Is Shiprock a volcano?
Shiprock is usually referred to as a special volcanic landform called a volcanic neck, which is the solidified feeder system of a volcano. Steve Semken suggests that lava that makes up Shiprock interacted explosively with groundwater, forming a diatreme. A diatreme is a carrot-shaped volcanic vent that forms when hot magma comes in contact with cold groundwater. The broken up, fractured rock in the vent can sometimes be intruded by younger magma, causing the diatreme to be more well indurated (harder) than the surrounding rock. In the case of Shiprock, erosion has removed the soft sedimentary rocks around the hardened diatreme, creating the distinctive landform that we see today.
