Peridot Mesa

The flow which surrounds this vent is of special interest to igneous petrologists due to several unique qualities including the extremely high concentration of xenoliths.

[1] The presence of xenoliths which reach up to basketball size and beyond suggests that the magma had to have been traveling at extremely high speeds to have been able to carry such heavy pieces up with it.

Current studies are being done at Arizona State University to determine a timeline history for these xenoliths based on analysis of the reaction rims around olivine crystals.

The magma probably contained a large mass amount of water and carbon dioxide which are two volatile substances known to cause extremely high-energy and violent eruptions.

It is thought that the final stage of activity was marked by a cessation of fountaining, and the remaining volumes of magma hardened to create a plug in the vent.