| Burro Mesa | |
| Elevation Ft: | 4434 |
| Elevation Ref: | [1] |
| Prominence Ft: | 562 |
| Isolation Mi: | 3.37 |
| Isolation Ref: | [2] |
| Length Mi: | 5 |
| Length Orientation: | North-South |
| Width Mi: | 4 |
| Width Orientation: | East-West |
| Etymology: | Burro |
| Range: | Chisos Mountains |
| Country: | United States |
| State: | Texas |
| Region: | Brewster |
| Region Type: | County |
| Part Type: | Protected area |
| Part: | Big Bend National Park |
| Map: | Texas#USA |
| Label Position: | top |
| Coordinates: | 29.2472°N -103.4126°W |
| Coordinates Ref: | [3] |
| Topo: | USGS Cerro Castellan |
| Age: | Oligocene |
| Rock: | Igneous rock |
| Type: | Mesa |
| Easiest Route: | hiking |
Burro Mesa is a 4434feet summit in Brewster County, Texas, United States.
Burro Mesa is part of the Chisos Mountains where it is set in Big Bend National Park and the Chihuahuan Desert. Based on the Köppen climate classification, the mesa is located in a hot arid climate zone with hot summers and mild winters.[4] This climate supports shrubland plants on the slopes such as lechuguilla, creosote bush, ocotillo, and cacti.[5] Any scant precipitation runoff from the slopes drains to the Rio Grande via Alamo, Cottonwood, and Terlingua Creeks. Topographic relief is modest as the summit rises 1200feet above Javelina Wash in one mile (1.6 km). The mountain's toponym has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names and it is so named for the herds of wild burros which once roamed here.[3]
The mesa is composed of Quaternary sediments overlaying 29-million-year-old Oligocene Burro Mesa Formation which includes Burro Mesa Rhyolite overlaying Wasp Spring Tuff. The volcanic rocks exposed at the south end of the mesa include rhyolite, tuff, Bee Mountain Basalt and conglomerate of the Chisos Formation.[6] [7] The Burro Mesa fault is exposed on the northeast flank of Burro Mesa, forming one of the notable faults in this area of the park.[5]