The Datil-Mogollon Section is a physiographic section of the larger

Colorado Plateau The Colorado Plateau, also known as the Colorado Plateau Province, is a physiographic and desert region of the Intermontane Plateaus, roughly centered on the Four Corners region of the southwestern United States. This province covers an area of ...

province, which in turn is part of the larger

Intermontane Plateaus In the context of physical geography, the Intermontane Intermontane is a physiographic adjective formed from the prefix " inter-" (''signifying among, between, amid, during, within, mutual, reciprocal'') and the adjective "montane" (inhabiting ...

physiographic division. It is a transitional area between the

Basin and Range Province The Basin and Range Province is a vast physiographic region covering much of the inland Western United States and northwestern Mexico. It is defined by unique basin and range topography, characterized by abrupt changes in elevation, alternating ...

and the Colorado Plateau Province. It is also a newly defined unit that includes the southern part of the area previously designated the Datil Section.

Geology

The Datil-Mogollon Section is located along the southeastern rim of the

, in

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

and eastern

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

West

Most of the Datil-Mogollon Section in Arizona is the White Mountain

volcanic field A volcanic field is an area of Earth's crust that is prone to localized volcanic activity. The type and number of volcanoes required to be called a "field" is not well-defined. Volcanic fields usually consist of clusters of up to 100 volcanoes ...

. It is an extensive area covered with thick lavas and tuffs. There are also remnants of large stratovolcanoes, mainly composed of basaltic andesite. High tablelands are capped with tuffs,

andesite Andesite () is a volcanic rock of intermediate composition. In a general sense, it is the intermediate type between silica-poor basalt and silica-rich rhyolite. It is fine-grained (aphanitic) to porphyritic in texture, and is composed predomi ...

, and

basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...

lavas, and volcanic-derived conglomeratic sandstones and mudstones.

South

The principal structure of the southeastern Datil-Mogollon area is a large central-type volcano, Mount Taylor, that rises to . It is surrounded by numerous smaller volcanic centers and

volcanic neck A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates are ...

s with extensive lava-covered mesas and valleys to the south. The largest

mesa A mesa is an isolated, flat-topped elevation, ridge or hill, which is bounded from all sides by steep escarpments and stands distinctly above a surrounding plain. Mesas characteristically consist of flat-lying soft sedimentary rocks capped by ...

is long and about wide, with an upper elevation of above the surrounding plain, and is capped with about of lava. The ancient lava flows extend southward into the Mexican Highlands section of the Basin and Range Province and consequently that border of the Colorado Plateau Province is ill-defined. The principal structure of the southwestern Datil-Mogollon Section is the

Mogollon Rim The Mogollon Rim ( or or ) is a topographical and geological feature cutting across the northern half of the U.S. state of Arizona. It extends approximately , starting in northern Yavapai County and running eastward, ending near the border ...

in Arizona. It extends approximately from northern

Yavapai County Yavapai County is near the center of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, its population was 236,209, making it the fourth-most populous county in Arizona. The county seat is Prescott. Yavapai County comprises the Prescott, AZ M ...

eastward to near the border with New Mexico.

East

The Datil-Mogollon Section is bounded on the east by basins of the

Rio Grande rift The Rio Grande rift is a north-trending continental rift zone. It separates the Colorado Plateau in the west from the interior of the North American craton on the east. The rift extends from central Colorado in the north to the state of Chihua ...

, which are part of the Mexican Highland Section of the Basin and Range Province. Along the eastern edge of the Datil-Mogollon, the Mexican Highland extends northward along the

Rio Grande The Rio Grande ( and ), known in Mexico as the Río Bravo del Norte or simply the Río Bravo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The length of the Rio G ...

depression to the

Southern Rocky Mountains The Southern Rocky Mountains are a major subregion of the Rocky Mountains of North America located in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Wyoming, the central and western portions of Colorado, the northern portion of New Mexico, and ex ...

. The boundary between the depression and the uplifted Colorado Plateau is sharply defined by the westernmost faults of the depression. The transition has several large structural basins and block-faulted ranges.

North

To the north are other physiographic sections of the Colorado Plateau Province. From east to west they are the Navajo Section in New Mexico and Arizona, and the southeastern Grand Canyon Section.

References

External links

{{- Colorado Plateau Physiographic sections Regions of New Mexico Regions of Arizona Landforms of Catron County, New Mexico Mogollon Rim White Mountains (Arizona) Plateaus of the United States Plateaus of Arizona Landforms of New Mexico