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Home , Beryl, Fracture (mineralogy), Hematite, Opal, Pseudobrookite

rapidly subsiding, allowing considerable remnantsof this former flow sheet.During D. G., 1976,Summary of Precambriangeology thicknessesof strata to accumulateduring the this time, the CieneguillaCreek drainage was and geochronologyof northeasternNew : Pennsylvanian.Abundant fauna preservedin part of the south-flowing Coyote Creek GeologicalSociety, Guidebook 27th p. the Rowe-Mora Basin indicates ages from system. conference, 129-135 Clark, K. F., 1966,Geology and depositsof Morrowan (Lower Pennsylvanian) the to Upper During the Pleistocene,headward erosion Eagle Nest quadrangle, New Mexico: Ph.D. Des Moinesian (middle Upper Pennsylva- of Cimarron Creek disrupted the upper thesis,University of New Mexico,363 p. nian). As depositioncontinued into late Penn- Coyote Creek drainage pattern. Cimarron Goodknight,C. S., 1976,Cenozoic structural geol- sylvanian, the shoreline gradually moved Creek captured the flow of upper Coyote ogy of the Central Cimarron Range,New Mexico: eastward toward the center of the basin; Creek, diverting it northward to form the New Mexico GeologicalSociety, Guidebook 27th howeverdeposition of continentalstrata con- presentbasin. Three periodsof stabilitydur- fieldconference, p. 137-140 tinued without cessationfrom Upper Penn- ing the loweringof baselevel for Cieneguilla Kudo, A. M., 1976,A reviewof the volcanichistory sylvanianthrough Permian. Severalhundreds Creekcreated terrace levels which can still be and stratigraphy of northeastern New Mexico: 27th to thousands of feet of fluvial , silts, identified in the CieneguillaCreek drainage. New Mexico GeologicalSociety, Guidebook p. 109-ll0 gravels with (1966) glacial field conference, ,and some isolated lacus- Clark reported Pleistocene Miller, J. P., Montgomery,A., and Sutherland,P. trine and lagoonal deposits were deposition north of the mapped area around K., 1963,Geology of part of the southernSangre depositedthroughout most of the Permian. WheelerPeak. Glaciationmay have contrib- de Cristo Mountains, New Mexico: New Mexico Near the end of the Permian, deposition utedto thesedimentation history of thenorth- Bureau of Mines and Resources,Mem. ceasedand erosion of the continentaldeposits ern half of the Moreno Valley (Clark, 1966). l l, 106p. began. This hiatus extended through latest Evidenceof glacial activity is not discernible Ray, L. L., and Smith,J. F., Jr., 1941,Geology of Permianand lowermostTriassic. in the basin.The presentbasin is the resultof the Moreno Valley, New Mexico: Ceological The first Mesozoicdeposits (Upper Triassic) continued adjustment to the base level of Societyof AmericaBull., v. 52,p. 171-210 consistof ,interbedded limestone CieneguillaCreek and the drainagesystem of Robinson,G. D., Wanek,A. A., Hays,W. H., and McCallum,M. E., 1964,Philmont Country-the pebbleconglomerates, and -brownshales; theCimarron River. rocks and landscapeof a famous New Mexico much of the material is derived from the ranch: U.S. GeologicalSurvey, Prof. Paper 505, underlying Pennsylvanianand Permian strata References 152p. (Clark 1966).Intermittent erosion and deposi- Armstrong,A. K., 1955,Preliminary observations Smith,J. F., Jr., and Ray, L. L., 1943,Geology of tion are reflected by disconformities that on the MississippianSystem of northernNew the Cimarron Range, New Mexico: Geological separateUpper Permian from Triassic, and Mexico:New Mexico Bureau of Minesand Min- Societyof America, Bull., 54, p. 891-9U Triassicfrom Jurassicrocks. Upper Jurassic eralResources, Circ. 39, 42 p. Thompson, M. L., 1942, Pennsylvaniansystem in Baltz,E. H., bedsare, in turn, separatedfrom the Dakotq and Read,C. B., 1960,Rocks of New Mexico: New Mexico Bureauof Mines and Mississippianand probableDevonian age in p. Formation (Lower Cretaceous) by discon- MineralResources, Bull. 17,92 Sangrede Cristo Mountains, New Mexico: Wanek,A. A., andRead, C. 8., 1956,Taos Eagle formity indicating a brief period to of non- AmericanAssociation of PetroleumGeologists, Nest and Elizabethtown:New Meilco Geological depositionand erosionprior to the Cretaceous Bull.,v. 4,p. 1749-1774 Society,Guidebook 7th field conference,p. 82-93 marinetransgression. Callender,J. F., Robertson,J. M., andBrookins, Cyclesof marinetransgressions and regres- sionsaccumulated a considerablethickness of black shalewith some limestonebeds in the Raton Basin,north and eastof the map area. Toward the end of the Late Cretaceous,local Anoccurrence ofred uplifts, possibleforerunners of the Laramide Orogeny,expanded the areasof the transgres- NewMexico sive and regressivecycles, resulting in inter- inthe Black Range, beddedblack shalesand gray to buff channel byFrankS.KlmblerandPatrickE.Haynes,P.0.Box2439,CampusStation,Socorro,NM87801 sandstones.Finally, the seawithdrew entirely, depositingthe Trinidad Sandstoneas the last A locality for red beryl in was The Virgin prospect,in sec.22, regressiveunit. found on May 23, 1979by P. E. Hayneswhile T. l0 S., R. I I W., SierraCounty, New Mex- The Laramide folding and upwarping that prospectingfor the Virgin Company. ico, has at least two distinct north-trending marked the end of Cretaceoustime strongly The locality, on the west side of the Black zones. Both are mineralizedand run compressedthe basin into a seriesof west- Range in the Gila National Forest of north- parallel to one another; each has its own dis- dippingthrusts and folds.As the orogenysub- westernSierra County, New Mexico, has been tinct mineral assemblage. sidedduring the Eocene,erosion accumulated namedthe Beryllium Virgin prospect. coarseclastics in parts of the southernCiene- Mlneralogy guilla Creekdrainage basin. Sometime during Generalgeology and strucfure Red beryl occursin the fracture zone on the the Oligocenea greatperiod of volcanismand The rocks in the region, mid-Tertiary or east side of the mining claim. A more highly intrusion began,extending through the Mio- younger, are comprisedof rhyolite, mineralizedzone, devoid of beryl, lies on the ceneand into the Pliocene.Numerous stocks flows, and clasticsediments. Of primary in- western side of the claim. Adjacent to this and batholiths were intruded and basalt, terest are extensiveoutcrops of flow-layered, zo\e are veins of massivehematite that con- rhyolite, and flows as well as tuf- -brownto pink, porphyritic rhyolite. tain crystalline grains of and cas- faceousmaterials were erupted to the north, Phenocrysts are abundant, accounting for siterite. The following descriptionscover the east,and southwestof the mappedarea. Nor- about 40 percentof the . One to threeper- characteristicsand associations of the dif- mal and transverse flaulting concurrently centof the rhyoliteconsists of vesicleswhich, ferent of interest found at the formed the Rio Grandedepression to the west in part, are lined with severaloxide and sil- Beryllium Virgin prospect. and displaced the earlier thrust and reverse icate minerals, including beryl (Fries and Bnnyl-Be,Al:(SicO,s)-The red beryl faulting in the CieneguillaCreek drainage others, 1942;Lufkin, 1972). from the Black Range of New Mexico is the basin. Locally, Precambrianrocks were ex- The porphyriticrhyolite is cut by numerous third known source for red beryl found in posed by the faulting, their erosion con- north-trending fissures;rocks adjacent to the rhyolite. Specimensfrom two other localities, tributingto thethicknesses of alluvialfill. fissures are highly fractured. These fissures the Thomas Rangeand the Wah Wah Moun- Late in Pliocenetime, basaltflows formed and fracture zonesprovided a channelfor es- tains in , have larger, more colorful, and the resistantpeaks of Agua Fria Mountain as capingvapors during the coolingof the lava. more abundant . Microprobe analysis well as extensivecover over adjacent areas; These gaseousemanations were responsible of the Utah crystals(Nassau and Wood, 1968) Ocate Mesa and numerous smaller lobes are for muchof themineralization in thearea. .G

New Mexico Geologlt February l9E0 15 (continuedfrom previouspage) Hevertre-FezOr- occurs as Nassau,K., and Wood, D. L., 1968,An examina- Mineral- bright, thin plates(specularite) throughout the tion of red beryl from Utah: American indicatethat the red coloration is due to a high ogist,v.53, p. 801 deposit.The largestcrystals occur adajcent to of (Mn*2). The col- Northrop, S. A., 1959,Minerals of New Mexico: concentration the bixbyite in the mineralizedwestern frac- of the Black Range crystals grades from Albuquerque,New Mexico, Universityof New or ture zone as vein fillings composedof inter- pale pink to raspberryred, with the darker col- MexicoPress, 665 p. lockingplates and bladeswith a maximumsize from TopazMountain, or occurring only in a few crystals. The Palache,C. , 1934,Minerals of about I cm. Mineralogist,v. 19,p. 14 tr crystalsare zonedparallel to the Utah:American raspberry-red crystals C axis, with the red in the centerof the Qunnrz-SiO,-Colorless occur abundantlythroughout the deposit,in . nearlyevery vug. Maximum sizefor a crystal The crystalsobserved occur only in simple is about 3 mm; doubly terminatedcrystals prisms. Under magnification, they tabular havebeen found. fractures.Modifications or show numerous ornr- (variety hyalite)-SiOr'nHzO, amor- have not been noted among the fifty twins phous-Hyalite rarely occurs with the NewMexico's minerals specimenscollected to date. The crystalsare bixbyite but more commonly with the red weaklyattached to the rhyolite due to beryl. Foundas small, irregular masses or thin the small amountof quartz sandoccurring in crustsof palelavender that fadeson exposure the vugs.Size of theberyl crystals ranges from to sunlight(Fries, 1942). I to 3 mm. Crystalsmuch larger than 3 mm probablydo not occurat the BerylliumVirgin prospect.Other depositsof red beryl may oc- Presentcollecting status cur in the Black Rangeof Sierraand Catron Collectingred beryl crystalswith but have not been discoveredto Counties, and chiselusually yields only onespecimen per The mineralsoccurring in the lithophysal date. working hour due to their scarcityand poor cavitieswith the red berylare quartz, hematite attachmentto the matrix. The areawhere red (variety specularite),and ;all beryl is found is underclaim; collecting is pro- may penetratethe beryl crystals. hibited until explorationof the claim by the Gypsurr,r.CaSO..2H'O. LADRoN MouNratNs, Btxrvrre-(Mn,Fe),O,-Bixbyite occursas Virgin Mining Companyis completed. SoconnoCouNrv, N ew Mnxtco dull to very lustroussubmetallic cubes in the Crystalsystem: monoclinic. Hardness: 2 fracture zone on the west side of the claim, Specific gravity: 2.32; :. { 0 I 0 }, perfect; 100}distinct; I distinct. The cubesare rarely modifiedby the trisocta- Selectedreferences { {01 } Gypsumis a commonmineral found in sedi- hedron{221}, the octahedron{lll}, or, as Range, Fries,Carl, 1940, depositsof the Black mentary rocks, cave deposits,and associated observedin one specimen,the trapezohedron U.S. Catron and SierraCounties, New Mexico: with metallic ore deposits.This particular spe- The usualsize of the bixbyitecubes is p.355 {2ll}. CeologicalSurvey, Bull. 922-M, cimenis from a cavenear the Ladron Mountains. pseudo- lessthan 2 mm on an edge;two specimenscol- Fries,Carl, and others,1942, Bixbyite and 'sprimary useis in the manufactureof lectedin 1978measured 8 mm on an edge. brookitefrom thetin-bearing rhyolite of theBlack plasterof paris. Photo by Mark R. Leo PsruoosnooKITE-Fe,TiO, -Pseudo- Range,New Mexico: AmericanMineralogist, v. ,when found with redberyl, occurs as 21, p. 305 thin, needle-likecrystals less than 2 mm long Lufkin, J. L., 1972, Tin mineralizationwithin Black Range,New Mexico: and like the beryl, are lightly attachedto the rhyoliteflow-domes, Ph.D. thesis,Stanford University,New Mexico thyolite matrix. Pseudobrookitecrystals asso- Bureauof Mines and Mineral Resources,Open- ciatedwith thebixbyite attain a lengthof up to Rept.57,149 p. 5 mm and a width of 1.5 mm, while single 1976, minerals in microliterhyolite, pseudobrookitecrystals may be found pene- Black Range,New Mexico: AmericanMineral- tratingthe bixbyite cubes. ogist,v.61, no. 5-6,p.425-430

lon Prolt 0rgaualo. US POSTAGI PAID SOCORRO,NEWMEXICO PERMITNO9