The Fajada Gap is a geographical feature in the southwestern portion of

Chaco Canyon Chaco Culture National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park in the American Southwest hosting a large concentration of pre-Columbian indigenous ruins of pueblos. The park is located in northwestern New Mexico, betwee ...

, which is part of the

Chaco Culture National Historical Park Chaco Culture National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park in the American Southwest hosting a large concentration of pre-Columbian indigenous ruins of pueblos. The park is located in northwestern New Mexico, betwee ...

located in the

U.S. The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

state of

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

. Surrounding

Fajada Butte Fajada Butte is a butte in Chaco Culture National Historical Park, in northwest New Mexico. Fajada Butte (Banded Butte) rises 135 meters above the canyon floor. Although there is no water source on the butte, there are ruins of small cliff dw ...

, it consists of a conspicuous gap penetrating the

Chacra Mesa The Chacra Mesa is a high mesa massif composing the southwestern flank of Chaco Canyon, a region that is notable for its rich collection of Ancestral Puebloan archaeological sites. It is located in the northwest portion of the U.S. state of New Mex ...

, which comprises much of the southwestern cliff faces hemming Chaco Canyon. Fajada Gap has historically helped funnel summer and winter thunderstorms and accompanying precipitation into the Chaco Canyon area.Fagan 2005, p. 5.

Notes

References

* . Chaco Canyon Landforms of New Mexico Landforms of San Juan County, New Mexico Pre-statehood history of New Mexico {{NewMexico-geo-stub