This channel is dedicated to geologic explorations in New Mexico and beyond. Some of the videos posted here will be a joint collaboration between Javier Sernas (camera-video) and Kirt Kempter (just rocks). Enjoy!
Thank you for this entire series. I have spent many days exploring this area and camped on the rim of the caldera, explored the tents and Bandelera National monument. I was familiar with some of the geology but this gives me a comprehensive understanding. Finally, thanks for debunking some of the myths about the Caldera. Keep up your great work.
I've become homesick from watching this. Maybe I will try to make the LAHS Class of '69 55th reunion. Also want to visit Chaco Canyon for the archaeology. I certainly heard those myths, even from my teachers in Los Alamos. Black Mesa is a marvel, but its origins were probably less dramatic than the mythological explanation.
I found a flat, silver-gray stone in Rendija Canyon, just off the east side of Baranca Mesa, that seemed to be harder than steel (what, about 6, or so, on Mho's scale) could it be ryolite?
When I would dig in my yard in Los Alamos as a small child I would come across the reddish layer of tuff not far beneath the topsoil. My first first thoughts were that the layer was made up of the remains of dead devils that had been buried in Hell's ceiling,
Before the road was paved up into the Jemez beyond Los Alamos' west gate those first few hair-pin curves on the ascent were harrowing. I threw myself to the floor of our 1950 Ford the first time my father took us on a Sunday drive to the Valle Grande.
I used to live in Los Alamos in 1990 and explored many paces there. And I have flown into and out of the airport in in a Mooney. It’s challenging at times. Thanks you for these videos, it’s hard to explain to my wife but your videos showed her what I’m talking about 👍
As someone born and raised in Los Alamos, I really love the detailed explanations here. I did have a question: is there an estimate of how high the volcanoes were prior to the caldera collapse? I had a science teacher there tell me that some thought the peak might have been higher than present-day Everest, but he couldn't really cite anyone's research into that.
I had a special “life moment” exploring Jimenez and Valles, quite by random, on a motorcycle, with a hot girl riding on the back. The landscape, as it unfolded, was surreal. It was one of those magical moments in my life. Thank you for answering many of the questions, that popped into my head, that day. My ride out to Eagles Nest wasn’t bad either. Land of Enchantment? Ab-so-freakin-lutly.
This was an amazing series of videos. I've spent the last 20 years visiting Los Alamos and we always drive into the Jemez during each visit. I thought I knew a lot about the Valles Caldera, but I've learned more in the last 1.5 hours than in my 20 years of visiting.
What amazing technology. My father mapped many of these places from 1947 to 1968. Why does Ngorogoro crater not have a dome inside its walls. Is it extinct.
I’m camped on the rim above Los Alamos watching these videos. Thank you. Maybe in a few million years there will be huge lakes in the rift valley like there is in the Great Rift Valley.
Awesome series! I discovered the Valles caldera back in 2020 during a random trip to NM. It was so fascinating to find a large volcanic feature I didn’t know existed. Kinda sparked my interest in geology which was further pushed along by a trip to Hawaii the next year. I’ve been researching a trip back to spend more time exploring so this was very useful especially adds a lot of context of the areas around it.
This is incredible, I took geology with Geologic professor Mrs Ragland, and we covered alot of Valles Caldera but this is an absolute hands on perspective i find incredible and informative, thankyou Dr Kempter! 🤠👍
Thank you so much for this extraordinary series. Very well done. Great geology teaching for us non-geologists. I'm glad this was homework for the Smithsonian Associates Program.
How geologically active is that caldera and them volcanoes? Any geysers or epithermal stuff going on? Hot springs? I really wanna see the process of gold and mineral deposition in "real" time so to speak.
I poke around in orogrande NM doing very amateur prospecting for gold. I love it out there in the desert but I'm looking forward to going up around cloudcroft as soon as I get my jeep done....again lol. It's there anything interesting geologically in cloudcroft?
This is the Eastern Rift Valley, there is a Western Rift Valley that goes from Congo through Uganda all the way to Syria... Also has currently active volcanoes in Congo
