Rahul Sharma (Editor)

Jemez Lineament

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The Jemez Lineament (Raton hotspot trail) corresponds to a series of faults, 600 km long, from Springerville and White Mountains volcanic fields in East-Central Arizona to Raton-Clayton volcanic field in Northeastern New Mexico.

Volcano fields

The Jemez Lineament (Raton hotspot trail) consists of the San Carlos volcanic field, Springerville volcanic field, Red Hill volcanic field, Zuni-Bandera volcanic field, Mount Taylor volcanic field, Jemez volcanic field and possibly the Ocate volcanic field, Raton-Clayton volcanic field, and Mesa de Maya. Lipman (1980) rules out a hotspot origin, as there is no systematic progression of age. This faulting probably reflects the combined effects of faster spreading in the Española Basin than the area North of the lineament (Abiquiu embayment and San Luis Basin), the right step in the Rio Grande rift zone that juxtaposes the San Luis Basin (Taos Plateau) against the Picuris Mountains, and counterclockwise rotation of various crustal blocks within the rift zone.

The Yellowstone hotspot trail was modified through faulting and extension of the Basin and Range Province, so this lineament shows more accurately the movement of the North American Plate.

References

Jemez Lineament Wikipedia