{"id":15085,"date":"2023-02-02T16:05:44","date_gmt":"2023-02-02T16:05:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newmexicoriveradventures.com\/?post_type=trip&#038;p=15085"},"modified":"2025-10-28T20:17:33","modified_gmt":"2025-10-28T20:17:33","slug":"geology-of-the-rio-chama-with-dr-kirt-kempter","status":"publish","type":"trip","link":"https:\/\/www.newmexicoriveradventures.com\/geology-of-the-rio-chama-with-dr-kirt-kempter\/","title":{"rendered":"Geology Of The Rio Chama With Dr. Kirt Kempter"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><p>[vc_row full_width=&#8221;stretch_row&#8221; el_class=&#8221;bgForm insidebgForm insidebgFormToFix&#8221;][vc_column][vc_column_text][trip_acf_data][\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row el_class=&#8221;contentArea&#8221;][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<div class=\"no-autop\">[about_the_trip_title][about_the_trip_content]<\/div>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column][vc_tta_accordion active_section=&#8221;10&#8243; collapsible_all=&#8221;true&#8221;][vc_tta_section title=&#8221;Trip Highlights&#8221; tab_id=&#8221;trip-highlights&#8221;][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Explore the iconic Rio Chama Wilderness<\/li>\n<li>Learn about the layers of the Mesozoic Era as we descend into geologic time<\/li>\n<li>Amazing meals prepared by your guides starting with lunch on day 1 through lunch day 3<\/li>\n<li>A variety of crafts available to suit you and your group<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=&#8221;Where to Meet&#8221; tab_id=&#8221;trip-details&#8221;][vc_widget_sidebar sidebar_id=&#8221;trip-chama-widget&#8221;][\/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=&#8221;Frequently asked questions&#8221; tab_id=&#8221;frequently-asked-questions&#8221;][vc_widget_sidebar sidebar_id=&#8221;trip-faq-multi-widget&#8221;][\/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=&#8221;REVIEWS&#8221; tab_id=&#8221;reviews&#8221;][vc_raw_html]JTVCd3ByZXZwcm9fdXNldGVtcGxhdGUlMjB0aWQlM0QlMjIxJTIyJTVE[\/vc_raw_html][\/vc_tta_section][\/vc_tta_accordion][\/vc_column][vc_column][vc_column_text][what_to_expect_title][\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Join us for 3-days and 2-nights rafting the Rio Chama led by Geologist\/Volcanologist Dr. Kirt Kempter exploring rocks of the Mesozoic Era as we descend into geologic time. \u00a0Our trip begins just below El Vado reservoir, where sandstone deposits from the coastal plains of the Cretaceous Sea border the river. \u00a0As we float down river we drop into older layers of the Colorado Plateau, giving us intimate views of Jurassic and Triassic deposits.\u00a0 Geologic formations you will recognize from the Ghost Ranch area include the Morrison,\u00a0Todilt<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2943 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/southwestseminars.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/10_pm-1.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 280px) 100vw, 280px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/southwestseminars.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/10_pm-1.jpg 280w, https:\/\/southwestseminars.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/10_pm-1-250x167.jpg 250w, https:\/\/southwestseminars.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/10_pm-1-272x182.jpg 272w\" alt=\"\" width=\"280\" height=\"187\" \/>o, Entrada, and Chinle. \u00a0Short side hikes will allow us to appreciate these rock layers in person, including some fossil tracks of the famous Jurassic predator, Allosaurus! \u00a0We will follow the Rio Chama for a 33-mile mellow rafting adventure from Tierra Amarilla and float through stunningly colorful sandstone and limestone walls and hidden canyons. The trip ends near Christ in the Desert Monastery. Appreciate the spectacular red, yellow, and purple multi-hued cliffs captured by artists such as Georgia O\u2019Keeffe and Ansel Adams.<\/p>\n<p><strong>DR KIRT KEMPTER<\/strong>\u00a0is a Fulbright Fellow and holds his doctorate from University of Texas-Austin. He is a popular world-traveling vulcanologist and independent field geologist. He is much in demand as a study leader for organizations such as National Geographic, Smithsonian Journeys and Southwest Seminars. He worked for the New Mexico STATEMAP program studying the geologic history of Northern New Mexico and was an instructor for the NASA astronaut-training program. Kirt is the author of numerous maps\/articles on geology of the Southwest.<\/p>\n<h4>The Trip<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.newmexicoriveradventures.com\/rivers-we-raft\/rio-chama\/\">We will follow the Rio Chama<\/a> for a 33-mile mellow whitewater rafting adventure from Tierra Amarilla and float through stunningly colorful sandstone and limestone walls and hidden canyons. The trip ends near Christ in the Desert Monastery and includes a visit to a nearby grid garden. We will view the spectacular red, yellow, and purple multi-hued cliffs captured by artists such as Georgia O\u2019Keeffe and Ansel Adams. For more information about this trip, please contact Southwest Seminars.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row el_class=&#8221;image4Layout insideimage4Layout&#8221;][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<p class=\"maroonHeading text-center\">Gallery<\/p>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row full_width=&#8221;stretch_row_content_no_spaces&#8221; el_class=&#8221;photoGallery insidephotoGallery&#8221;][vc_column][vc_gallery type=&#8221;image_grid&#8221; images=&#8221;13882,14990,13883,14214&#8243; img_size=&#8221;full&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row gap=&#8221;15&#8243; el_class=&#8221;box3Layout indsidebox3Layout&#8221;][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"maroonHeading text-center\">Related Trips<\/h2>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text][related_trip][\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Join Us and our good friends at Southwest Seminars for 3-days and 2-nights rafting the Rio Chama led by Dr. Kirt Kempter as we learn about the geology of the river canyon and its valleys that served as a natural corridor from north to south for millennia.\u00a0 Dr. Kempter will share knowledge of the native peoples, history, and the agricultural field systems of the Rio Chama. He is a Fulbright Fellow and holds his doctorate from University of Texas-Austin. He is a popular world-traveling vulcanologist and independent field geologist. He is much in demand as a study leader for organizations such as National Geographic, Smithsonian Journeys and Southwest Seminars.\u00a0\u00a0 The trip will take us through the 33 mile Wild and Scenic Rio Chama Canyon with our world class guides taking care of every detail of this amazing adventure.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":15041,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","tags":[],"trip_category":[164,28],"class_list":["post-15085","trip","type-trip","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","trip_category-science-culture","trip_category-specialty-trips"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>New Mexico Geology &amp; Cultural Trips - Rafting - NMRA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Join us for an amazing 3-day trip down the Rio Chama with Dr. Kirt Kempter as we learn about the geology of the river and its canyons.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.newmexicoriveradventures.com\/geology-of-the-rio-chama-with-dr-kirt-kempter\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"New Mexico Geology &amp; Cultural Trips - 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