The Infiernito Caldera is a volcanic

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 ...

located north of 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 ...

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 eruption that formed the Infiernito Caldera deposited

volcanic ash Volcanic ash consists of fragments of rock, mineral crystals, and volcanic glass, created during volcanic eruptions and measuring less than 2 mm (0.079 inches) in diameter. The term volcanic ash is also often loosely used to refer ...

as far as away, with most of the ejecta having fallen to the northwest.

References

Volcanoes of Texas Oligocene calderas Calderas of Texas {{Texas-geo-stub