| Mescalero Ridge | |
|---|---|
| (Mescalero Escarpment) | |
| |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 4,462 ft (1,360 m)[1] |
| Prominence | 200 ft (61 m) |
| Coordinates | 33°02′35″N 103°51′13″W / 33.04306°N 103.85361°W / 33.04306; -103.85361[1] |
| Geography | |
  Mescalero Ridge Location in Eastern New Mexico | |
| Geology | |
| Age of rock | Quaternary |
| Mountain type | Caliche |
The Mescalero Ridge forms the western edge of the great Llano Estacado, a vast plateau or tableland in the southwestern United StatesinNew Mexico and Texas.[2][3] It is the western equivalent of the Caprock Escarpment, which defines the eastern edge of the Llano Estacado.
Extending north-south along the western edge of the Mescalero Ridge lies a vast sand sheet called the Mescalero Sands, named after the Mescalero Apaches who once hunted in these sandhills.[4][5] In 1928, Nelson Horatio Darton of the United States Geological Survey observed: “On the east side of the Pecos Valley in southern New Mexico there are very extensive sand hills formed of deposits known as the ‘Mescalero Sands,’ which are doubtless of Quaternary age ...”[6] In places, these sands climb up and over the Mescalero Ridge and spread out over portions of the Llano Estacado.
The north dune is an off-road vehicle area.[7] The south dune is a National Natural Landmark.[8]
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