On the skyline to the west, the Jémez Mountains were shaped by tremendous volcanic eruptions a million years ago that created a huge caldera about 15 miles in diameter, now forming beautiful Valle Grande amid a ring of volcanic peaks. Geothermal energy has been tapped from hot rock beneath the mountains. Flow and ash-fall deposits surrounding the volcanic range form the Pajarito Plateau, site of numerous ancient cliff dwellings and the atomic city of Los Alamos. The Jémez Mountains are part of the Southern Rockies and form one of the western ranges of the Rockies in New Mexico, with elevations exceeding 11,000 feet.

Photo: Bill Kirchner

Photo: Bill Kirchner

Photo: Bill Kirchner