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A Water-Filled Tinaja, El Malpais National Monument

An oval-shaped depression filled with water rests in the surface of a tan cliff. Gray storm clouds fill the sky. Black lava flows below the cliffs appear flat. A distant mountain range lines the edge of the lava flows at El Malpais National Monument
John Kuehnert
Monday, May 8, 2023

Tinajas, oval-shaped depressions filled with water, are important sources of water in arid environments like El Malpais National Monument, a "richly diverse volcanic landscape ... of lava flows, cinder cones, lava tube caves, and sandstone bluffs."

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