Entering Black Mesa Plateau (Color Saturated) Poster

Black Mesa is a plateau containing the highest elevation point in the State of Oklahoma at 4,973 feet. The point, marked by an Oklahoma pink-granite obelisk, is situated 1,299 feet due east of New Mexico, 31 miles north of Texas, 53 miles west - southwest of Kansas, and 4.7 miles due south of Colorado. The plateau is capped by a "black" basalt that was, at one period in time, lava. The lava flowed from Colorado through New Mexico and into Oklahoma about 30 million years ago. The movement of the lava was similar to the way lava flows at the surface in Hawaii today. A number of dormant volcanoes are located along the flow path to the west and northwest of Black Mesa. The flat topped hills in the Black Mesa area are capped by the same series of lava flows. Basalt erodes slowly compared to the sandstone and shale. As a result, the basalt protects the soft layers beneath from erosion (at least for the time being). The Cimarron River, originating in New Mexico, flows to the east along the southern boundary of Black Mesa. Black Mesa is a designated nature preserve. Oklahoma’s Black Mesa State Park is located 15 miles to the south of the Black Mesa Nature Preserve.