Geology in New Mexico

Geology

Blue Hole - Santa Rosa’s Blue Hole is an 81-foot-deep artesian well bordered by a ring of sandstone featuring azure waters in a soda bottle–shaped configuration.

Carlsbad Cavern - The park contains more than 100 known caves, including Lechuguilla Cave - the nation's deepest limestone cave (1,567 feet) and third longest.

Chuska Mountains - The Chuska Mountains are an elongate range on the Colorado Plateau and within the Navajo Nation.

Manzanos Mountains - The park is a steward of numerous species of trees, which provide a safe-haven for many types of birds.

Mimbres - The Mimbres region and its culture was part of the larger Mogollon culture. This area has a wide diversity of wildlife.

Rio Grande Gorge - The Taos Gorge is known for its world class white water and steep pocketed rock climbing, as well as its hidden hot springs that flank the river for miles.

Rio Grande - Spanish for "Big River", the Rio Grande starts in southern Colorado and flows almost due south across the entire extent of New Mexico, past Albuquerque and Las Cruces.

Rio Puerco - The picture that early Spanish explorers paint of the Rio Puerco in the 17th and early 18th centuries is one of a relatively well-vegetated area.

Sacramentos Mountains - The southern branch of the Rocky Mountains, located mainly within Otero County and extendssoutheast into Chaves County.

Sangre de Christo Mountains - The Sangre de Cristo Mountains (Spanish for "Blood of Christ") are the southernmost subrange of the Rocky Mountains.

San Mateo Mountains - The San Mateo extend from south of Highway 60 between Magdalena in Socorro City and the VLA in the north and south to Monticello about 10 miles into Sierra County.

Shiprock - Shiprock is named after the nearby Shiprock rock formation. It is home to the annual Northern Navajo Fair, held every October.

Pecos - In the latter half of the 19th century, "West of the Pecos" was a reference to the rugged frontiers of the Wild West.

Valles Caldera National Preserve - The Valles Caldera National Preserve was a private ranch until 2000, when Congress created it from a well-known ranch known as “the Baca Ranch” in New Mexico’s volcanic Jemez Mountain Range.

White Sands - At the northern end of the Chihuahuan Desert lies a mountain ringed valley called the Tularosa Basin. Rising from the heart of this basin is one of the world's great natural wonders - the glistening white sands of New Mexico.

Zuni Mountains - Some areas are easily accessible by car, so that wilderness camping and picnicking are perfect pastimes.