Valle Grande at Valles Caldera National Preserve, New Mexico, USA
Lookin' at a big / tiny part of a HUGE VOLCANO, the Valles Caldera. There's where all the lava popped out thousands a years ago!
Here's Wikipedia's summary. I suggest ya read the rest of the article. Lotsa good stuff on the geology and history!
Valles Caldera (or Jemez Caldera) is a 13.7-mile (22.0 km) wide volcanic caldera in the Jemez Mountains of northern New Mexico. Hot springs, streams, fumaroles, natural gas seeps and volcanic domes dot the caldera floor landscape. The highest point in the caldera is Redondo Peak, an 11,253-foot (3,430 m) resurgent lava dome located entirely within the caldera. Also within the caldera are several grass valleys [Valle(s)] the largest of which is Valle Grande, the only one accessible by a paved road. Much of the caldera is within the Valles Caldera National Preserve, a unit of the National Park System.
Also check out the National Park Service's Valles Caldera subsite. Besides bein' beautiful, there's a lot ta do up there. Even fishin'!
Oh! Look at these two top views a the whole caldera by the New Mexico Museum of Natural History:
Lots ta see in New Mexico, my friend. But if time is limited, Valles Caldera National Preserve should be on your short list.
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