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Posts tagged ‘geology’

Jun 20

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Valles Caldera

A couple of weeks ago, I spent a week in New Mexico.  I flew by way of Dallas.  Thanks to the pandemic, it was my first time on a plane in over a year. The flights were terrible—two were delayed, the flight from DFW to ABQ was diverted to El Paso for the night, and the final return leg to Austin was cancelled entirely.  I don’t think that everything in the airline industry is ready for our return.

I’ve been to New Mexico many times in the past.  In winter, I’m usually visiting the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, but I love summertime, too, for hiking, for opera, for shopping, for food.  I still have several places in New Mexico I’ve wanted to visit and photograph.  One of them is the Valles Caldera.

(Click on any image to enlarge.)

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May 29

Quake Lake

The first time I went to Yellowstone was in the mid-1980’s.  Harnessing the power of the internet, such as it was back in 1985, I found suggestions for places to go in the region.  One suggestion was to visit a place called “Quake Lake”, a few miles northwest of West Yellowstone, Montana.

In 1959, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake occurred, centered near Hebgen Lake on the Madison River in southwestern Montana.  It caused a massive landslide in Madison Canyon, killing several people camping along the river.  It also created a new lake, below Hebgen Lake, named Earthquake Lake.

Every time I visit Yellowstone, I have also ventured over to this area.  There are roadside information displays, and a visitors center with more information about the quake.  If you are at all interested in geology and earthquakes, I encourage you to visit.

Here’s the view of the landslide from the visitors center…

Click any image to enlarge.

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Here’s a view of Quake Lake, looking to the west.  Trees that were inundated by the water are shown in the foreground.  The landslide is at the far end of the lake.

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