Join local geologists Cathy and Fraser Goff on a PEEC van tour of the geology of the Valles Caldera on Saturday, Sept. 14. The group will meet at the Valle Grande Visitor Center at 9 a.m. Photo Courtesy PEEC
PEEC NEWS
Join local geology experts Fraser and Cathy Goff on a PEEC field trip driving through Valles Caldera National Preserve on Saturday, Sept. 14. Participants will examine the volcanology and geothermal springs of the 1.25-million-year-old Valles Caldera — the world’s type example of a resurgent caldera. The trip will consist of six stops and take most of the day. Participants will meet at the Valles Caldera Visitor Center at 9 a.m.
The group will board two large vans at the Visitor Center to travel through the Valle for the tour. The tour will complete a big circle starting at the Valle Grande Visitor’s enter, driving through the northeastern valley (Valle San Antonio), crossing into the Sulphur Creek drainage, visiting part of the geothermal system and returning to the visitor center along NM Highway 4.
Attendees should bring a hat, sunglasses, rain jacket, light boots or sturdy shoes, lunch, water and a camera. Rock collecting is not permitted in the Valles Caldera National Preserve. Several of the stops will involve hiking up steep slopes, across bunch grass and other obstacles.
Registration is required to save a spot on this trip and only five spaces are left on this tour. Admission is $48 for PEEC members and $60 for non-members. Sign up at peecnature.org. The group will meet promptly at 9 a.m. and return by 5 p.m.
For more information about this and other PEEC programs, visit www.peecnature.org, email programs@peecnature.org or call (505) 662-0460.
PEEC was founded in 2000 to serve the community of Los Alamos. It offers people of all ages a way to enrich their lives by strengthening their connections to our canyons, mesas, mountains, and skies. PEEC operates the Los Alamos Nature Center at 2600 Canyon Road, holds regular programs and events, and hosts a number of interest groups from birding to hiking to butterfly watching. PEEC activities are open to everyone; however, members receive exclusive benefits such as discounts on programs and merchandise. Annual memberships start at $35. To learn more, visit www.peecnature.org.