Last updated: August 22, 2024
Place
Redondo Peak - Resurgent Dome
NPS/Lauren Ray
About 1.2 million years ago, a cataclysmic volcanic eruption occurred here. Where the eruption occurred, the earth’s surface collapsed into the underground void left behind by the extruded magma, forming a 14-mile-wide volcanic caldera. Soon after the Valles Caldera eruption, new magma started forming underground, pushing upward on the caldera floor and eventually creating the central resurgent dome, Redondo Peak.
Redondo Peak is not only a world-class example of caldera resurgence, but it is also a sacred peak to many indigenous cultures. In Hemish culture, for example, Redondo Peak is the center of the universe. It is the home of their deities and ancestors. Redondo is life for the people of the Pueblo of Jemez.
Redondo Peak is not only a world-class example of caldera resurgence, but it is also a sacred peak to many indigenous cultures. In Hemish culture, for example, Redondo Peak is the center of the universe. It is the home of their deities and ancestors. Redondo is life for the people of the Pueblo of Jemez.