Geology of the Hurley West Quadrangle Grant County New Mexico
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Geology of the Hurley West Quadrangle Grant County New Mexico By WALDEN P. PRATT CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1241-E A study of part of the Silver City mining region, with emphasis on Paleozoic stratigraphy and on early Tertiary intrusion and faulting UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1967 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR STEWART L. UDALL, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY William T. Pecora, Director For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20402 CONTENTS Page. Abstract ...___.___._._-_______._.___________._______._.._______ El Introduction. _____________________________________________________ 3 Location and geologic significance of area.-_-__---_______________ 3 Geography. ___ _ __-- _ 5 Purpose of investigation._______________________________________ 5 Previous work__-----------------_-__-_-____________________ 6 Fieldwork and acknowledgments________________________________ 8 Geologic formations-____-_-----__--_-__--__--____-_-_______________ 8 Precambrian rockl_____-----_---_-_____________________________ 9 Paleozoic rocks_______-------------_----_______________________ 10 Cambrian and Ordovician Systems, Bliss Sandstone__________ 10 Ordovician System________________________________________ 15 El Paso Dolomite____________________________________ 15 Montoya Group_______________________________________ 18 Distribution. _____________________________________ 19 Subdivision.______________________________________ 19 Second Value Dolomite___________________________ 20 Cable Canyon Sandstone Member.______________ 20 Upham Dolomite Member_____--______-________ 21 Aleman Formation______________________________ 21 Cutter Dolomite_________________________________ 22 Fossils and age___________________________________- 24 Silurian System Fusselman Dolomite.______________________ 28 Devonian System Percha Shale____________________________ 30 Mississippian System Lake Valley Limestone._______________ 32 Pennsylvanian System Magdalena Group.________--_---_-_- 39 Definition and subdivision.______________--__--_-_--_-__ 39 Distribution. _________________________________________ 40 Oswaldo Limestone.__________________-__--__------.--- 40 Syrena Formation.___-___-__________-_-----__-_------- 41 Fossils and age______________________________________ 41 Permian System Abo(?) Formation.______^_________________ 42 Mesozoic to Cenozoic rocks.____________--____-----_-__--------- 42 Cretaceous System________________________--___------_--- 42 Beartooth Quartzite._________-_-______---___---------- 42 Colorado Formation.___________________-___----------_ 44 Upper Cretaceous to lower Tertiary intrusive rocks._____--_-__ 46 Sills and laccolith_________________-_----_------------ 46 Chino Quarry sill._--_-_----_--__------------------ 47 Hurley sill__-__. ..- --- - 47 Cameron Creek laccolith___-_--_------_------------ 48 Dikes_______.______________.________..---._--_------- 50 Emplacement ____________-__--__----_-_----------- 51 Petrography.___________________-----_.----------- 51 Descriptions of selected dikes.____-__-_-___--------- 52 Age and regional correlation._______--__----_----------- 53 in IV CONTENTS Geologic formations Continued Page Cenozoic rocks and sediments_------------__-_-----_--_------__- E55 Miocene (?) volcanic and interbedded sedimentary rocks. _______ 55 Rubio Peak Formation__-_____--____-__--______________ 55 Sugarlump Tuff._.______________________ 57 Kneeling Nun Tuff____--------------------------_-___- 60 Age of volcanic rocks_______---________--_____._-______ 61 Gila Conglomerate______-__---________-__-____.______.___ 63 Quaternary deposits_____----_-----_----_---_--_-_----_-__- 66 Geologic structure-________________________________________________ 67 Regional setting and major structural units_______________________ 67 Folds. _____.___--.___._.__.-_.____-_.__._._._._.____ 69 Faults and fractures___________________________________________ 69 Silver City fault__________.______________________ 70 Rio de Arenas fault._______________________________________ 71 Indian Village fault, Cameron Creek fault, and Chino Quarry fault.-. ______ - . _ -- ---_--__.____ 71 Geologic age of faults._____________________________________ 75 Geomorphology _ ____-__-_-______--__---_--___-__---_--__-__-____-_ 76 Pediment at base of Gila Conglomerate._________________________ 76 Bayard surface._______________________________________________ 77 Present land surface.____-___---_--__---______-_-_-_-__________ 77 Lone Mountain.__________________________________________ 78 Dissected Bayard surface.___________________________________ 79 Dissected fan of the Burro Mountains_.____________________ 79 West edge of Cobre Mountains volcanic field________________ 80 Geologic history.________________--____-----__-___--.---__-_-_____- 80 Economic geology,___-___-______--_---------_____---_-_-_-_-_____- 82 Metallic mineral resources.______-____________---__---_---______ 82 Deposits of silver ore_____________________________________ 83 Manganese oxide deposits_____-___-_______---_---___-_____- 84 Copper in Whitewater Creek________________________________ 86 Concentrations of detrital iron oxides_____-----__--_-_---___- 87 Nonmetallic mineral resources..-.____-_--_____---______-_-_.__-_ 87 Limestone for metallurgical use.________._--__-__--_-____-_ 87 Gravel.____ _-._ ___- _- -_- ------------------- 87 Amethyst__ _ ____________________________________________ 88 References cited.______________________--__--____----_----_--~--_- 88 CONTENTS ILLUSTRATIONS Page PLATE 1. Geologic map and sections of Hurley West quadrangle, Grant County, N. Mex____..-____----_---_-____ In pocket FIGUBE 1. Index mapof New Mexico____-____---------_----____- E4 2. Map showing principal areas of study of Paleozoic forma tions. ___--_____--______________-_--____-_-______ 7 3. Composite stratigraphic section, Cambrian through Mississippian. ___________________________________ 12 4. Photograph of f ucoidal markings in the El Paso Dolomite - 16 5. Sketch of exposed face of irregualr chert nodule in El Paso Dolomite. _______________________________________ 17 6. Photograph showing outcrop of Aleman Formation.____ 22 7. Photograph showing contact between Fusselman Dolo mite and Cutter Dolomite________________________. 23 8. Sketch of upper contact of the Percha Shale ___________ 32 9. Photograph of cliffs of Lake Valley Limestone________ 34 10. Sketch of contact between quartz latite dike and Percha Shale. ________________________________ 52 11. Photograph of older conglomerate of Rubio Peak For mation __________________________________________ 58 12-14. Photomicrographs: 12. Vitric tuff of Sugarlump Tuff_ ................ 59 13. Devitrified glass in Kneeling Nun Tuff._________ 62 14. Welded shards in Kneeling Nun Tuff__________ 63 15. Map showing lithologic facies of Gila Conglomerate___ 65 16. Map showing principal structural features of the Silver City region._-_---__-_---_____-_--_____-________- 68 17. Diagram showing deformation in vicinity of Cameron Creek laccolith-__-____-_________-___-_-_____.___. 72 18. Sketch map of Chino Quarry fault zone.______________ 75 19. Diagram showing relation of Bayard surface to Gila Conglomerate.__---_-_---_____-_--__-_______-_-_- 78 20. Aerial photomosaic showing contrast between Bayard surface and Burro Mountains fan___________________ 80 VI CONTENTS TABLES Page TABLE 1. Fossils and age of the Bliss Sandstone at Lone Mountain. E14 2. Fossils and age of the El Paso Dolomite at Lone Moun tain___________________________________________ 17 3. Geologic events of the Cenozoic Era in the Hurley West quadrangle. _____________________________________ 81 STKATIGKAPHIC SECTIONS Page SECTION 1. Bliss Sandstone, southwest side of west peak of Lone Mountain _______________________________________ E14 2. El Paso Dolomite, southwest side of west peak of Lone Mountain. ___-----______-__-__-____--__-__--__-_ 18 3. Montoya Group, south side of south peak of Lone Moun tain___________________________________________ 26 4. Fusselman Dolomite, southeast of south peak of Lone Mountain _____-__-____-__-___-______-___-__-____ 29 5. Fusselman Dolomite, Cameron Creek, NE%NEX sec. 3, T. 19 S., R. 13 W________________________________ 30 6. Lake Valley Limestone, Cameron Creek, SW^SE^SE^ sec. 27, T. 18 S., R. 13 W_________._____-_.-.__--_ 38 7. Lake Valley Limestone, Cameron Creek, N^NE^NEK sec. 34 and S}_SE#SE^ sec. 27, T. 18 S., R. 13 W.___- 39 8. Beartooth Quartzite, tributary to Rio de Arenas, NW% SE^ sec. 20, T. 18 S., R. 13 W_____________.._-----_ 43 9. Colorado Formation, Cameron Creek, NE^SE^ sec. 23, T. 18 S., R. 13 W________________________________ 45 10. Rubio Peak Formation, S}4 sec. 19, T. 18 S., R. 12 W., and NW>i sec. 30, T. 18 S., R. 12 W.._.._-____- _.--_- 57 11. Sugarlump Tuff, sec. 19, T. 18 S., R. 12 W____________ 59 CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY GEOLOGY OF THE HURLEY WEST QUADRANGLE, GRANT COUNTY, NEW MEXICO By WALDEN P. PRATT ABSTRACT The Hurley West 7^-minute quadrangle is an area of about 63 square miles in the southern part of the Silver City mining region of New Mexico. Bedrock ex posures underlie only about one-fifth of the area of the quadrangle, but they have furnished much information on geologic structure, igneous geology, and espe cially Paleozoic stratigraphy important to the study of the Silver City region as a whole. The quadrangle is dominated by Lone Mountain, a low inselberg in its north-central part; rising about 500 feet from the surrounding