Fluorite Mining in SW New Mexico
SEARCHING FOR CRYSTALS AND HISTORY IN THEGILA FLUORITE DISTRICT OF SOUTHWEST NEW MEXICO THE GILA FLUORSPAR DISTRICT AND THE GILA FLUORSPAR MILL It was June of 1943 and the United States was now deep into its second year of involvement in World War II. All projections indicated that demand for fluorspar, an ore of […]
Gila Wilderness Super-Volcanoes
Thanks to the Discovery Channel, the National Geographic Channel, the BBC, and other mass media documentaries, most people have heard of super-volcanoes: large-scale geologic features, which when they become active, can spew 1,000 cubic kilometers (240 cubic miles) or more of ejected material in the form of lava, molten rock fragments and ash over vast […]
A Southwest New Mexico Winter!
MIDWINTER ENCHANTMENT IN THE BEAR CREEK NATURE PRESERVE AT CASITAS DE GILA GUESTHOUSES IN SOUTHWEST NEW MEXICO SOUTHWEST NEW MEXICO: A NATURE LOVER’S PARADISE WITH FOUR GENTLE SEASONS The High Chihuahuan Desert of Southwest New Mexico is a landscape of exceptional beauty, diversity, and distinct seasonal climatic change due to a rugged topography ranging from […]
Fire Agate and Chalcedony
A MID-WINTER DAY’S SEARCH FOR CHALCEDONY AND FIRE AGATEAT ARIZONA’S BLACK HILLS ROCKHOUNDING AREA THE SOUTHWESTERN NEW MEXICO AND SOUTHEASTERN ARIZONA BORDER COUNTRY – A ROCKHOUNDER’S PARADISE The Southwestern New Mexico and Southeastern Arizona Border Country offers some of the finest and most diverse rockhounding opportunities to be found anywhere in the Southwest. Semi-precious gems, […]
Some Interesting Blogs from the Past 5 Years . . .
We’re taking a break from the Gila Nature Blog for a few months in order to focus on other projects. Since January 2011, when the first Blog article appeared, a wide range of topics has been covered. Here’s a summary of several topics. If your favorite topic isn’t listed below, use the panel to […]
A Mid-Spring Hike Into the Gila Wilderness
A MID-SPRING HIKE UP THE SHERIDAN CORRAL TRAIL INTO THE GILA WILDERNESS — A FASCINATING JOURNEY THROUGH A LANDSCAPE BORN OF ANCIENT SUPER-VOLCANO ERUPTIONS TO OBSERVE THE FOREST’S RECOVERY FROM THE GREAT WHITEWATER BALDY COMPLEX FOREST FIRE OF 2012 THE SHERIDAN CORRAL TRAIL DAY HIKE (GILA NATIONAL FOREST TRAIL #181) The Sheridan Corral […]
The Paradise Overlook Mountain Trail
A HIGH-DESERT NATURE HIKE TO A MOUNTAINTOP VISTA OVERLOOKING THE GILA WILDERNESS IN SOUTHWEST NEW MEXICO AT CASITAS DE GILA GUESTHOUSES A VIEW FROM THE TOP Hiking in Nature, regardless of where it is undertaken, is a simple pleasure that is always good for the body as well as the soul. However, there’s something uniquely […]
The Desert Dry Wash or Arroyo
THE DESERT DRY WASH (aka Arroyo): AN ICONIC LANDFORM OF THE AMERICAN SOUTHWEST An Exploration into the Natural History of the Dry Wash Trail at Casitas de Gila Guesthouses in Southwest New Mexico THE DESERT DRY WASH OR ARROYO: ICONIC LANDFORM OF OUR WESTERN CINEMATIC FANTASIES For most adults looking back on our early cinematic […]
SEEKING CHALCEDONY AND JASPER IN SOUTHWEST NEW MEXICO
TWO UNIQUE GEMSTONES FOUND IN THE GILA COUNTRYOF SOUTHWEST NEW MEXICO CHALCEDONY AND JASPER: QUARTZ GEMSTONES OF UNIQUE FORM AND COLOR Chalcedony and Jasper are two distinct gemstone varieties of the diverse quartz mineral family that occur abundantly throughout the Gila Country of Southwest New Mexico. Both of these gemstones are composed of cryptocrystalline quartz, […]
THE SAN FRANCISCO RIVER BACKCOUNTRY
EXPLORING HISTORY AND WILDERNESS IN THE SAN FRANCISCO RIVER BACKCOUNTRY IN SOUTHWEST NEW MEXICO A Fascinating Landscape of Natural and Cultural History in the Old Southwest THE SAN FRANCISCO RIVER BACKCOUNTRY – A PLACE WHERE THE MAGNIFICENCE OF NATURE AND THE LEGENDS OF THE OLD SOUTHWEST ABOUND About 40 minutes north of Casitas de […]
