19724 - A Geologic History of the Sandia Mountains and the Rio Grande Rift

Course Overview

The rocks of the Sandia Mountains dominate Albuquerque’s eastern skyline and include some of the oldest rocks found in New Mexico. These rocks and younger geologic features reflect changing plate tectonic settings and global climate during the last 1.4 billion years.  A shift from compression to extension of the crust of much of western North America during the Cenozoic Era resulted in the development of the Rio Grande Rift and associated uplift of the Sandia Mountains. The landforms of the Sandias that reflect Cenozoic Era tectonics and global climate changes include bajadas and their associated alluvial fans, pediments, steep spectacular cliffs, and “corestone” topography of drainage basin hillslopes.  The origins and evolution of these landforms reflect surface processes such as weathering of rocks and soil development, mass movements and sediment transport and deposition via streams.