Geology Commons^™

Stratigraphy And Geologic Structure Of Uppermost Cretaceous And Tertiary Rocks Of The East-Central Part Of The San Juan Basin, New Mexico, Elmer H. Baltz

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

An area of about 1,300 square miles was mapped in parts of Rio Arriba, Sandoval, and McKinley Counties, New Mexico. The area is in the east-central part of the San Juan Basin, a large structural and drainage basin in the east-central part of the Colorado Plateau province. Six relatively distinct physiographic sectors in the area are named here: the Penistaja Cuestas; Largo Plains; Tapicitos Plateau; Yeguas Mesas; San Pedro Foothills; and Northern Hogback Belt.

The mapped area lies in the Central basin of the San Juan Basin and is bounded on the east by the Nacimiento and French Mesa-Gallina uplifts …

Geology Of The Empire Abo Field, Eddy County, New Mexico, Don O. Snyder

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

The Empire Abo field is situated in north-central Eddy County, New Mexico, and constitutes the edge of the Northwest Shelf province of the Delaware basin. The field occupies parts of 25 sections in T. 17 and 18 S., R. 27, 28, and 29 E.

The object of this study is to delineate the transition zone of lower Leonard (Permian) basinal deposition and shelf facies with a detailed study of fore-reef, reef, and back-reef facies with emphasis on sedimentational and stratigraphic relationships.

Geology And Ground-Water Resources Of Northern Lea County, New Mexico, Sidney R. Ash

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

The economy of northern Lea County is dependent upon groundwater; the only other source of water is the runoff from precipitation that is caught and retained in the man-made or natural reservoirs, where is it used for water stock. Irrigation utilizes most of the groundwater pumped; much smaller amounts are used for stock watering and industrial, public, rural and domestic supplies. In 1958, about 107,000 acre-feet of groundwater was pumped for irrigation and 19,000 acre-feet was pumped for all other uses. On the basis of present production of potable water, the economically usable supply will be depleted in certain areas …

Petrology Of The Precambrian Rocks Of Part Of The Monte Largo Area, Nm, Paul Wayne Lambert

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

Approximately 7 to 8 square miles of Precambrian rocks are exposed in the vicinity of the Monte Largo Hills in north-central New Mexico. The Precambrian rocks are bounded mainly by Pennsylvanian sedimentary rocks in both fault and noncomformable contact.

The area is made up largely of quartz-feldspar gneiss, hornblende gneiss, and quartzite. Quartz-feldspar gneiss is the most abundant rock type. Mica schist and sillimanite hornfels occur in minor amounts. Other Precambrian rocks include medium-grained granite, splite and pegmatite dikes, and quartz veins. A minor amount of migmatite is present as a result of the intimate association of quartz-feldspar gneiss and …

The Structure And Stratigraphy Of The Frontier Formation In The Big Piney-La Barge Area Sublette And Lincoln Counties, Wyoming, Eldred D. Johnson

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

This study was undertaken to fulfill part of the requirements for the degree of Master in Science of Geology. The Big Piney-LA Barge area in western Wyoming covers approximately 354 square miles on the western edge of the Green River Basin and the eastern edge of the over thrust belt. The area is underlain by a sedimentary sequence containing rocks representing all the geologic time periods form the Cambrian through the Cenozoic, with the exception of the Silurian period. The entire known post-Precambrian strati-graphic sequence is approximately 18,00 feet thick.

A Petrographic And Environmental Study Of The Upper Cretaceous Greenhorn Limestone, New Mexico, John W. Emerson

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

The Upper Cretaceous Greenhorn Limestone is composed of intercalated agrillaceous limestone and calcareous shale beds which crop out over much of the Western Interior. The Greenhorn was deposited in late Cenomanian and early Turonian time in a westward transgressing sea. In New Mexico the age is early Turonian. The edge of deposition extends as far south as Capitan and Carthage, northward through western Bernalillio County, and northwest through Toadlena.

Geology Of The Queen Lake Domes Near Malaga, Eddy County, New Mexico, George R. Reddy

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

There are many domes in the vicinity of Queen Lake near the Pecos River in southern Eddy County. The rocks involved in the doming range in age from Permian to Recent. Their relationships indicate that there were two periods of doming, the first during early Pleistocene time and the second after the formation of Recent caliche.

Salt beds are present in the Salado and Castile formations beneath the area in which the domes are distributed. At Queen Lake the salt is within 300 feet of the surface. Farther east, the salt-bearing rocks are buried beneath Triassic and Cenozoic deposits. These …

Lithogenesis Of Atoll Sediments, Uliga Island, Majuro Atoll, Marshall Islands, Phyllis B. Helms

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

Sixteen thin sections and 53 samples of rock and sand were examined under petrographic and binocular microscopes to determine composition, kinds of cement, degrees of cementation, and the sequence of lithogenesis of the consolidated materials. Studies were made of the loose sediments to relate the characteristics of the sedimentary grains to environmental energy of today, and then collate these data with the lithified sediments.

Sedimentary Petrogenesis Of The Yeso-Glorieta San Andres Transition, Joyita Hills, Socorro County, New Mexico, James R. Huber

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

The transitional character of the middle Permian (Leonardian and Guadalupian) Yeso Formation, Glorieta sandstone, and San Andres formation in central New Mexico has been recognized in several reports (Needham and Bates, 1943; Wilpolt, et. al., 1946; Wilpolt and Wanek, 1951; and Boyd, 1958). Interpretation of the depositional history and environment of this sequence has been restricted to generalizations based on field observation.

A detailed petrographic study of the Yeso-Glorieta-San Andres transition at a single locality was undertaken in an attempt to gain better understanding of this stratigraphic interval.

Geology Of The Nutria Monocline, Mckinley County, New Mexico, R. John Edmonds

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

The Nutria monocline forms the northwestern boundary of the Zuni uplift in McKinley County, New Mexico. The sedimentary rocks that are exposed along the monocline range in age from Permian to Cretaceous and rest on Granite of probable Precambrian age. The Jurassic Todilto limestone, which is present north of the mapped area, pinches out in a southerly direction. South of this pinch-out the massive sandstone of the Entrada formation joins the main body of the Zuni sandstone. Only the even bedded, silty sandstone that has previously been considered to be the middle member of the Entrada is regarded as Entrada …

Geology Of The Area Between Virden And Red Rock, Hidalgo And Grant Counties, New Mexico, Biswa Pradhan

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

The area between Virden and Red Rock is located in southwestern New Mexico, about 30 miles northwest of the town Longsburg. Mapping covered an area of about 94 square miles.

This report deals with the stratigraphy of sedimentary and igneous rocks of the area, with particular attention to the faunal and floral assemblages of Cretaceous sediments and the consequent determination of age of interbedded volcanic rocks.

Geology Of The East Potrillo Hills, Dona Ana County, New Mexico, William E. Bowers

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

The East Potrillo Hills are essentially a low north-westerly trending ridge that lies just north of the Mexican border in southern Dona Ana County, New Mexico. The range is approximately 7 miles long and up to 1 1/2 miles wide. It is cut by transverse canyons that carry water to the bolson only during occasionally heavy rains. The crest of the ranges lies 700 to 900 feet above the extensive La Mesa plain which stretches for more than 20 miles to the north, east, and south. In the northern part of the range, the crest reaches a maximum elevation of …

Qualitative Reconnaissance Methods Of Geochemical Exploration, John Francis Brady Jr.

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

No abstract provided.

Upper Cretaceous Farmington Sandstone Of Northeastern San Juan County, New Mexico, Ottis L. Dilworth

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

The Upper Cretaceous Farmington sandstone is found only in northwestern New Mexico and Southwestern Colorado. The Farmington sandstone is the middle member of the Kirtland shale, there being a Kirtland shale member above and below it. This sandstone unit appears as an extensive wedge in the Kirtland shale and thins northward, southward, and southeastward from Townships 30-31 North, Ranges 9-13 West. The thickness of the Farmington sandstone ranges from 27 to 818 feet within the area of this thesis. The unit is correlative with parts of the Vermejo formation of the Raton basin and the Fox Hills formation of the …

Geology Of The San Pedro Mountains Santa Fe County, New Mexico, William W. Atkinson Jr.

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

No abstract provided.

Water Resources Of The Western Slopes Of The Sandia Mountains, Bernalillo And Sandoval Counties, New Mexico, Eugene R. Caprio

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

The purpose of the study on which this thesis is based is to determine the source, occurrence, characteristics, and possible amounts of surface and ground water available along the western slope of the Sandia Mountains, New Mexico.

Geology Of The Northern Part Of The Fra Cristobal Range, Sierra And Socorro Counties, New Mexico, John T. Mccleary

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

The northern part of the Fra Cristobal Range contains rocks of Precambrian, Cambrian, Pennsylvanian, Permian, Cretaceous, Tertiary and Quaternary age. One of the northernmost exposures in New Mexico of the Cambrian Bliss formation occurs in the central part of the range. Here the bliss formation wedges out due to widespread pre-Pennsylvanian erosion which removed all the other lower Paleozoic rocks.

The Pennsylvanian Magdalena group, which is predominately limestone, rests uncomformably on Precambrian rock and the Bliss Formation. It forms the greatest part of the sedimentary sequence and is divided into three formations; the Red House, Nakaye, and Bar B formations …

A Magnetic Survey In The Rio Grande Depression, John W. M'Gonigle

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

A vertical magnetic survey of a part of the Albuquerque basin was made in the fall and winter of 1959 to test the feasibility of detecting major faults in the Precambrian basement rocks.

Controls On Paradox Salt Deposition In The Area Of Comb Monocline San Juan County, Utah, Jim S. Hinds

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

This study was undertaken for the purpose of delineating the configuration of the Paradox salt wedge edge in relation to the Comb monocline structure. It was designed to illustrate whether or not, and to what extent, the Comb structure was a submarine barrier controlling deposition of sediments on the western shelf of the Paradox seaway during middle Paradox time.

Spores Of The Pennsylvanian Toronto Limestone In Kansas And Oklahoma, James F. Carter

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

The Toronto cyclothem is the lower limestone member of the Oread megacyclothem of the Shawnee group, Virgilian series, Pennsylvanian system and crops of in a linear belt extending north-south for a distance of 300 miles across Oklahoma, Kansas, and parts of Missouri and Nebraska.

Mineral Deposits Of The Granite Gap Area, Hidalgo County, New Mexico, David N. Cargo

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

The Granite Gap area lies in the central part of the Peloncillo Mountains about 28 miles southwest of Lordsburg, New Mexico. Ores of lead, zinc, silver, and tungsten from four separate deposits have been mined there during the past seventy years.

Pennsylvanian Spores From The Sandia Formation Santa Fe County, New Mexico, Thomas L. Carten

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

No abstract provided.

Petrology Of The Tijeras Greenstone, Bernallio County, New Mexico, John J. Bruns

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

The Precambrian metamorphosis rocks of the Tijeras Canyon area crop out along a five-mile, northeast-trending belt, which lies approximately five miles east of the Sandia Mountains front, in north-central New Mexico. The sequence, to the east, is overlain uncomfortably by Pennsylvanian Madera limestone, while the trace of the Tijeras fault marks the western side.

The Geology Of South Fork Thrust And Subsurface Geology Of The Belknap Ranch, Park County, Wyoming, James L. Deurmyer

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

The segment of the South Fork thrust in the Belknap ranch area contains rocks representative of the Upper Jurassic, Lower Cretaceous and Upper Cretaceous. The thrust plate occupies 75 percent of the mapped area. Approximately 3,500 feet of predominantly marine rocks comprise the detachment thrust and about 15 percent of the exposed rocks of the thrust plate is sandstone and conglomerate. All the rock units present in the thrust plate crop out beyond the edge of the over-riding mass except the Sundance and Morrison formations. Approximately 4,600 feet of geologic section is exposed of drilled in the mapped area. The …

Lithogenesis Of The Pennsylvanian Madera Formation Of Palomas Peak, Sandia Mountains, New Mexico., Ronald D. Perkins

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

The Pennsylvanian Madera formation of Palomas Peak in the Sandia Mountains of central New Mexico is a sequence of marine limestone and minor sandstone that ranges in age from Desmoinesian to Virgilian. The limestone is predominantly clastic or bioclastic and the sandstone is arkosic. Lithologic and paleontologic evidence suggests an epineritic to infraneritic environment on a gently subsiding shelf during deposition of the Madera Sediments.

Rhythmic deposition at Palomas Peak is evidenced by alternating clastic and bioclastic limestones which may have resulted from: (1) eustatic changes in sea level, (2) tectonic fluctuations in the downwarping of the shelf, or (3) …

The Jurassic Todilto Formation Of New Mexico, Henry O. Ash

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

The Todilto formation of New Mexico is a widespread and distinctive Jurassic unit confined to the northern one-half of the State and adjacent parts of Arizona and Colorado. It consists of a lower Limestone member and an upper Gypsum member. The Gypsum member also contains some limestone. The two members are not coextensive in area. Both are present in the central part of the area in which the formation is found, but the Limestone member extends far beyond the limits of the Gypsum member.

The Environment Of The Jurassic Todilto Basin, Northwestern New Mexico, Douglas W. Kirkland

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

The Todilto evaporites of Upper Jurassic age were precipitated in a basin which covered more then 34,000 square miles of northwestern New Mexico and parts of Colorado and Arizona. The Todilto formation consists of a lower Limestone and an upper Gypsum member, and has a maximum thickness of a little more than 100 feet. Both members are varved.

Geology Of The Pedernal Hills Area Torrance County, New Mexico, John F. Fallis

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

The area included in this report is in the north-central part of Torrance county, central New Mexico. The area is bounded on the north by U.S. Highway 66, on the east by U.S. Highway 285, on the south by U.S. Highway 60, and on the west by the approximate eastern edge of the Estancia basin. Clines Corners on U.S. Highway 66 forms the Northeast corner of the area. The mapped area contain approximately 230 square miles.

Geology Of The Hidden Mountains Valencia County, New Mexico, Patrick J.F. Gratton

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

The hidden mountains are located in Valencia County, New Mexico, immediately southwest of the point where New Mexico State Highway 6 and the Santa Fe Railroad cross the Rio Puerco. This location places the Hidden Mountains near the center of the west half of the Albuquerque-Belen basin of structural and geomorphic Rio Grande Depression.

Stratigraphy And Structure Of The French Mesa Area, Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, Francis L. Fitter

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

The French Mesa Area includes over 120 square miles between the Nacimiento- San Pedro uplift and the Gallina Mountain uplift in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico. The French Mesa anticline is the most striking structural and topographic feature of the area.