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Geology Pueblo Loop Trail Stop 2
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New Mexico
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Geology Pueblo Loop Trail Stop 2
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Frijoles Canyon is carved into a thick layer of volcanic ash that over time compacted into a soft rock known as tuff. This ash was deposited over 1 million years ago in two separate eruptions of the Jemez Volcano, each spewing over 600 times more ash than Mt St Helens in 1980. Tuff is a malleable rock overall and one component within the tuff, pumice, is especially susceptible to erosion by wind and water. Using this quality of the tuff, Ancestral Pueblo people used harder rock, such as basalt found further down this canyon and under the tuff, to enlarge natural erosional cavities into human excavated openings called cavates (CAVE-eights). You will be able to climb ladders into several of these further down the trail.If you are interested in learning more about this fantastic volcanic geology, visit the Valles Caldera National Preserve located about 40 minutes away on Highway 4. The Preserve protects the collapsed top (caldera) of the Jemez Volcano.
Ancient Life Pueblo Loop Trail Stop 1
~0 min drive
Welcome to the Main or Pueblo Loop Trail. This trail is 1.4 miles roundtrip and will take you past many archeological sites. Portions of the trail are relatively flat and can be traveled by wheelchairs and strollers. Other sections have numerous narrow stairs and can be diffic…
Pueblo Loop Trail
~0 min drive
The Main Pueblo Loop Trail is the most popular trail in Bandelier at 1.4 miles roundtrip, you see more archeological sites here than on any other trail. This trail begins directly behind the park visitor center and includes climbing ladders into cavates, petroglyphs, and a pav…
Frijoles Creek Pueblo Loop Trail Stop 3
~0 min drive
Looking at Frijoles Creek it is hard to imagine it carving this dozen mile long canyon. In recent years it is not uncommon for this stream to dry up in summer from near Alcove House and downstream. Before Las Conchas Fire in 2011 this stream ran at least past the visitor cente…
Big Kiva Pueblo Loop Trail Stop 4
~0 min drive
Looking at this structure you might be thinking cistern or well, but water collection was not the purpose of this construction. Imagine this stone lined circular depression with a roof supported by large wooden beams or vigas. Those timbers would have been covered by layers of…
Garden Pueblo Loop Trail Stop 5
~0 min drive
Evidence of the first people in this area dates back to over 11,000 years. Stone spear points have been found but early hunter-gatherers moved across the landscape and didn’t build many permanent structures. As these early people traveled following game animals they collected…
Native Plants Pueblo Loop Trail Stop 6
~0 min drive
You are approaching the remains of the village of Tyuonyi (QU-weh-nee). Once the walls of the village would have stood one to two stories tall in front of you but now only the base layers remain. Around the village two important plants still grow, four-winged saltbush and pale…
Entering Tyuonyi Pueblo Loop Trail Stop 7
~0 min drive
You are now standing in the central plaza of the village. Can you hear the dogs barking and the laughter of children playing or chasing the domesticated turkeys? This would have been a very active and noisy place during Ancestral Pueblo times. One theory suggests that this vil…
Soft Rock Pueblo Loop Trail Stop 10
~0 min drive
The cliff in front of you has numerous holes, some big and some small. These holes are created by wind and water erosion of the volcanic tuff we talked about earlier. Water freezes and thaws in the permeable rock breaking off big and small pieces (most are microscopic). Wind p…
First Cavate Pueblo Loop Trail Stop 11
~0 min drive
You have arrived at the first of three ladders you can climb into cavates (CAVE-eights), human excavated openings. Although sometimes used for housing, the main purpose of cavates was often food storage. Remember the Ancestral Pueblo people lived here for over 400 years and th…
In Tyuonyi Pueblo Loop Trail Stop 8
~0 min drive
The kiva you see in front of you served the same purpose as Big Kiva that you saw earlier on this walk. It too would have had a hard plastered roof with an entrance in and a ladder in the middle. <br /> <br /> Tyuonyi, as with many of the archeological sites along the Pueblo L…
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