The Pajarito ("Little Bird") Plateau is of interest geologically as well as archeologically.
It is constituted largely of tuff and basaltic lava ejected thousands of years ago by a great volcano.
The caldera created by the collapsed summit of the volcano is among the world's largest calderas; its rim forms the Jemez Mountains.
Through this highland, running water has cut many steep-walled canyons down to the Rio Grande.

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