New Mexico, Tetilla Peak, Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks and the Veteran’s Memorial May 20, 2013

Some of the tent rocks

Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks, according to the Bureau of Land Management, is a remarkable place that allows one to see how the “geologic processes shape natural landscapes. The cone-shaped tent rock [think teepee] formations are products of volcanic eruptions that occurred 6 to 7 million years ago and left pumice, ash, and tuff deposits over 1,000 feet thick. Tremendous explosions from the Jemez volcanic field spewed pyroclasts (rock fragments), while searing hot gases blasted down slops in an incandescent avalanche called a ‘pyroclastic flow.’

“Precariously perched on many of the tapering hoodoos are boulder caps that protect the softer pumice and tuff below. Some tents have lost their hard, resistant caprocks and are disintegrating.

While fairly uniform in shape, the tent rock formations vary in height from a few feet to 90 feet.”

“Surveys recorded numerous archaeological sites reflecting human occupations spanning 4,000 years. During the 14^th and 15^th centuries, several large ancestral pueblos were established and their descendants, the Pueblo de Cochiti, still inhabit the surrounding area.”

The sights were amazing and we spent several hours hiking the trail throughout the area then drove a couple more miles down a rutted dirt road to the Veteran’s Memorial, an overlook from which one can view several mountain ranges including the Jemez and tent rocks.

View from the Veterans Memorial Overlook