Summer 2005

THE NEW MEXICO BUREAU OF THROUGH THE YEARS

The New Mexico Bureau of Geology and A Short History of the Bureau specimens. The law charged the bureau Mineral Resources has served as the state with studying the geological formations, geological survey for nearly eighty years. The New Mexico Bureau of Mines and topography, and physical features of the We are a non-regulatory, research-orient- Mineral Resources (as we were first known) state, particularly with reference to “their ed state agency and a division of the was established by legislative act on March practical bearing upon the occupation of New Mexico Institute of Mining and 14, 1927, as a department of the New the people.” It mandated a publishing Technology. Our focus is on fundamental Mexico School of Mines (as New Mexico program that would “embrace both gen- geologic mapping and research in support Tech was then known). The idea of state eral and detailed descriptions” of the of responsible resource development for geological surveys was not a new one. The state’s geology and natural resources. Our the benefit of New Mexico’s citizens. first one was created in 1823, in North responsibilities included the compila- Our employees support other land- tion and dissemination of statistics and resource-based agencies, run related to geology, mining, metallurgy, sophisticated analytical facilities, do and the oil and gas industry. Finally, collaborative research with university the broadly cooperative nature of our faculty and students, teach, and con- work was clearly outlined. We were duct geoscience outreach education instructed to work with other depart- for K-12 students, teachers, and the ments of state government, the state’s general public. We are a data reposi- universities, the U.S. Geological tory for much of the state’s Survey, and the U.S. Bureau of Mines. geoscience information, maintaining The initial staff consisted of the libraries of geologic publications, director (who was half time, given petroleum and mineral well cores, that he was also president of the uni- cuttings, logs, and other records, and versity) and four part-time staff mining- and energy-related paper members: two , a librarian, documents. Our publishing program and a stenographer. Early efforts serves both the professional geologic included the compilation of a bibliog- Bureau Shari Kelley working in exposures of community and the general public. Bandelier Tuff along Polvadera Creek, in the northern raphy of New Mexico geology, as well Although these efforts are ongoing, Jemez Mountains. Field studies continue to be an as field studies in Taos, Rio Arriba, our directions have shifted somewhat important part of our mission. Photo by Kirt Kempter. and Santa Fe Counties. The years since our beginnings in response to leading up to World War II saw little the changing needs of the state and its Carolina; by 1840 there were already fifteen growth in our staff, but a number of citizens. In our formative years we con- state surveys in the U.S. Our first home was basic geologic studies were completed and centrated primarily on hard- mining. the basement of Brown Hall. Our first published, including bulletins on the ore The scope of our studies rapidly expand- director, E. H. Wells, served concurrently as deposits of Socorro and Sierra Counties, ed to cover much broader areas, president of the university, a tradition that and E. H. Wells’s circular on gold including applied studies on the location continued until John Kelly became director deposits in New Mexico. and quality of industrial minerals, urani- in 1942. For many years our director also The World War II years were difficult um, coal, oil, and natural gas. More served as state geologist, although this was years for both the university and the recently water-supply and water-quality not mandated by law until 1989. bureau. Enrollment at the university sank issues have moved to the forefront in The 1927 enabling act stated the bureau’s to fifteen students in 1944. The bureau New Mexico, and we’ve expanded our mission very clearly and set the direction went through five different directors in hydrologic and geochemical efforts in for many of our current efforts. It provided the seven years between 1939 and 1945. those areas, as well as in areas of geologic for the creation of a library and archives of By 1946 a resurgent bureau had eleven hazards, climate change, and related topics. information, photographs, and mineral full-time employees, whose efforts were

Published by the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources • A Division of New Mexico Tech

focused mainly on mining, minerals, and Commission and the Bureau of Land seven-year program involved an assess- oil and gas. Management, provided assistance to ment of the state’s energy reserves and Over the next several years, our prospectors who descended on this part other mineral resources. That year the archives and collections continued to of the country. (New Mexico has signifi- bureau acquired a new building for the grow. The school’s Mineral Museum cant uranium resources and reserves, New Mexico Library of Subsurface Data. already had an excellent reputation and second only to Wyoming in the nation.) an impressive collection. By 1927, when In 1954 research contracts with the Bureau the bureau was created, the museum of Indian Affairs initiated geologic map- boasted a collection of over 5,000 speci- ping on 484 square miles of tribal lands. mens. Unfortunately both the museum The bureau’s first Scenic Trip, to the and the Old Main building in which it Santa Fe region, was published in 1955. was housed were lost in a catastrophic fire The first Memoir and Geologic Map in 1928. The rebuilding of the Mineral followed in 1956. In 1964–65 the bureau Museum began with the help of the initiated geothermal studies and opened a bureau’s first director, E. H. Wells, clay resources laboratory. The although the museum did not formally Geothermal Resources Act of 1967 guar- became a part of the bureau until 1962. anteed an ongoing interest in the state’s In October 1949 the bureau moved geothermal resources. Dr. Marshall out of its home in the basement of Reiter, who came to the bureau in 1975, Brown Hall into new quarters in the first has contributed to these efforts for the Workman Center (later torn down to past thirty years. make room for the new Workman In 1971 the bureau published its first Center). In 1955 the bureau proudly hydrologic report and resource map. This hosted the annual meeting of the was also the year that the bureau pub- Association of American State Geologists lished Memoir 25 on the coal resources at its new building in Socorro. Fifty-one of the San Juan Basin. That publication Frank Kottlowski, who served as director from years later, we’re hosting it again, in June came out of a study funded by the U.S. 1974 until his retirement in 1991. 2006 in Santa Fe. Department of Health and Education, The 1950s saw a substantial growth in due to a growing concern over air quality In 1974 Frank Kottlowski, who’d staff, due in part to an increased interest issues related to the burning of high-sul- arrived at the bureau as an economic in the state’s ground water resources (a fur coal. In 1972 the Coal Surface geologist in 1951, was appointed director. serious drought in Santa Fe in 1951 was Mining Act created the New Mexico He continued to lead the bureau until his partly responsible for this interest). The Coal Surface Mining Commission and retirement in 1991 and remained an 1950s also saw a growth in the bureau’s determined that the bureau director active member of the emeritus staff until paleontological collections and an would occupy a permanent place on this his death in 2001. Under his direction increased interest in uranium resources board. At this time there was increased the bureau grew enormously, in terms of throughout the Southwest. The bureau, focus on energy reserves. The “Atlas” pro- staff, budget, responsibility, and reputa- in cooperation with the Atomic Energy gram was initiated at that time. This tion. Our permanent staff in the years between 1978 and 1990 fluctuated between fifty and sixty full-time employees. In 1977 the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) was passed, establishing a coordinated effort between the states and the federal govern- ment to address the remediation of abandoned mine lands, specifically aban- doned coal mines. Since that time the bureau has been involved in a number of statewide cooperative efforts to inventory information on abandoned mine lands throughout the state. The New Mexico Mines Database is one result of those efforts. In the 1980s federal funding became available for coal research and mapping. It was at this time that the bureau established a coal lab. Our coal geologist Gretchen Hoffman was one of four people who came to the bureau to support that program. The NURE program (National The bureau staff ca. 1949. Director Callaghan is the fourth from the left. Uranium Resource Evaluation), adminis-

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tries—oil and gas—as well as the mining industry, which have played such an important role in the history of New Mexico. We serve as the scientific and technical memory for these industries, and our mission and involvement is less subject to the vagaries of the commercial industry. That scientific memory is more important than ever for the oil and gas industry in the state. Seventy percent of the oil produced in New Mexico today is produced by small, independent compa- nies, many of whom lack the data, technical expertise, and broad regional knowledge we can provide. In mining, our early efforts were focused on metals. Although copper remains an important commodity in New Mexico, our scope has expanded to include industrial miner- als including potash, perlite, and sand and gravel (New Mexico is number one in the U.S. in the production of perlite, potash, and zeolites). The Bureau Today In 2000 Dr. Peter Scholle assumed the directorship of the bureau. On June 15, The old Workman Center, the bureau’s home from 1949 until the 1990s. 2001, our name was changed (by legisla- tered by the U.S. Atomic Energy joined the National Cooperative Geologic tive act) to the New Mexico Bureau of Commission and its successors, provided Mapping program (STATEMAP). Federal Geology and Mineral Resources, to more an influx of money and energy to the matching funds from this program con- accurately reflect our current emphasis bureau’s mapping efforts from 1974–84. tinue to support the bureau’s significant and responsibilities. Our mission today, The program provided funds for geologic geologic mapping efforts throughout in its broadest sense, follows those duties mapping at a 1:250,000 scale. It was New Mexico. with which we were tasked in 1927 and during this time that Dr. Richard In many ways, the development of the continues to be one of research, service, Chamberlin joined our staff. bureau and its staff has paralleled what outreach, and education. We continue to Dr. Charles Chapin assumed the direc- was going on in New Mexico, and to a maintain archives of data and materials torship of the bureau upon Frank large extent this has reflected the chang- related to the mining and energy indus- Kottlowski’s retirement in 1991. Dr. ing concerns, needs, and issues of the tries in New Mexico, as well as geologic Chapin’s efforts on many fronts essential- entire country. Much of the bureau’s data of broader interest. Geologic map- ly gave the bureau the shape it has today. work in the last few decades has been ping and field studies have been and It was during his tenure that the bureau’s directed toward cooperative endeavors continue to be a core part of our mission. laboratory was established, with the state’s energy-related indus- Our staff still includes economic geolo- in cooperation with Los Alamos National Laboratory and New Mexico Tech. Dr. Name Title Tenure William McIntosh, who currently holds a E. H. Wells President, School of Mines 1927–1939 joint appointment with the bureau and and Director the Department of Earth and C. E. Needham President, School of Mines 1939–1942 Environmental Science, continues to and Director direct this important facility. Dr. Chapin R. H. Reece Director 1942–1944 also increased the focus on , J. M. Kelly Director 1942; 1944–1945 more than appropriate for a state that A. D. Haun Acting Director 1945 boasts a greater diversity of volcanic fea- E. C. Anderson Director 1945–1949 tures than perhaps any other state. E. Callaghan Director 1949–1957 Volcanologist Dr. Nelia Dunbar joined A. J. Thompson Director 1957–1968 the bureau staff during his tenure. D. H. Baker, Jr. Director 1969-1973 F. E. Kottlowski Acting Director 1968–1969; 1973–1974 It was during this time that the bureau Director 1974–1991 opened the Albuquerque office (in 1992), C. E. Chapin Director 1991–1999 and initiated the publication of Lite P. A. Scholle Director 1999–present Geology, a popular publication directed toward state teachers. In 1993 the bureau Twelve directors have served the bureau since its inception in 1927.

NEW MEXICO EARTH MATTERS 3 SUMMER 2005 Argon Geochronology Lab, the Analytical Chemistry Lab, the Electron Microprobe, the X-ray Fluorescence and X-ray Diffraction facilities, the Perlite Lab, the Metallurgy Lab, and the U.S. Department of Defense ICP-MS Lab at New Mexico Tech. Education & Outreach These two functions have been an important part of our mission since the beginning, and are no less so today. Both the Mineral Museum and our programs for New Mexico teachers are long stand- ing. In 2001 we initiated a program of Decision-Makers Field Conferences on topics of vital interest to all New Mexicans. The 2001 conference focused on water and watershed issues in the Santa Fe region. This was followed by conferences on energy, water issues along the lower Pecos River, and mining in The bureau staff ca. 1962. Director Alvin Thompson is in the second row, third from the New Mexico. This important program right (next to Frank Kottlowski, second from right). will be with us for years to come. Our publishing program has expanded gists (Drs. Virginia McLemore and Virgil Tijeras Arroyo in south Albuquerque. to include more publications of general Lueth), an industrial minerals geologist This map will be available to the public interest, and many of our maps, technical (James Barker), a coal geologist in both printed and electronic form in publications, and databases are now (Gretchen Hoffman), and a petroleum the future. available electronically on CD or online. geologist (Ron Broadhead). The Mineral Aquifer Mapping & We hope to continue publishing a Museum continues to draw thousands of diverse assortment of publications, in a visitors annually to the bureau. We are The bureau’s ongoing regional studies of variety of formats, with the end user in also trying hard to respond to the grow- the complex of New mind. Dissemination of information, to ing and changing needs of the people of Mexico are vital to the state’s future. We the professional geologic community and New Mexico. Some of our most signifi- worked closely with the U.S. Geological to the general public, remains a high pri- cant efforts today include: Survey in providing geologic mapping ority for the bureau. and aquifer analysis essential to the Our primary partner has been New The Geologic development of their Albuquerque Basin Mapping Program Mexico Tech since our establishment in water model. Peggy Johnson’s 2001 1927. Many of our scientific staff teach Detailed geologic maps are available for report on the hydrogeology of the and supervise graduate student research. only 20 percent of New Mexico. Since Placitas area provided a new understand- Grant funding supports overhead at the 1993 the federally funded STATEMAP ing of this geologically complex aquifer university, as well as graduate and under- program has allowed the bureau to pur- system. The bureau is conducting similar graduate students. Part-time student sue an aggressive geologic mapping studies in the Española Basin, the Taos employees are incorporated into many of program throughout the state, particular- region, and the Pecos River valley, in our day-to-day operations. ly in areas where there is a need. These collaboration with the Office of the State maps are basic to all subsequent field Engineer. In 2005, in recognition of the studies, including those related to water value of the work that’s been done and The importance of the bureau to New resources and water quality, geologic haz- the importance of ongoing work, the Mexico is perhaps greater today than it ards, mineral resources, and state legislature appropriated $300,000 ever has been. In the years since our environmental issues. More than one to the bureau for aquifer mapping. There founding the population of New Mexico hundred quadrangles (6,000 square is very little work we do that does not has increased five fold. The geologic miles) have been mapped to date, many somehow contribute to our understand- studies the bureau provides are vital to of which are available as free downloads ing of the state’s water resources. continuing growth and development, from the bureau’s Web site. and to environmental protection. We Sean Connell in our Albuquerque Laboratories work closely with the Department of office has just completed a geologic map The bureau houses state-of-the-art labo- Public Safety on issues related to geolog- compilation (1:50,000) of the geology of ratory facilities that serve the analytical ic hazards. We provide important the Albuquerque Basin, from just south needs of the public and support ongoing guidance on the wise use of the state’s of San Ysidro/Zia Pueblo in the north, research efforts of the entire university resources, especially water. The work of east to Placitas, and south as far as community. These facilities include the the bureau brings a direct economic ben-

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REVENUE Exclusive of Grants and Contracts 97% State Appropriation $ 3,889,500 Carryover from Previous Year $ 8,628 2% 1% Publication Sales $ 97,581

EXPENDITURES Staff (salaries & benefits) $ 3,372,529 15% 83% Operating Expenses Fixed $ 332,000 2% Variable $ 291,180 Students $ 88,747 Volume 5, Number 2 Published twice annually by the NEW MEXICO BUREAU OF GEOLOGY Additional grant funding for 2004–2005 came to us from: AND MINERAL RESOURCES Bureau of Land Management Picuris Pueblo Peter A. Scholle Mine Safety & Health Administration Santa Fe County Director and State Geologist Molycorp, Inc. Taos County a division of NEW MEXICO INSTITUTE OF National Aeronautics and Space U.S. Army/White Sands Missile Range MINING AND TECHNOLOGY Administration U.S. Bureau of Land Management Daniel H. López National Science Foundation U.S. Department of Energy President New Mexico Department of Public Safety U.S. Department of Justice/Bureau of 801 Leroy Place New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Indian Affairs Socorro, New Mexico 87801-4796 (505) 835-5420 Natural Resources Department U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Albuquerque Office New Mexico Office of the State Engineer U.S. Forest Service 2808 Central SE Albuquerque New Mexico State Land Office U.S. Geological Survey New Mexico 87106 Pecos Valley Artesian Conservancy District (505) 366-2530 Visit our main Web site Most of our funding comes from state appropriations, supplemented by grants from a vari- geoinfo.nmt.edu ety of sources (listed above) and income from publication sales. Figures shown are for the period from July 1, 2004, to June 30, 2005 (our FY 2004). Board of Regents Ex Officio efit to the state of New Mexico. In the match the growing and changing needs Bill Richardson Governor of New Mexico May 12, 2003 issue of the Oil and Gas of the people of New Mexico, we hope Veronica C. Garcia Journal, the editor commended Ron to provide a firm scientific background Secretary of Education Broadhead’s work on attracting explo- for many of the crucial decisions that Appointed ration to New Mexico by developing will be made in the years ahead. Jerry A. Armijo new, unconventional plays. Ron has also President been involved in studies helping small —L. Greer Price 2003–2009, Socorro operators squeeze as much oil as possible Greer is an associate director and chief Richard N. Carpenter editor at the New Mexico Bureau of Secretary/Treasurer from existing New Mexico operations. A 2003–2009, Sante Fe one percent increase in production vol- Geology and Mineral Resources, where he Ann Murphy Daily umes from the Permian Basin of New manages the publishing program. 2005–2011, Santa Fe Mexico and Texas alone could result in Many thanks to George Austin, Ron Sidney M. Gutierrez production of an additional one billion Broadhead, Nelia Dunbar, Bob Eveleth, 2001–2007, Albuquerque barrels of oil. That provides a boost not Gretchen Hoffman, Marshall Reiter, and Michaella J. Gorospe 2005–2007, Socorro only to the private sector but to the Peter Scholle, all of whom offered their state’s tax base, a large part of which is own insights on the bureau’s history for this Editors derived from taxes on oil and natural gas article. L. Greer Price production. Jane C. Love The very real economic benefit of the Layout bureau to New Mexico can be measured Visit Our Web Site Thomas Kaus in dollars and cents. A recent study by For a wealth of information on the Graphics the Illinois Geological Survey deter- bureau, its staff, and additional resources Thomas Kaus Leo Gabaldon mined that in Kentucky (the only state including geologic tours of New Mexico, Earth Matters is a free publication. For in the U.S. that has been completely information on our laboratory facilities, subscription information please call mapped) the state saw a return of $26 free downloads of digital geologic maps, (505) 835-5490, or e-mail us at for each dollar spent on geologic map- and our complete publications catalog, [email protected] ping. The enormous diversity of New visit our Web site at www.geoinfo.nmt.edu Cover photo of Ship Rock, New Mexico Mexico resources has guided our past © Gary Rasmussen and will ultimately determine our future. Reproduced with permission. As we continue to shape our program to

NEW MEXICO EARTH MATTERS 5 SUMMER 2005 NEW PUBLICATIONS Scenic Trip 19—High Plains of Mining in New Mexico—The Northeastern New Mexico: A Environment, Water, Guide to Geology and Culture, by Economics, and Sustainable William R. Muehlberger, Sally J. Development, edited by Muehlberger, and L. Greer Price, L. Greer Price, Douglas Bland, 2005, 110 pp., color throughout, Virginia T. McLemore, and ISBN 1-883905-20-6. $14.95 plus James Barker, 2005, 176 pp., shipping and handling. color throughout, This is the newest Scenic Trip to be ISBN 1-883905-22-2. $15.00 published by the bureau. In addition plus shipping and handling to two introductory chapters (on Mining has played a significant Volcanoes of Northeastern New role in the history and develop- Mexico and The Geologic History of Northeastern New ment of New Mexico and Mexico), the book contains four detailed road logs from Raton to continues to play an important role in the state's economic Clayton. prosperity. The future of this industry will depend upon The northeast corner of New Mexico is home to the largest vol- achieving a balance between our needs and desires, the chang- canic field east of the Rocky Mountains and encompasses some of ing economy, and our growing concern over environmental the most attractive scenery in the Southwest, including Johnson and social issues. This anthology of 30 articles is a timely look Mesa, the Dry Cimarron River, and Capulin Mountain, one of at some of those science and policy issues, including: the most beautifully preserved cinder cones in the U.S. • The geology and landscape of the Taos region As well as the discussion on , the book examines the • Watershed protection and restoration in New Mexico Mesozoic strata exposed in this part of New Mexico, including the • Mineral and aggregate resources in New Mexico Cretaceous–Tertiary boundary in the Raton Formation, exposed on • An overview of the regulatory framework in New Mexico Goat Hill outside Raton, and the dinosaur trackways exposed in • Abandoned mine lands issues sandstones near the spillway at Clayton Lake. • Financial assurance and bonding Like others in the series, this book contains information on the • Sustainable development rich cultural heritage of the region, including the Santa Fe Trail Produced in conjunction with the fourth Decision-Makers and the Folsom site, one of the most significant Paleo-Indian sites Field Conference held in Taos in May 2005, this volume pro- in North America. This book provides a look at one of the least vides a broad overview of issues that go beyond mining in visited parts of New Mexico, giving the reader a new appreciation New Mexico. for this corner of the state. For more information about these and other bureau publications: visit our Web site at geoinfo.nmt.edu; write or visit our Publications Office on the campus of New Mexico Tech, 801 Leroy Place, Socorro, New Mexico 87801; call (505) 835-5490 or e-mail us at [email protected]. Payment (check or money order payable to NMBGMR) must be enclosed with mailed orders. Telephone orders may be paid with VISA, Discover, American Express, or MasterCard.

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