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Aden Crater

Aden Crater, a peak in New Mexico
Aden Crater, a peak in New MexicoJames Marshall McKay · CC BY-SA 3.0

Aden Crater rises to 1,365 m in New Mexico. Cox Peak stands 1,806 m to the south, 11 miles off. The nearest named place is Headquarters Hill, a peak 3.5 miles away. El Camino Real passes 20 miles off. 102 named places lie within 25 miles, 22 of them named summits.

The story

Aden Crater is a small shield volcano located in Doña Ana County, about 25 miles (40 km) southwest of Las Cruces, New Mexico. It is located in the northwest part of the Aden-Afton basalt field, which is part of the central area of the Potrillo volcanic field. A fossilized ground sloth, now at the Peabody Museum, was found in a fumarole roughly 100' deep located on the SE portion of the crater rim. Several ground sloth coprolites were also recovered and were stored in the Geology department at UTEP. No volcanic activity at Aden Crater is known from historic times. The most recent known activity has been dated to roughly 16,000 years ago. The flows associated with the crater can be divided into two groups. The earlier lavas were more fluid and formed most of the flows to the east and south of the crater. These flows are characterized by inflation plateaus, formed when a solid crust begins to develop around a flow and the lava inflates the more ductile upper surface of the flow. The second group of flows were less fluid and accumulated closer to the vent to form the shield of the crater.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Wikidata Q4682162, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.

What the record says

Elevation
1,364.6 m

How to reach it

Coordinates32.07032, -107.05855

102 named places within 25 miles

Parks: 52
  • Valle del Rio Park: 19.8 mi
  • La Llorona Park: 20.4 mi
  • Town Hall Park: 20.5 mi
  • Mesilla Plaza: 20.9 mi
  • Tierra del Sol Park: 21.8 mi
Peaks: 22
Artworks: 8
Museums: 8
  • The Gadsen Museum: 21.0 mi
  • Las Cruces Railroad Museum: 22.9 mi
  • NMSU University Museum: 23.2 mi
  • NMSU University Art Museum: 23.2 mi
  • Art Museum: 23.4 mi
Attractions: 5
  • World's Largest Chili Pepper: 22.2 mi
  • El Milagro: 22.3 mi
  • Sandia Gulch Begin: 22.3 mi
  • Pat Garrett's Grave: 22.6 mi
  • Sandia Gulch End: 22.6 mi
Nature reserves: 1
  • Kilbourne Hole ACEC: 8.8 mi
Ghost towns: 1
Rest areas: 1
  • Rest Area I-10 (West Bound): 17.9 mi

Other summits around it

The highest named summits within 25 miles of Aden Crater. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.

SummitBearingElevationDistance
Cox PeakS1,806 m10.9 mi
Mount RileyS1,794 m10.9 mi
Massacre PeakNNW1,608 m24.8 mi
Potrillo PeakSW1,607 m13.5 mi
Sleeping Lady HillsN1,549 m18.2 mi
Picacho MountainNNE1,510 m20.9 mi
Reichey ButteN1,479 m16.0 mi
Rough and Ready GapN1,455 m21.1 mi

When to go

Light through the year

DateSunriseGolden hourSunset
March equinox07:1318:4819:20
June solstice06:0319:4220:18
September equinox06:5718:3419:06
December solstice07:0616:3117:09

Local time (America/Denver).

Climate normals

Months averaging 50–80 °F: Mar–Jun, Sep–Nov.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg °F444955627180828175645244
Precip in0.50.40.30.20.40.61.81.71.40.80.40.6

1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — State Univ, 23 mi away.

Where this comes from

Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.

OpenStreetMapWikidata

OpenStreetMap element node/564951632

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