Image of the Day — Turututu

Turututu (a.k.a. Tutucapato or Black Butte) in the foreground is not a volcanic cone, but is rather an erosional remnant of a volcanic plateau that covered this part of the Southern Albuquerque Basin about 25-33 million years ago. The lava flows exposed here of were part of the La Jara Peak Basaltic Andesite that had an eruptive source near Riley, NM.

Image taken from I-25 looking East with the Los Piños Mountains in the background.  Turututu is just south of US-60.