This film explores the volcanic badlands of northwest New Mexico in the heart of the San Juan Basin. Over the course of a week, I travel through Dinétah, the ancestral homeland of the Diné, to understand how geology, ecology, and cultural history intersect in one of the most visually and psychologically striking landscapes on the Colorado Plateau.
The journey begins at Cabezon Peak, a 7,700 foot volcanic plug formed about 2.6 million years ago. Once the core of an active volcano, Cabezon is built of columnar basalt created as lava cooled slowly and fractured into tall hexagonal columns. I climb through these massive basalt formations to the summit, examining how three colliding geologic provinces fractured the crust and allowed magma to rise across this region. From the top, the scale of the 100 mile wide San Juan Basin becomes clear.
Moving north into the badlands, the focus shifts from volcanic rock to fragile sedimentary layers. These badlands are not shaped primarily by climate, but by weak shales, mudstones, and bentonite clay that erode rapidly during storms and freeze thaw cycles. Differential erosion creates hoodoos, sharp spires, ribs, and gullies that give the terrain its otherworldly appearance. I explain how badlands differ from more resistant sandstone deserts and why their geology produces such dramatic forms.Music:LEMMiNO – Nocturnal• LEMMiNO – Nocturnal (BGM)