Jemez Trail - Monday, October 13
Jemez Trail
The Jemez Trail goes along highway 4 from I-25. Highway 4 loops around, going north-northwest and then east through the Velles Caldera National Preserve toward Santa Fe. Jemez is pronounced "hay-mez".
One of the things that impressed us was how thick the light-colored layer was. Also, it looks like someone took a spoon and scooped down the layer. Based on the stuff we read, geologists think there were two large volcano explosions that took place in the area. They estimate that each one was 600 times more powerful than Mt. St. Helens. There is a Valles Caldera to the north of this area, and the map says there are some volcanos around Albuquerque. The stuff we read also talks of pyroplastic flows. You can see in some of the above pictures that there are some red sections which have thin layers sandwiched together, and then suddenly there is a light colored layer that looks like it was layed down in one event. Though I have to say that I'm not a geologist, and some of these formations may be sedimentary. The thick layers were fascinating.
Part of the Red Rocks area.
Gilman Tunnels
These tunnels were blasted through the rock in order to give logging crews access to nearby trees.
A stream that flows to the side of the two tunnels.
We were driving away from the tunnels when this roadrunner crossed the road. I got out of the car and tried to take a picture of it, but it seemed to mostly be going away from me.
Jemez State Monument
This is a kiva (probably renovated or restored). It was a room used for religious or social purposes. We weren't allowed to take pictures of the interior of this one.
This structure looks like it was built during the Spanish control of the pueblos as a cathedral.
Soda Dam
Soda Dam probably sounds like an odd name, but it refers to a formation that was made by the deposits from a hot spring. At one time the dam crossed the road, and travelers actually had to go across the top of the dam, but at some point the dam was blasted to enable the laying down of highway 4 through the area. This disrupted the flow of water, and left only a small flow that you see below. They say that no further build up will occur.
Perforated Rock
After driving through the Valles Caldera National Preserve, we headed toward the direction of Bandelier National Monument. These rock formations were on the side of the road. It looks like gas was effervescing while the rock was solidifying.
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