Crustal and subcrustal nodules in ejecta from Kilbourne Hole Maar, New Mexico

Nodules retrieved from the ejecta of volcanic craters serve as the source of two major items of information. The first is in providing details of the geochemistry and mineralogy of the Earth's interior by supplying samples of materials that cannot be obtained by existing drilling techniques. The other is in providing information regarding the process which led to their transport from the Earth's interior to the surface. The primary purpose of the present study was to examine the morphology of the nodules in an attempt to place some constraints on the process that brought them to the surface. This attempt is briefly discussed.