The latest addition to VallesCaldera.com’s collection of virtual-reality 360° panoramas comes from the top of Cat Mesa, along the South Rim of the Caldera, in the Santa Fe National Forest, high above and to the west of the Valles Caldera community of Sierra los Piños, facing to the northeast, before a late-summer afternoon thunderstorm. Download this panorama here (see the end of this post for technical instructions).
Once the panorama is open, the resurgent dome of Redondo Peak (elev. 11,254), the highest mountain in the Caldera, stands tall in the center of the perspective. Just below this sacred mountain is the Banco Bonito, a high plateau that was formed by an eruptive event that occurred between 50,000 to 60,000 years ago, in which thick, obsidian-like lava flowed to the west, a path which you can visually follow by dragging the cursor to the left (which moves the whole perspective of the panorama).
Below the Banco Bonito, take note of the prominent rock cliffs. These form part of the north wall of the East Fork of the Jemez River canyon. Although it cannot be discerned in the perspective, to the right of these rocks is Jemez Falls, one of the most family-friendly recreation spots in the Jemez Mountains, with a short trail from the road to the roaring waterfall traversed just as easily by young and old alike.
To the left of the rock cliffs (also not visible) is McCauley Warm Springs. However, if you turn the perspective about 60 degrees to the left, you can see a rich assortment of volcanic features: at the nadir of the north and south walls of the East Fork Canyon is Battleship Rock (tiny in this panorama), which is the location of the confluence of the two rivers that drain the Valles Caldera (the aforementioned East Fork of the Jemez River as well as the San Antonio River). Above that looms the wall of massive Virgin Mesa, which forms the Western Rim of the Caldera as it extends to the right (north). Panning even more to the left is an impressive collection of tent rocks. These curious formations are hoodoos consisting of eroded Bandelier Tuff (which are the output from the two cataclysmic Jemez eruptions 1.6 and 1.2 million years ago — the first formed the Toledo Caldera and the second created the Valles Caldera, obliterating most of the first caldera). There are various collections of tent rocks (some of them hidden) throughout the Valles Caldera and Jemez Mountains, most notably in Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument, a surreal, magical landscape that was designated a National Monument in 2001 by President Bill Clinton in the final days of his administration.
QuickTime (version 5.0 or above) must be installed to view our 360° panoramas. Click here to install QuickTime. You also need to have a high-speed internet connection, as this panorama is five megabytes. QuickTime will automatically launch when the panorama had been downloaded.
Once the panorama loads, enter full-screen mode (by pressing Command-F on a Mac or Control-F on a PC) for the most enjoyable viewing experience. Drag the cursor in any direction to change your perspective. You can also press the shift key to zoom in, and the Command key (Control key on a PC) to zoom out.
Finally, enjoy the remainder of our collection of virtual-reality 360° panoramas — many of which feature locations that the public has rarely, if ever, been granted access.
