page_title: Socorro, New Mexico
section_title: Geography and geology
hierarchical_section_title: Socorro, New Mexico / Geography and geology
caption_attribution_description: English: "M" mountain. socorro, nm
context_page_description: Socorro is a city in Socorro County in the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is in the Rio Grande Valley at an elevation of 4,579 feet. In 2010 the population was 9,051. It is the county seat of Socorro County. Socorro is located 74 miles south of Albuquerque and 146 miles north of Las Cruces.
context_section_description: Socorro is located 75 miles (121 km) south of Albuquerque, at an average elevation of 4,605 feet (1,404 m). The town lies adjacent to the Rio Grande in a landscape dominated by the Rio Grande rift and numerous extinct volcanoes.  The immediate region encompasses approximately 6,000 feet (1,800 m) of vertical relief between the Rio Grande and the Magdalena Mountains. Notable nearby locales include the Cibola National Forest, the Bureau of Land Management Quebradas Scenic Backcountry Byway, and the Bosque del Apache and Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuges. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.4 square miles (37 km²), of which 0.04 square miles (0.10 km²), or 0.21%, is water.
caption: "M" Mountain, west of Socorro
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