Aden Crater is a small shield volcano located in Doña Ana County, about 25 miles (40 km) southwest of Las Cruces, New Mexico. It is located in the northern part of the Aden-Afton basalt field, which is part of the eastern area of the Potrillo volcanic field. The Icelandic-type shield volcano, formed by repeated eruptions, built a very low hill 3–4 miles in diameter with slopes of just 3 to 5 degrees. The hill is topped by a basalt crater about 1,400 feet in diameter whose rim is composed of lava spatter that dips steeply into the crater. The crater itself contains a former lava lake, with a spatter cone and collapse pit in the southeastern part of the crater. The most recent eruption of Aden Crater has been dated to roughly 600,000 thousand years ago.
Meet at the gas station/Dairy Queen on the corner of Transmountain and Gateway West (MAP) at 8:30 to depart by 9:00am. The drive to the crater is approximately 1 hr, 25 min. Bring plenty of water, snacks, sturdy hiking shoes, hat, binoculars, hiking stick and anything you may need to explore the crater. The hike is rated easy to moderate with rough terrain but minimal climbing. A high clearance vehicle is recommended to access the location but a regular sedan can make the trip at your own risk. Contact trip leader Paulo Galvan at georocks30@gmail.com before the trip for details.