page_title: Plains of San Agustin
section_title: Landmarks
hierarchical_section_title: Plains of San Agustin / Landmarks
caption_attribution_description: The Very Large Array at Socorro, New Mexico, United States.
context_page_description: The Plains of San Agustin is a region in the southwestern U.S. state of New Mexico in the San Agustin Basin, south of U.S. Highway 60. The area spans Catron and Socorro Counties, about 50 miles west of the town of Socorro and about 25 miles north of Reserve. The plains extend roughly northeast-southwest, with a length of about 55 miles and a width varying between 5–15 miles. The basin is bounded on the south by the Luera Mountains and Pelona Mountain; on the west by the Tularosa Mountains; on the north by the Mangas, Crosby, Datil, and Gallinas Mountains; and on the east by the San Mateo Mountains. The Continental Divide lies close to much of the southern and western boundaries of the plains.
  The Plains of San Agustin were purportedly the site of the Roswell UFO incident.
context_section_description: The plains are probably best known as the site of the Very Large Array, a radio astronomy observatory.  The plains were chosen for the observatory because of their isolated location away from large population centers, and the partial shielding effect of the surrounding mountain ranges. The edges of the plains have sites of archaeological interest such as a prehistoric rockshelter known as Bat Cave.
  Other sites in the area include a ghost town called Old Horse Springs and the Ake Site, a prehistoric occupation site.
caption: Very Large Array, on the Plains of San Agustin
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