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Lower Paleozoic Wedge Edges in South-Central New Mexico: New Control

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Lower Paleozoic Wedge Edges in South-Central New Mexico: New Control VINCENT C. KELLEY JAMES W. FURLOW LOWER PALEOZOIC WEDGE EDGES IN SOUTH-CENTRAL NEW MEXICO: NEW CONTROL Abstract: A thin sequence of Cambrian and Ordo- known occurrence of these rocks in south-central vician beds lying on Precambrian granite and over- New Mexico. The occurrence suggests that Cam- lain by Pennsylvanian Magdalena beds exists at the brian-Ordovician strata originally may have ex- Eaton ranch locality along the southeastern edge tended more directly northwesterly toward similar of the San Mateo Mountains. The section includes rocks in northeastern Arizona and northwestern representatives that are widespread in southern New Mexico. The position of the Montoya on very New Mexico: the Bliss formation, El Paso group, low beds of the El Paso emphasizes the mid- and Montoya group. This is the northernmost Ordovician unconformity in the region. mile southwest of Eaton ranch at the northern Introduction edge of the Buck Hills. These hills, about 1-2 During the course of mapping along the miles east of the San Mateo Mountains, consist southeastern foothills of the San Mateo Moun- of a thick section of southward-dipping Penn- tains in Socorro County, a section consisting of sylvanian limestone and shale of the Magdalena Bliss, El Paso, and Montoya formations was Group as well as a thin section of Permian red found resting on Precambrian granite and over- beds of the Abo formation overlain uncon- lain by Pennsylvanian beds at the Eaton ranch formably by Tertiary felsitic volcanic rocks. locality (Fig. 1). The entire marine section of Figure 2 shows the distribution of the lower some 2600 feet was mapped in reconnaissance Paleozoic rocks beneath the Magdalena at the by J. H. Schilling and M. E. Willard (Dane northern edge of the hills and in the slightly and Bachman, 1961) and in some detail by dissected pediment to the north. The outcrop F. E. Kottlowski (I960, p. 37-43,161). Neither belt is disconnected by faulting and alluvial party recognized the lower Paleozoic rocks cover but over-all is about 4000 feet long. It which comprise nearly 300 feet of the base of trends generally east-west in the eastern part the section although Kottlowski mentioned and turns sharply to the northwest in the that the lower sandstones resembled those of western part. The eastern exposures dip south- the Bliss. ward at angles from 45 to 90 degrees. The In south-central New Mexico, lower Paleo- western exposures are steeply overturned to zoic rocks occur as a southward-thickening steeply upright, with the principal overturning wedge beneath the more extensive overlying occurring near a probable east-west wrench upper Paleozoic rocks; the lower Paleozoic se- fault inferred to lie beneath the alluvium of quence reaches nearly 3000 feet in thickness in Crawford Hollow. the southern part of the state. Northward these formations are thinner, partly because of depo- Stratigraphy sition, but probably because of interdeposi- To understand the regional implication of tional periods of epeirogenic uplift and strip- these exposures, it is necessary to know the ping. Studies in the San Andres, Fra Cristobal, general stratigraphy of south-central New and Caballo Mountains (Fig. 1) show that the Mexico south of the edges of wedging where all episodes of uplift and stripping which gave rise or parts of certain formations have been re- to the total wedge belt occurred in Middle moved. Therefore, Table 1 gives the stratig- Ordovician, Late Silurian to Middle Devonian, raphy of the principal Paleozoic units. and Late Mississippian to Early Pennsylvanian The only sedimentary units present at the times (Kelley and Silver, 1952, p. 53, 133, 224, Eaton ranch locality are, in ascending order, 228-229). Bliss formation, Sierrite limestone, Cable Can- The lower Paleozoic exposures lie about 1 yon sandstone, Upham dolomite, and Magda- Geological Society of America Bulletin;, v. 76, p. 689-694, 3 figs., 2 pis., June 1965 689 Downloaded from http://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-pdf/76/6/689/3417354/i0016-7606-76-6-689.pdf by guest on 01 October 2021 690 KELLEY AND FURLOW—LOWER PALEOZOIC WEDGE EDGES, NEW MEXICO 106? r*9^ 33°. 32" • TEXAS" FRANKLIN I v MTS. M E X I C O n in ?r> *rj an "so MM»<: Figure 1. Index map showing the northern wedge edges of several Paleozoic units in south- central New Mexico lena formation. The rest, with the possible ex- The Eaton ranch Cambrian-Ordovician ex- ception of some of the lithologically variable posures range from about 295 feet thick at the units of the Devonian and Mississippian, were eastern end to as little as 100 feet thick in the once present in the area and were removed by southern exposures. Most of this difference in pre-Pennsylvanian intervals of uplift and thickness appears to be in the Bliss. East of the road (Fig. 2), a thickness of about 145 feet of Downloaded from http://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-pdf/76/6/689/3417354/i0016-7606-76-6-689.pdf by guest on 01 October 2021 Figure 1. Bedding surface on brown oolitic hematite of the Bliss formation Figure 2. Sierrite limestone near its base. Note typical ragged chert development (lower left) OUTCROPS OF BLISS AND SIERRITE FORMATIONS IN THE EASTERN EXPOSURES, NEW MEXICO KELLEY AND FURLOW, PLATE 1 Geological Society of America Bulletin, volume 76 Downloaded from http://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-pdf/76/6/689/3417354/i0016-7606-76-6-689.pdf by guest on 01 October 2021 Figure 1. Typical white, pocked surface of Cable Canyon sandstone at the southwestern exposures Figure 2. Outcrop of Cable Canyon sandstone (left) in vertical contact with (Jpham dolomite (right) in the southern exposures. Stereoscope is aligned with the strike ot the formations OUTCROPS OF CABLE CANYON SANDSTONE AND LTHAM DOLOMITE, NEW MEXICO KELLEY AND FURLOW, PLATE 2 Geological Society of America Bulletin, volume 76 Downloaded from http://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-pdf/76/6/689/3417354/i0016-7606-76-6-689.pdf by guest on 01 October 2021 SHORT NOTES 691 Bliss is fairly well exposed. It consists of buff- to ticulations on the bedding although massive light-tan arkosic sandstone and conglomerate thick units are present. With the poor ex- in the lower 40-50 feet; hematitic, coarse- posures at the Eaton ranch locality, however, grained sandstone with subrounded grains and it is not surprising that the thin-bedded aspect with oolitic seams up to 6 inches thick in a is not more apparent. Only scattered small out- middle 30-40 feet (PI. 1, fig. 1); and an upper crops of limestone are exposed, and these are incompletely to poorly exposed part consisting the thicker ledges. In some of these, irregular of occasional thin-bedded, dense hematitic brown-weathering chert lenses are present, and sandstone ledges interspersed with thin-bedded the lithology is clearly that of the El Paso EXPLANATION •37°37'30" Oal Valley alluvium N. Pediment gravel Pm Pennsylvanian Magdalena Group T. es. Om Upper Ordovician Uphom dolomite of the R.4W. Montoya group wifh Coble Canyon sand- Quarter corner stone at r elev. 5630 feel Oe Lower Ordovician Sierrite limestone 8 of the El Paso group •Cb Upper Cambrianl?) Bliss formation p€ Precombrian granite Figure 2. Geologic map of the Eaton ranch locality showing lower Paleozoic out- crops, New Mexico siltstone and limestone that is 60-70 feet thick. group and probably the Sierrite limestone (PI. Here, the Bliss rests in well-exposed contact on 1, fig. 2). The interval is fairly well delineated Precambrian granite, and the upper contact at the eastern end of the belt along the edge of with the overlying El Paso Limestone beds can the pediment where a thickness of 75 feet was be narrowed between scattered exposures to measured. The upper unconformable contact about 10 feet. In the western part of the area, with the Cable Canyon sandstone is sharp, and the Bliss is much thinner where it appears to it is in the upper 5 feet that the best exposures range from about 30-85 feet. The differences in of the typical-gray to light-gray Sierrite may thickness of the Bliss are probably due to broad be seen. channels filling swales in the Precambrian The Cable Canyon is white to light gray, rather than erosion at the base of the El Paso. coarse-grained, angular to subrounded cjuartz The El Paso beds are inferred, on the basis sandstone which ranges to granule conglomer- of regional relationships, to be the Sierrite, for ate in many exposures. The unit is 10-14 feet it appears to be widely true that the Cable thick and crops out prominently owing to its Canyon sandstone truncates downward toward firm cementation and partial silicifkation. the north into successively older beds of the El Throughout the region, the clean, clear color- Paso group. In other areas, the Sierrite beds are less to bluish quartz sand and granules and typically slabby with chert laminations or re- calcitic dolomite cement are distinguishing Downloaded from http://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-pdf/76/6/689/3417354/i0016-7606-76-6-689.pdf by guest on 01 October 2021 692 KELLEY AND FURLOW—LOWER PALEOZOIC WEDGE EDGES, NEW MEXICO features of the unit. However, the ferruginous and massively bedded, and locally, it contains weathering common elsewhere is not present scattered grains and thin seams of chert. at this locality. At the Eaton ranch locality, the No banded chert layers, typical of the Ale- sandstone is silicified except for remnant nod- man formation which normally overlies the ules that contain the original carbonate cement. Upham, were observed in the area.
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