The Chinati Mountains Caldera Complex is a

caldera A caldera ( ) is a large cauldron-like hollow that forms shortly after the emptying of a magma chamber in a volcano eruption. When large volumes of magma are erupted over a short time, structural support for the rock above the magma chamber is ...

complex located primarily in the

Chinati Mountains The Chinati Mountains of Texas are a small range in the high desert of far West Texas near the city of Presidio. There is a pass through the mountains on Ranch to Market Road 2810, also known as Pinto Canyon Road, which connects to Farm to Mar ...

within the Trans-Pecos Volcanic Field in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

, United States. It is the largest and most documented volcano within the Trans-Pecos Volcanic Field, consisting mostly of two calderas: the

Infernito Caldera The Infiernito Caldera is a volcanic caldera located north of the Chinati Mountains in West Texas. It is approximately in diameter and is the oldest caldera of the Chinati Mountain Caldera Complex, having formed about 37 million years ago. The er ...

and the Chinati Mountain Caldera. The main caldera, Chinati Mountain, erupted about 32-31 million years ago which resulted in the deposition of the Mitchell Mesa Tuff. The Infernito Caldera predates the Chinati Mountains Caldera, having deposited the Infernito Tuff about 37 million years ago. It was partially destroyed by the formation of the Chinati Mountains Caldera. The main caldera, on the western side, consists primarily of thick rhyolite while the eastern half of the caldera is thinner, around .

References

Landforms of Presidio County, Texas Volcanoes of Texas Oligocene calderas Calderas of Texas {{PresidioCountyTX-geo-stub