09/12/2026
In partnership between Los Alamos ScienceFest and Valles Caldera Fall Fiesta, join Dr. Nelia Dunbar (Emerita New Mexico State Geologist) at Valles Caldera National Preserve for a special presentation titled "New Mexico Volcanism" on Friday, September 25, at 11:00 am!
With a background in geochemistry, Dr. Nelia Dunbar is now the emerita director and state geologist at the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources. She completed a B.A. degree, summa cm laude, in geology at Mount Holyoke College (1983) and then went on to a Ph.D. in geochemistry at New Mexico Tech (1989). Dunbar has worked for the Bureau since 1992, focusing on geochemistry of volcanic rocks, particularly volcanic ashes and other explosive eruptions, mainly in New Mexico and Antarctica. She also received funding from NSF for an electron microprobe in 1996, which she managed until 2016.
Her professional interests include research on a wide range of topics broadly focused on volcanic and igneous processes, in New Mexico and elsewhere. These include studies of volcanic eruption processes, geochemical evolution of magmas, chronology and chemistry of volcanic ashes, fluid migration within magmas, and geochemical alteration caused by fluids that interact with volcanic rocks.
Dunbar has also spent 24 field seasons in Antarctica, working on NSF-funded projects, all related to Antarctic volcanism, and interactions between volcanism, ice, and climate. In addition to New Mexico and Antarctica, she has worked in Tibet, Peru, Ethiopia, Bolivia, Ecuador, all on projects related to volcanism.
Dunbar is involved in outreach activities for New Mexico teachers and students. She also served on the executive committee of the Association of American State Geologists (AASG), is a GSA Fellow and board member of the GSA Foundation, received the New Mexico Tech Distinguished Research Award in 2021, and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi.
More information about Valles Caldera Fall Fiesta: https://www.nps.gov/vall/planyourvisit/fall-fiesta.htm
More information about Los Alamos ScienceFest: https://www.losalamossciencefest.com/
Image description: A map of volcanic sites within New Mexico. (NPS)
