retreated, near-shore sand dunes were formed and over time became the stunning red rock formations (Abo, Yeso and Glorietta sandstones). Minor volcanic activity started 25 to 16 million years ago and eventually developed into the caldera forming eruptions 1.6 and 1.25 million years ago. The merging of the smaller magma chambers created the Toledo caldera eruption and not too long after that the Valles Caldera erupted with enough force to send ash all the way to Kansas. Two important features played a part in the massive eruptions: the Jemez Lineament (sometimes referred to as a "crustal flaw”) that passes right through the Jemez Mountains connecting numerous volcanic features across New Mexico. Then if that wasn't enough, try throwing in the dynamics of the Rio Grande Rift for a little more action. The geologic history of the Jemez Mountains is exciting and thanks to the work of many researchers who have studied the area, we have a wealth of information about the region and its features.

Raton Basin

I tried to find out why the name "Raton" (mouse in Spanish) for the area. No answer.
My guess? The only pass through the area was so high, twisted, and narrow that some Spaniard suggested it was tough for even a mouse to get through, and the name stuck.

Geology
Iridium Layer sign at the rocks of the K-T Boundary, in Climax Canyon Park, City of Raton.

Raton is one of the famous sites for viewing the K-T Boundary, also known as the K-Pg Boundary or Cretaceous-Paleogene Boundary, or the Iridium Layer.[5] There is a well-preserved sequence of rocks spanning the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary in Climax Canyon Park, a Raton city park to the west of town.[5][6] Geographic Coordinates: 36°54′13.99″N 104°27′0.75″W

The rocks have been studied for evidence of the iridium anomaly cited as evidence of a large meteorite impact at the end of the Cretaceous.[5][7] It is interpreted to have caused the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event which killed off non-avian dinosaurs, as well as many other species of flora and fauna 65 million years ago.[7] The K-T Boundary is represented in the rock strata by a 1-cm thick tonstein clay layer which has been found to contain anomalously high concentrations of iridium.[5]

[1dave]

The BIG eruptions are at the intersection with the Rio Grande Rift.