El Malpaís: Lava, NASA, and Route 66 | Santa Fe News

Route Sixty-Six turns 100, and in New Mexico, El Malpaís National Monument stands as a volcanic time capsule—114,000 acres of otherworldly basalt terrain shaped by ancient lava flows, complete with gas bubble holes and NASA-tested robot terrain. Once a WWII bombing range, it’s also a natural highway detour, forcing railroads and Route 66 to snake around its rugged edges. A geological marvel and hidden history, it’s still wild, still mysterious, and still standing strong. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/96d0a56836ef6159