The mountains are primarily composed of igneous and metamorphic rocks, and are believed to be the remains of a number of explosive volcanic caldera-building events in the remote past.

[1] The mountains are generally not forested, but rather vegetated with grasses, cactus, and brush typical of the Chihuahuan Desert.

It serves as a major landmark for the surrounding area, and its dome-shaped hump can be seen rising prominently in the distance to the southwest from US 90 between Van Horn and Marfa.

[4] The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department received a donation from the Richard King Mellon Foundation of 39,000 acres in the Chinati Mountains in the late 1990s.

Texas Parks and Wildlife is in the process of conducting multi-year surveys and development of the Chinati Mountains State Natural Area.