| has gloss | eng: The Tularosa Basin is a graben basin in the basin and range area east of the Rio Grande in southern New Mexico, mostly in Otero County. It covers about 6,500 sq. miles (35% larger than Connecticut). It lies between the Sacramento Mountains to the east and the San Andres and Oscura Mountains to the west. The basin stretches about 150 miles north-south, and at its widest is about 60 miles east-west. It is properly considered part of the Rio Grande Rift zone, which widens there due to the slight clockwise rotation of the Colorado Plateau tectonic plate. The basin is closed to the north by Chupadera Mesa and to the south by the Franklin and Hueco Mountains. Notable features of the basin include White Sands National Monument, White Sands Missile Range, Trinity Site and the Carrizozo lava flows. The Tularosa Creek flows west into the Tularosa Basin just north of the village of Tularosa. It is not to be confused with the Tularosa River, which is in Catron County. |
