Late Pennsylvanian and Early Permian Stratigraphy of the Northern Sacramento Mountains, Otero County, New Mexico
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BULLETIN 50 Late Pennsylvanian and Early Permian Stratigraphy of the Northern Sacramento Mountains, Otero County, New Mexico by CAREL OTTE, JR. 1 9 5 9 STATE BUREAU OF MINES AND MINERAL RESOURCES NEW MEXICO INSTITUTE OF MINING & TECHNOLOGY CAMPUS STATION SOCORRO, NEW MEXICO NEW MEXICO INSTITUTE OF MINING & TECHNOLOGY E. J. Workman, President STATE BUREAU OF MINES AND MINERAL RESOURCES Alvin J. Thompson, Director THE REGENTS MEMBERS Ex OFFICIO The Honorable John Burroughs .............. Governor of New Mexico Tom Wiley ...........................Superintendent of Public Instruction APPOINTED MEMBERS Robert W. Botts ................................................... Albuquerque Holm 0. Bursum, Jr. ...................................................... Socorro Thomas M. Cramer ................................................................ Carlsbad John N. Mathews, Jr. ....................................................... Socorro Richard A. Matuszeski ................................................ Albuquerque For sale by the New Mexico Bureau of Mines & Mineral Resources Campus Station, Socorro, N. Mex. — Price $2.50 Contents Page ABSTRACT ....................................................................... 1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................ 5 Purpose of investigation ...................................................................... 5 Nature and scope of investigation ....................................................... 7 Location and physical features ...................................................... 8 Previous work...................................................................................... 10 Acknowledgments .................................................................. 13 STRATIGRAPHY ...................................................... 15 Nomenclature ........................................................................ 15 Time-rock units .................................................................. 15 Rock units .......................................................................... 16 Pennsylvanian system ................................................................. 17 Holder formation ........................................................... 18 Areal distribution ............................................................ 19 Lithology ......................................................................... 20 Conditions of deposition ................................................ 21 Contact relationships ...................................................... 22 Fauna and age ................................................................ 23 Correlation and regional relationships .............................. 24 Permian system ..................................................................... 25 Laborcita formation ............................................................ 25 Areal distribution ............................................................ 26 Lithology ............................................................. 26 Conditions of deposition ................................................. 41 Contact relationships ......................................................... 53 Fauna, flora, and age ................................................................ 54 Correlation and regional relationships ............................... 57 Abo formation ..................................................................... 58 Areal distribution ............................................................ 59 Lithology ............................................................. 60 Conditions of deposition ................................................. 65 Contact relationships ......................................................... 67 Fauna .............................................................................. 68 Age and correlation ............................................................ 68 Regional relationships ..................................................... 70 Yeso formation and younger Permian strata ............................ 71 Mesozoic strata ............................................................................. 72 iii Page IGNEOUS ROCKS ....................................................................... 74 Sills ........................................................................................ 74 Quartz albitite .................................................................... 74 Andesite porphyry ................................................................. 75 Dikes ..................................................................................... 76 Age ......................................................................................... 76 GEOLOGIC STRUCTURE ................................................... 78 General discussion ........................................................................... 78 Pre-Abo deformation .................................................................. 79 Faults ................................................................................. 79 Salada Canyon fault ........................................................... 79 Fresnal Canyon fault ........................................................ 80 Folds ................................................................................. 81 Post-Abo deformation ............................................................... 82 La Luz anticline .................................................................... 83 Dry Canyon syncline ................................................................ 83 Maruchi Canyon arch .............................................................. 84 Cenozoic deformation ............................................................... 84 Boundary structural features ............................................... 84 Piedmont scarps ..................................................................... 84 Step faults .......................................................................... 85 High-angle normal faults .................................................... 85 Gravel cappings .................................................................. 85 Truncation of internal structure ........................................... 86 Fault drag ....................................................................... 86 Reverse drag ................................................................... 87 Truncation of the boundary fault .................................... 87 QUATERNARY DEPOSITS ............................................ 88 Older gravel deposits .................................................................... 88 Younger gravel deposits ............................................................ 89 Undifferentiated and reworked gravels ...................................... 89 Recent alluvium, pediment gravels, and older valley fill ........... 90 GEOLOGIC HISTORY ................................................ 92 CONCLUSIONS ......................................................................... 95 Laborcita formation ............................................................... 95 Abo formation ....................................................................... 96 iv Page APPENDIX ................................................................................. 98 Fauna and age of the Laborcita formation ................................ 98 Brachiopods ....................................................................... 98 Gastropods ....................................................................... 101 Cephalopods .................................................................... 102 Fusulinids ........................................................................ 102 Miscellaneous ..................................................................... 104 Summary ......................................................................... 104 REFERENCES ......................................................................... 106 INDEX .............................................................. 109 Illustrations PLATES 1. Geologic map of the southwest portion of the Tularosa quadrangle ............................................................................................In pocket 2. Geologic map of a portion of the Alamogordo quadrangle " 3. Geologic map of the northern Sacramento Mountains . " 4. Correlation of stratigraphic sections of the Laborcita formation ................................................................. 5. Stratigraphic section of the Laborcita formation in Fresnal Canyon (sections 6, 7) ................................................ 6. Stratigraphic section of the Laborcita formation in La Luz Canyon (sections 11, 12) ................................................... 7. Stratigraphic section of the Laborcita formation in Laborcita Canyon (sections 18, 19, 20) ............................................. 8. Stratigraphic section of the Laborcita formation north of Tularosa Canyon (sections 29, 30) ................................ 9. Isometric diagram of the southernmost part of the Laborcita formation ................................................................. 10. .................................................................................... Strati graphic section of the Abo formation in upper La Luz Canyon (section 35) ..................................................................... 11. ...................................................................................