The geology of southern New Mexico and west Texas represents over a billion years of earth's history. Evidence of events such as explosive eruptions of great volcanoes, uplift and erosion of ancient mountains, and deposition of sediment in subtropical seas is available for those who know how to read the rocks. This guide for non-specialists not only provides the necessary background for comprehension but also a guide to local features. Part I explains the basic principles of geology, including the origin of rocks, geologic time, rock deformation, and plate tectonics. Part II divides the geologic history of the region into eight major events and illustrates both the rock strata produced by each event and the ancient geography of the era. Part III contains twenty-two field trips to view geologic history, mostly in easily accessible natural outcrops. Natives and visitors alike will find that this clearly written and well-illustrated book contributes to a greater appreciation of the unique landscape of the southwest.

In the course of the hundreds of Rio Chama rafting trips that we've logged during the last 30 years, none of us has ever had a bad trip. Such is the magic of the Rio Chama. No matter the weather, the water level, the season, the crowded Big Eddy boat ramp on a blistering Sunday afternoon, or even the coffee forgotten at home, the Rio Chama remains "The People's River." Its stunning beauty, plus its exceptional camping, user-friendly whitewater, and mostly predictable flows, combine to create one of the Southwest's premiere, multi-day, river running experiences.The spectacular, towering canyon walls of the Wild & Scenic section through the remote Chama River Canyon Wilderness is New Mexico's own "Grand Canyon." The geology of the Rio Chama is so exceptional that this river is ideally suited for a river guide with a geological theme. And so, following the release of the Rio Grande geologic river guide in 2011, we turned our (part-time) attention to the Rio Chama. Although most Rio Chama recreation is focused on the El Vado to Big Eddy stretch, thedecision was easily made to include the entire boatable section, from the highlands in Colorado to the confluence with the Rio Grande, as each section of the river displays its own visual spectacles and assortment of adventures. Plus, the geology is magnificent and diverse along the entire length of the river.

"To discover geologic novelties in the Land of Enchantment, all that is required is a good map, a sense of adventure, and New Mexico Rocks, a guide to 60 of the most compelling geologic sites in the state. More than every other state except Hawaii, New Mexico was shaped by volcanic eruptions, from supervolcano calderas to young basalt flows and cinder cones. Ancient Puebloans likely witnessed the most recent eruptions as they carved their homes into volcanic tuff, used pumice as a water-retaining mulch, and traded obsidian and turquoise far and wide. Legends of New Mexico's fiery origins are surpassed only by magical twists on the state's geologic gee-whiz sites. Nearly every western state has a premier pile of dunes, but New Mexico's White Sands are made from gypsum, not quartz. Carlsbad seems like just another limestone cavern until you learn the rock was dissolved with sulfuric acid, not the normal carbonic acid of rainwater. Silver wasn't just pried out of veins in hard rock, it was found coating the entire surface of a cave-named the Bridal Chamber by Lake Valley miners. Dinosaurs-including the Bisti Beast and Coelophysis, the state fossil-inhabited New Mexico and left tracks on the Dinosaur Freeway, but the footprints at Prehistoric Trackways National Monument were left by Dimetrodon, which is not a dinosaur. With its beautiful photographs and informative figures and maps, this guidebook will get you up to speed on every aspect of New Mexico's diverse geology"--