Valles Caldera: A Geologic History [Paperback]

Fraser Goff (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 16, 2009

The Valles Caldera consists of a twelve-mile-wide collapsed volcanic crater and more than ten postcollapse volcanic domes in New Mexico's Jemez Mountains. For over a century, it was safeguarded within the 89,000-acre Baca Ranch. In the year 2000, Congress passed the Valles Caldera Preservation Act, creating the Valles Caldera Trust to purchase the ranch and create a nine-member board of trustees responsible for the protection and development of the Valles Caldera National Preserve. With special permission, qualified geologists interested in volcanic processes and hydrothermal systems have been allowed to conduct research on the preserve. One of those volcanologists, Fraser Goff, collaborated with the Valles Caldera Trust to provide an accessible scientific overview of the caldera's geologic wonders.Presented in two parts, Valles Caldera first offers a summary of significant geologic events that have taken place in the Valles Caldera area. Then Goff presents the geology, volcanology, and geothermal characteristics of the Caldera and the Jemez volcanic field. Geologic terms and names unfamiliar to all but professional geologists are defined in a summarizing glossary.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Formed by massive volcanic eruptions over a million years ago, the Valles Caldera offers scientists unprecedented opportunities for studying its geologic wonders, and now as a national preserve, it offers the public a unique outdoor experience.

About the Author

Fraser Goff is adjunct professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at the University of New Mexico. A Fellow of the Geological Society of America, Goff retired from the Geology/Geochemistry Group at New Mexico's Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in 2004 after twenty-six years of service. In 1994, the respected volcanologist discovered that the Galeras volcano in the Colombian Andes was spewing more than a pound of gold each day into the atmosphere and estimated that forty-five pounds of gold a year was deposited into the rocks beneath the crater. Goff has worked on more than forty geothermal systems and fifteen active volcanoes during his career.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: University of New Mexico Press (May 16, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0826345905
• ISBN-13: 978-0826345905
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #915,677 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Valles Caldera: A Geologic History, June 16, 2010

By 

J. Miller (Albuquerque, NM USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Valles Caldera: A Geologic History (Paperback)

Lots of details in this book about the Valles Caldera. I also have the Valles Caldera map from High Desert Field Guides. The combination of the map and Fraser Goff's "Valles Caldera" is very informative.

I am very lucky since I live about 1.5 hours away from the Valles Caldera. There is legislation before the Congress to make the Valles Caldera the next National Park. Remember, the volcano is dormant.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, May 23, 2010

By 

Eli L. Follick "E. Follick" (New Mexico) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Valles Caldera: A Geologic History (Paperback)

Goff is THE expert in this area. While the book is brief, it is thorough. Other publications contain more detail but this presentation provides enough info to enjoy this natural wonder.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exemplary popular-science guidebook, September 15, 2011

By 

Peter D. Tillman (Taos, NM USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Valles Caldera: A Geologic History (Paperback)

Geologist Fraser Goff spent most of his career at Los Alamos (which is built on volcanic tuffs erupted from the Valles volcano) and has authored ten or more scientific publications on the area. Not only is he well-qualified, he's a good writer. He does a very nice job of including explanations for readers without a geologic background, and geologist-readers will find plenty of meat here too. This is not an easy balance-point to find. His book should be accessible to almost anyone interested in the great, dormant volcano here. Goff includes a glossary of geologic terms for the newcomer, and a substantial bibliography for those who may want to dig deeper into the geology.

Goff's book got an exceptionally fine production from his publisher, the UNM Press. The book features many color illustrations, including clear, sharp color photos and colorful, well-drafted geologic maps and cross-sections, all clearly-captioned. The book is beautifully designed by Kathleen Sparks, who also did the cover and many of the illustrations. This is a beautiful book. I recommend it highly for anyone visiting the Valles Caldera National Preserve, and for those interested in the geology of northern New Mexico.

Happy reading--
Peter D. Tillman
Consulting Geologist, Arizona and New Mexico (USA)