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Redondo Peak facts for kids

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Redondo Peak
Redondo peak-composite2.jpg
Highest point
Elevation 11,258 ft (3,431 m) NAVD 88
Prominence 2,454 ft (748 m)
Geography
Redondo Peak is located in New Mexico
Redondo Peak
Redondo Peak
Location in New Mexico
Location Sandoval County, New Mexico, U.S.
Parent range Jemez Mountains
Topo map USGS Redondo Peak
Geology
Mountain type Resurgent dome
Climbing
Easiest route Hike

Redondo Peak is a tall and easy-to-spot mountain in the Jemez Mountains of New Mexico, in the southwestern United States. It is completely inside the Valles Caldera National Preserve. It's the second-highest mountain in the Jemez range, right after Chicoma Mountain. When you look at the Jemez Mountains from the south, like from Albuquerque, Redondo Peak is the most noticeable peak. From other directions, it might be harder to see because it sits in the middle of the Valles Caldera, far from the caldera's edge.

How Redondo Peak Formed

Redondo Peak is a special type of volcanic feature called a resurgent dome. It formed a long time after the main volcanic eruptions that created the Valles Caldera. These big eruptions happened about 1.4 million and 1.1 million years ago. However, Redondo Peak itself did not erupt.

The top of the mountain is made of a type of rock called tuff. This tuff was thrown out by the more recent caldera-forming eruption. The mountain is covered in trees all the way to its top. There used to be disagreements about cutting down trees on the mountain. These disagreements helped lead to the creation of the Valles Caldera National Preserve, where rules about logging (cutting trees) are very strict.

Special Meaning and Rules

Redondo Peak is a very important and sacred place for many Pueblo people in New Mexico. Because of this, activities like hiking on the mountain are very limited. This rule started around 2008.

There is a special shrine at the top of the mountain. An anthropologist named William Boone Douglass studied and dug around this shrine in the early 1900s. The shrine was still being used well into the 20th century. The shrine and the area right around it are closed to visitors to protect this important cultural site.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Pico Redondo para niños

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