You’re standing in it up there — just a small section of the Valles Caldera that hasn’t yet filled in with a ring-fracture volcano.
This state has some gorgeous volcanic landscapes. We’ve looked at the Jemez field in general, as well as other New Mexican volcanoes.
Now it’s time to supersize this part of the Jemez line!
Herw’s the story in a nutshell:
Now, if you’re itching to follow a geologist on a detailed field trip through this amazing place, where supereruptions have happened in at least two caldera-forming blasts, here you go!
This is a roughly 90-minute, six-part field trip done by a geologist and filmed by a professional a couple years ago. It all fits together at a series of stops and overlooks, but here is the link in case you want to explore it a little bit at a time.
The preserve was recently added to a list of parks with significant geothermal features, but we’re not talking Yellowstone-style drama with those.
You have to hunt for them, and it’s well worth the trip!
More information:
- USGS page.
- Global Volcanism Program page.
- New Mexico Museum of Natural History
- National Park Service
- Wikipedia on the Bandelier Tuff
Lagniappe:
Featured image: sumikophoto/Shutterstock
Flight To Wonder 