BNSF: Trinchera Pass

East of Folsom, New Mexico

Here is an aerial photograph of the Raton-Clayton Volcanic Field.

Valles Caldera

The view I first saw from New Mexico State Highway 4 glimpses only a portion of this huge caldera.  Much of the depression is now obscured by a central resurgent dome called Redondo Peak, formed by the swelling of the caldera floor due to movement in the magma chamber.  From downtown Albuquerque, the Valles Caldera appears to be a "plain vanilla" mountain range rising above the valley of the Rio Grande.  The above image demonstrates clearly how State Highway 4, in both directions, comes out of the forest onto the southeastern edge of a huge open grassland.

Locations of Images 1-5

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