Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Good Question. What part of the Rockies are you asking about?
Wheeler Peak is just E of Taos.
It is the highest point in NM at 13,161 ft.
I went there once on July 4th. The top was clear, but I had to make my way
through a long snow field to get there. I regret that I have not returned.
Someone took a large dog on the hike with them. By the time they got to
the top, the dog was in immense pain due to the sharp rocks. The owners
had no sympathy and were practically dragging the dog. I don't know how
they got down, but I hope the dog turned on them and severed an artery.
First I will have to get there. Then I will have to find a place to put the tape measure. Then I will have to wait.
Seriously, this is a good question. I am thinking about the Plate Tectonics effects in the Western North America and will do some serious research, well a serious as possible from home, this weekend.
I suggest calling the Geology Department at NMT and asking one of the Geophysicists. You could also try the State Geologists' website.
Just to clarify, the Rockies are not located at a plate boundary like so many other mountain ranges.
If you take an area rug and push on the edges, the middle will tend to crumple up and rise.
This is what's happening to the Rockies.
The North American plate is moving primarily to the West due to the spreading of the
Mid-Atlantic ridge, but is also being pushed against by the Pacific plate from the West.
As the Pacific plate pushes, it goes under the N. American plate and the result is the mountain range known
as the Cascades in the N around Western Washington and Oregon. These mountains are primarily volcanic.
Remember Mount St. Helens? It was just a minor "event" in the scheme of things.
The Rockies are a result of this pushing. It makes for the most beautiful land on the face of the Earth - the American West.
The people of NM are lucky to be living right there in the middle of things ( right where GregW wants to be someday ... ).
Of course you are right. I should have remembered that the Rockies are not at a plate boundary.
You are right about NM's mountains being exceedlingly beautiful. I like all of the Rockies and hope someday to see the Wyoming and Montana mountains - the Northern Rockies.
... hope someday to see the Wyoming and Montana mountains ...
Glacier National Park - friggin' gorgeous.
You also can't believe the historic old lodges built out of pine trees
so large you could park your car on the stump without an overhang.
I went there twice. The visit was for 8-9 days each. It rained all but
a couple of days. The visit is still burned into my memory 35 years later.
They get lots of visitors, but just walking 15 minutes away
from the lodges, gets you away from 99.99% of them.
.... friggin' awsome!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
