Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument

Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument
A map of the United States showing the location of Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument
A map of the United States showing the location of Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument
Location Sandoval County, New Mexico, United States
Nearest city Cochiti Pueblo, NM
Coordinates 35°39′37″N 106°24′30″W / 35.66028°N 106.40833°W / 35.66028; -106.40833Coordinates: 35°39′37″N 106°24′30″W / 35.66028°N 106.40833°W / 35.66028; -106.40833
Area 5,402 acres (21.86 km2)[1]
Established January 17, 2001
Governing body U.S. Bureau of Land Management
Website Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument
A narrow section of the slot canyon

Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument, located 40 miles southwest of Santa Fe, New Mexico (near Cochiti), is a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) managed site that was established as a U.S. National Monument by President Bill Clinton in January 2001 shortly before leaving office. Kasha-Katuwe means "white cliffs" in the Pueblo language Keresan.[2]

The area owes its remarkable geology to layers of volcanic rock and ash deposited by pyroclastic flow from a volcanic explosion within the Jemez Volcanic Field that occurred 6 to 7 million years ago. Over time, weathering and erosion of these layers has created canyons and tent rocks. The tent rocks themselves are cones of soft pumice and tuff beneath harder caprocks, and vary in height from a few feet to 90 feet.[2]

The monument is open for day use only and may be closed by order of the Cochiti Pueblo Tribal Governor. A 1.2 mile (1.9 km) recreation trail leads up through a slot canyon to a lookout point where the tent rocks may be viewed from above. A 1.3 mile (2 km) loop trail leads past their base. The park is located on the Pajarito Plateau between 5700 and 6400 feet (1737–1951 m) above sea level. The monument is closed to dogs.

The monument is a unit of the BLM's National Landscape Conservation System.

Science fiction TV series Earth 2 filming locations included the monument.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "National Monument detail table as of April 2012" (PDF). Bureau of Land Management. Retrieved 2012-12-27.
  2. 1 2 "Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument". Bureau of Land Management. Retrieved April 9, 2012.
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