Nelia Dunbar Presents Geology of Northern New Mexico!
Nelia Dunbar Presents Geology of Northern New Mexico!
The New Mexico Consortium wants to thank Professor Nelia Dunbar of NM Institute of Mining and Technology for her amazing lecture July 18th on the Geology of Northern New Mexico and for leading a field trip to the Jemez Mountains Friday July 19th.
This lecture was held at SALA Los Alamos Event Center, and Professor Dunbar spoke about the geology, ecology, and archeology of the Valles Caldera and the Jemez Mountains! The audience learned about how the Jemez volcanic field is located at the intersection of two major fault systems, the Rio Grande Rift and the Jemez Lineament. Dunbar spoke of the time scale of volcanic eruptions that created the Jemez Mountains and the different types of eruptions and how these created the rocks and cliffs we see today in this area.
After the lecture, SALA Los Alamos Event Center showed the film Dante’s Peak, a 1997 action/adventure film where a volcanologist and community members fight to survive a volcanic eruption!
Professor Dunbar’s visit to Los Alamos was organized and managed by the New Mexico Consortium – with additional generous financial support from Century Bank, Los Alamos – as part of the New Mexico Consortium event series “Your State of Science”. In July 2024, many Your State of Science events were in partnership with ScienceFest (Powered by Los Alamos Mainstreet & Creative District, a component of LACDC). This year, New Mexico Consortium and ScienceFest collaborated with the Valles Caldera National Preserve, part of the National Park Service, to bring about the guided geology field trip across the Jemez Mountains. We thank the tour leaders: Dr. Nelia Dunbar (New Mexico State Geologist Emerita), Dr. Bill McIntosh (NMT Emeritus Volcanologist/Geochronologist), and Dr. Bill Sayre (NPS volunteer; Institute of American Indian Arts, retired).
To learn more about upcoming Your State of Science events, follow the website at: newmexicoconsortium.org/ysos/.
