The Geology and Geomorphology of the White Rock Canyon Area, New Mexico

The White Rock Canyon area is in the Rio Grande depression in north-central New Mexico between parallels 35 degrees 33\u27 and 35 degrees 53\u27 and meridians 106 degrees 4\u27 and 106 degrees 21\u27 (Figure 1). It occupies part of western Santa Fe County and eastern Sandoval County. The area was named for White Rock Canyon which has been formed by the Rio Grande. This canyon, called Caja del Rio by the Spanish, meaning box of the river , begins at the town of Buckman and extends southward as a narrow gorge for a distance of 19 miles. The area encloses 316 square miles, including parts of the Cerros del Rio, the Santo Domingo Valley and the Pajarito Plateau, part of which lies within the Bandelier National Monument