Valles Caldera

In northern New Mexico's Jemez Mountains (pronounced Hay-mas, or Hemez around here) lies the ancient Valles Caldera where hot springs, smoking fissures abound and volcanic domes spring starkly out of lush grasslands in a 14 mile wide crater. Much of this beautiful area is wilderness, and cannot be accessed by vehicle, though even a car only trip is definitely worth it. Most of the land is part of the national park system as Valles Caldera Natural Preserve.

For at least 11,000 years native peoples used the caldera, to hunt and collect obsidian for spears and arrows. Volcanic activity has made the area an abundant source of the stone, which was traded with tribes all over the southwest region. Eventually herdsman of Spanish, Mexican and Navajo origin would come to use the land for grazing before the US gained possession of New Mexico. Afterwards a string of ranchers and logging companies took a heavy toll on the land, its old growth forest and its watersheds. In 2000, the land was purchased by the federal government for $101 million gained from hydrocarbon royalties. The family that sold the property, the Dunigans, actually retained 1/8th of the mineral rights to the caldera. A 5,000 acre section of the purchase that is considered sacred to the nearby Santa Clara Pueblo was ceded to the tribe.

The most recent eruption of the caldera occurred around 50,000 years ago, but volcanic activity spans back at least 1.6 million years, and is still shaping the caldera to the present. This can be observed by the abundant geothermal activity that is evidenced by the many hot springs and fumaroles in the caldera.The area has been heavily studied to elucidate a variety of geological processes and the subsurface has been extensively mapped. It has also been a popular spot for filming western movies for past 50 years, thanks to the beautiful juxtaposition of lush grassland with stark volcanic features.

All Photos from National Park Service