PEEC and Fraser and Cathy Goff will lead a geology and volcanology tour of the Sierra Blanca region in late June. The Goffs will hold a talk at the nature center at 7 p.m., Thursday, May 31 in preparation for this field trip. Courtesy photoPEEC News:
Local geology experts Fraser and Cathy Goff will give a geology talk at the Los Alamos Nature Center in anticipation of the geology field trip they are hosting in late June. This free talk is at 7 p.m., Thursday, May 31 and will focus on the Sierra Blanca igneous province.
After the talk, the Goffs will answer questions about Sierra Blanca or any other volcano-related questions the audience may have.
This talk is in preparation for an exciting three-day field trip offered by the Pajarito Environmental Education Center with the Goffs. Attendees will examine the geology and volcanology of the Sierra Blanca in south-central New Mexico. This outing begins Friday, June 29 and ends on Sunday, July 1 and is perfect for anyone with an interest in geology and natural science. More information about the itinerary can be found at peecnature.org.
The Goffs worked extensively in the Sierra Blanca from 2009-2014. They love this area because it contains the visible roots of volcanoes and three crystallized magma chambers (stocks) that have been uplifted and unroofed by tectonic forces and erosion. The largest, Three Rivers Stock, is unique because it is one of the few places where a caldera-forming magma chamber can be linked to a thick explosive volcanic flow, the Palisades Tuff.
Fraser Goff is the author of Valles Caldera: A Geologic History and worked at Los Alamos National Laboratory for 26 years. He has worked extensively in the Valles Caldera and on about 40 geothermal systems and 15 active volcanoes worldwide during his career. Cathy Goff is also an accomplished geologist/geochemist and has worked on geothermal and volcanic projects throughout the western USA and in Alaska, Hawaii, Latin America, Italy, and Japan. More recently, Fraser and Cathy worked for the New Mexico StateMap Program and helped produce new geologic maps of Valles Caldera, Mount Taylor volcano, and the Sierra Blanca magmatic area.
For more information about this and other PEEC programs, visit www.peecnature.org, email adventure@peecnature.org or call (505).662.0460.
