In early September I got to participate in my second UO geology “Staples” field trip, named for an alum who donated enough money to periodically take a big group to somewhere in the world where a faculty member has active research. The last trip was to Kyrgyzstan, back in 2014. This time we scaled back substantially, and stayed close to home. The theme of the trip was Rio Grande rift volcanism, specifically focusing on large calderas in the “Southern Rocky Mountain Volcanic Field.” A lot of details of the trip are described in a trip blog, put together by Allan Lerner, so I won’t repeat all the details, but here are a few pictures I took during the trip.

Enjoying Santa Fe, NM.

Look at that bird!!! (Near an outcrop of Bandelier tuff outside of Los Alamos, NM)

The inner mote of the Valles caldera, West of Los Alamos.

Dylan Colón looks picturesquely at the Rio Grande gorge, about half way between Santa Fe and Taos, NM.

Our swanky digs at the Sagebrush Inn, Taos, NM.

Paul Wallace points at something important.

Dana Reuter jumps across a detachment surface *on to* a huge landslide block on the Rio Grande gorge.

The “Buried volcano” is part of a paleo volcanic edifice that has since been covered by more flat-lying basalts.

Hydrothermally altered rocks in the Platoro Caldera (SE San Juan Volcanic Field)

The base of the famous Fish Canyon Tuff, (Central San Juans)

City of Creede, CO, on the North edge of the Creede Caldera

Remnants of 19th century mining operations in Creede, CO.

The Sangre de Cristo mountains over an advancing flash flood at Great Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, Colorado.