The Pueblo de Cochiti has always considered this area a significant place. "Kasha-Katue" means "white cliffs" in the traditional Keresan language of the pueblo. Located on the Pajarito Plateau in north-central New Mexico, the monument is a remarkable outdoor laboratory, offering an opportunity to observe, study, and experience the geologic processes that shape natural landscapes. The elevation of the monument ranges from 5,570 feet to 6,760 feet above sea level. The cone-shaped tent rock formations are the 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 slopes in an incandescent avalanche called a “pyroclastic flow.” In close inspection of the arroyas, visitors will discover small, rounded, translucent obsidian (volcanic glass) fragments created by rapid cooling. 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. As the result of uniform layering of volcanic material, bands of grey are interspersed with beige and pink-colored rock along the cliff face. Over time, wind and water cut into these deposits creating canyons and arroyas, scooping holes in the rock, and contouring the ends of small, inward ravines into smooth semi-circles. The complex landscape and spectacular geologic scenery of the monument has been a focal point for visitors for centuries. Surveys have recorded many archeological sites reflecting human occupation spanning 4,000 years. During the 14th and 15th centuries, several large ancestral pueblos were established and their descendants, the Pueblo de Cochiti, still inhabit the surrounding area.
The National Recreational Trail contains two segments, the Cave Loop Trail is 1.2 miles long, rated as easy, the Canyon Trail is a 1.5 mile trek up a narrow canyon with a steep (630-ft) climb with several switchbacks. There were a few areas where it was necessary to keep the camera in my carrying bag so that I could use both hands to assist in my ascent up the canyon wall to the mesa top for excellent views of the Sangre de Cristo, Jemez, Sandia mountains and the Rio Grande Valley, and then a 1.5 mile trek back down to the starting point.
There are many unique and beautiful geological formations and I tried to include most of them so that I would be able in the future to look at all these magnificent geological events that I saw and remember their beauty. I am happy that I had the opportunity to see the beautiful geological scenery and record it.