Cerro Prieto

Los Angeles

San Diego

Mexicali

Salton Sea

Tijuana

Alamo River mouth

Colorado River mouth

Laguna Salada

Yuma

Gulf of California

Colorado River Valley

Cerro Prieto volcano

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Cerro Prieto area. The red lines are simplified faults. Right-lateral direction of motion of thetransform faultis shown (pink arrows). The red rhombs arepull-apart basins;the northern one is the site of theNiland geothermal field,the southern the Cerro Prieto geothermal field.

Cerro Prieto(Cocopah:Wee Ñaay,English:"Dark Hill") is avolcanolocated approximately 29 km (18 mi) SSE ofMexicaliin the Mexican state ofBaja California.The volcano lies astride a spreading center associated with theEast Pacific Rise.This spreading center is also responsible for a largegeothermalfield, which has been harnessed to generate electric power by theCerro Prieto Geothermal Power Station.

TheCerro Prieto spreading centerintersects the southern end of theImperial Faultand the northern end of theCerro Prieto Fault.Both of these aretransform faultsin the northern leg of the East Pacific Rise system that runs the length of theGulf of Californiaand is steadily rifting theBaja California Peninsulaaway from the mainland ofMexico.

External links

• Geology of the Salton Trough, David L. Alles ed., 2007
• "Cerro Prieto".Global Volcanism Program.Smithsonian Institution.Retrieved2021-06-27.