Shiprock

Basaltic formation (2,188 m/7,178 ft high) that rises some 425 m/1,400 ft above the desert floor in the Four Corners section of northwestern New Mexico, in the Navajo Indian Reservation. An eroded volcanic neck sacred to the Navajo and a landmark to pioneers, it is said to resemble a huge sailing ship.

The community of Shiprock (population (1990) 7,700), 16 km/10 mi to the northeast, is an important Navajo trade centre, site of a noted tribal fair. Oil, natural gas, and uranium have been extracted in the area.