Mountains and Rift
On the tram up to Sandia Peak in Albuquerque
This is on the west side of the Sandia Mountains in central New Mexico and faces south. The Manzano Mountains are visible in the distance. Albuquerque lies in the Rio Grande rift zone, and a small area of the southern edge of town is visible on the right side of the image.
The Sandias are an example of a block fault mountain range. The mountains are topped by a thin layer of Mississippian and Pennsylvanian sedimentary rocks. Their counterparts on the down-dropped part of the fault lie about 20000 feet below Albuquerque, so the total vertical movement along this part of the fault has been about 25000 feet (7600 m).
The Rio Grande rift runs through the area. It begins in south-central Colorado and runs through the entire length of New Mexico to Texas and the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Considerable volcanism has occurred in and along the edges of the rift, and there is a row of four ancient cinder cones visible on the west side of Albuquerque.
Mountains and Rift
On the tram up to Sandia Peak in Albuquerque
This is on the west side of the Sandia Mountains in central New Mexico and faces south. The Manzano Mountains are visible in the distance. Albuquerque lies in the Rio Grande rift zone, and a small area of the southern edge of town is visible on the right side of the image.
The Sandias are an example of a block fault mountain range. The mountains are topped by a thin layer of Mississippian and Pennsylvanian sedimentary rocks. Their counterparts on the down-dropped part of the fault lie about 20000 feet below Albuquerque, so the total vertical movement along this part of the fault has been about 25000 feet (7600 m).
The Rio Grande rift runs through the area. It begins in south-central Colorado and runs through the entire length of New Mexico to Texas and the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Considerable volcanism has occurred in and along the edges of the rift, and there is a row of four ancient cinder cones visible on the west side of Albuquerque.