Prominence 5,533 ft (1,686 m) Highest point Sierra Blanca Peak Mountains Sierra Blanca Peak | Age of rock 26 to 38 million years Country United States of America | |
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Elevation 11,981 ft (3,652 m) NAVD 88 Listing North America isolated peaks 74th
U.S. most prominent peaks 88th Location Lincoln / Otero counties, New Mexico, U.S. Topo map USGS Sierra Blanca Peak Similar Ski Apache, Inn of the Mountain Gods Res, Tularosa Basin, Ruidoso Downs Race Track, Grindstone Lake | ||
The Sierra Blanca (Spanish: White Mountains) is a range of volcanic mountains in Lincoln and Otero counties in the south-central part of the U.S. state of New Mexico. The range is about 40 miles (64 km) from north to south and 20 miles (32 km) wide.
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Map of Sierra Blanca, New Mexico 88340, USA
Sierra Blanca Peak (White Peak) is the highest mountain in the range at 11,981 feet (3,652 m). It is southern New Mexico's highest peak, as well as the most prominent (5,533 feet) and the 40th highest in the entire state. The peak is located on the Mescalero Apache Indian Reservation, approximately 10 miles (16 km) west-northwest of Ruidoso and 30 miles (48 km) north-northeast of Alamogordo.
GeographyEdit
The majority of the Sierra Blanca range is within the Lincoln National Forest, and part of this is protected as the White Mountain Wilderness Area. Much of the southern half of the range, including the summit of Sierra Blanca Peak, is within the Mescalero Apache Indian Reservation. The peak is sacred to the Mescalero Apache, and requires a permit from the tribe for access. To the south, across the valley of the Rio Tularosa, lie the Sacramento Mountains. To the north is Carrizozo Mountain, and to the northeast lie the Capitan Mountains. On the west side, the range rises high above the Tularosa Basin.
The range serves as the headwaters for the Rio Ruidoso, Rio Tularosa, and Rio Bonito, as well as numerous arroyos draining into the Tularosa Basin, including Nogal Arroyo at the north end of the range.
Sierra Blanca Peak dominates the range and can be seen for many miles, particularly within the Tularosa Basin. It is visible from as far away as Sandia Crest near Albuquerque. It is one of the southernmost points at which alpine ecosystems occur in the United States. Rising more than 8,000 feet (2,400 m) above the adjacent Tularosa Basin, it has the highest topographic prominence in the state.
The eastern foothills of the Sierra Blanca range include the town of Ruidoso. The area has a number of popular hiking and camping destinations. Sierra Blanca Peak is the towering backdrop and snow-maker for Ski Apache, the southernmost major ski resort in North America. Ski Apache is located mostly on land within the Lincoln National Forest and is operated as a concession under contract to the U.S. Forest Service by the Mescalero Apache Tribe's Inn of the Mountain Gods.
VolcanologyEdit
Sierra Blanca is a massive complex of volcanic rocks, including pyroclastic materials, lava flows, and intrusions. An ancient and heavily eroded volcanic pile, it is the largest mid-Tertiary volcanic complex east of the Rio Grande, with an estimated volume of erupted products of 185 cubic miles (770 km3). Eruptions began about 38 million years ago, and extended over a twelve-million-year period. Most of the eruptions produced voluminous lava flows and breccias, with numerous intrusive dikes emplaced throughout the complex. The final activity produced the intrusions which form the present-day Sierra Blanca Peak. Following the volcanic period, the range's topography was modified by Pleistocene glaciation, block faulting, and erosion.