Albuquerque's Natural Environment

Introduction

(photo by FMSM Architects)

Albuquerque's natural environment is notable for its three, diversified geographic features:

• The Sandia Manzano Mountains forming a dramatic backdrop east of the city
• The Rio Grande and its bosque and the valley
  
• The West Mesa and the volcanoes rising above it
  

Four seasons, four life zones, and three distinctive geologic regions combine to give the city a unique and vigorous quality. The one unvarying aspect of the Albuquerque scene is the sunny climate, and few would complain about that type of uniformity.

Learn More

• Climate And Weather
  
• Pictorial History Of The Albuquerque Area Geology
  
• Geology And Geological History
• Hidden Geology
• Mini-Environments

Ecological Profiles Of Albuquerque's Open Spaces

• Mountain Uplands
• Mountain Lowlands
• Alluvial Fans
• Volcanic
• Sand Plains
• Valley Sides and Terraces
• River
• Valley Flood Plains

Experience More

• Fitting The Pieces Together
• The Rio Grande Nature Center
• Experiencing Albuquerque's Open Space: Aesthetics and Ethic