Texas’ Volcanic Past Revealed: Surprising Discoveries and Fascinating Facts
- There are around 200 ancient dormant volcanos in Texas.
- These volcanos have been extinct for millions of years.
- The last volcano erupted in Texas 30 million years ago.
Texas has a very explosive past and was once home to many volcanos. We don't usually associate Texas with things like volcanos and earthquakes, but at one time both were common here.
Volcanos form where the edges of tectonic plates meet, and it just so happens that quite a few scrub up together here in Texas. Though they have been described as ancient and dormant, one day that could change.
That shouldn't happen for millions of years, and there are currently no actively monitored volcanos in Texas. We are lucky to be here at this exact time in history.
You Can't Find Volcanos Just Anywhere In Texas
Did you know there were once volcanos in Texas? You aren't alone if you didn't, because I had no idea.
That got me thinking that there must be volcanos in every state, but there are no volcanos in Florida: ancient, dormant, or otherwise. Twelve states in the U.S. have active volcanos, and many more have dormant volcanos.
When you think of volcanos your thoughts usually go straight to Hawaii, but there are more active volcanos in Alaska. Alaska has 141 active volcanos compared to Hawaii's 5.
Where Can I Go See A Dormant Volcano In Texas?
One of the more talked about dormant volcanos in Texas is near our state capitol. Pilot Knob is right outside of Austin.
You wouldn't know it by looking at it, as the volcano now is just a humble hill. It was much larger during the Cretaceous period.
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