Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument

In north-central New Mexico, between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, lies the unique geological area known as Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks. Kasha-Katuwe or “white cliffs” in Keresan—the traditional language for the Pueblo de Cochiti—is an area that features large, tent-shaped rocks that hug the steep cliffs of Peralta Canyon. These rocks were created by the powerful forces of vulcanism and erosion, which have built up and then torn down this landscape. During the last million years, a tremendous volcanic explosion northwest of Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks spewed rock and ash for hundreds of square miles, leaving volcanic debris up to 400 feet thick. Over time, water cut into these deposits, creating canyons, arroyos and other area features. The cone-shaped rock formations are wind- and water-eroded pumice and tuff deposits. Their hard, erosion-resistant caprocks protect the softer "tents" below. While uniform in shape, the tent rock formations vary in height from a few feet to 90 feet.

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