Geology of Part of the Northwestern Apache Mountains
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GEOLOGY OF PART OF THE NORTHWESTERN APACHE MOUNTAINS, SOUTHEAST CULBERSON COUNTY, WEST TEXAS, U.S.A. by WALTER KENNEDY Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Arlington in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE IN GEOLOGY THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT ARLINGTON MAY 2009 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank George Snyder of the Jones Ranch for allowing access to his land adjacent to the road-cuts along Texas Farm Road 2185 and his interest in this project. My advisor Merlynd Nestell and his wife Galina Nestell provided guidance and instruction during the completion of this project. During my years at The University of Texas at Arlington, my parents Charles and Mary Kennedy contributed to my success as a student by providing a stress-free living environment. During the summer of 2006, Charles Kennedy spent two weeks assisting me with field work. Katherine (Kat) Robertson analyzed the lower sandstone portion of the Rustler Formation using an Electron Microprobe at The University of Texas at Austin. Kat’s steadfast support and belief in my abilities allowed me to complete the project in a timely manner. The Southwest Section of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists as well as the Fort Worth Geological Society provided financial support in the form of scholarships. This financial assistance is greatly appreciated. Stephen Benoist and Marty Horn encouraged my interest in geology as a profession during the summer of 1999 at the University of Texas at Arlington’s Summer Science Institute. Marty Horn also encouraged me to pursue a master’s degree in geology. December 7, 2007 ii ABSTRACT GEOLOGY OF PART OF THE NORTHWESTERN APACHE MOUNTAINS, SOUTHEASTERN CULBERSON COUNTY, WEST TEXAS, U.S.A. Walter L. Kennedy, M.S. The University of Texas at Arlington, 2009 Supervising Professor: Merlynd Nestell Middle Permian marine (Bell Canyon Formation) strata along the southwestern margin of the Delaware Basin in southeastern Culberson County, Texas provide excellent exposures of basinal and slope strata, useful fossils for age dating, and a variety of interpretations of possible depositional environments. This work includes a detailed surficial geologic map of about a seven square kilometer area of the northwestern Apache Mountains, located along a portion of Texas Farm Road 2185, about 60 kilometers northeast of Van Horn, Texas. In addition to the map, a stratigraphic column is presented along with descriptions of a major subaqueous gravity flow in the map area and significant structural relationships recognized in the map area. Descriptions of the Upper Guadalupian Bell Canyon Formation and the overlying Lopingian Castile and Rustler Formations are presented to aid in providing a framework iii for proposed biostratigraphic correlation with similar age strata in the Guadalupe Mountains, 70 km to the north-northeast of the map area. Analysis of one of the major, thick subaqueous gravity flows within the Bell Canyon Formation provides information about its clast lithology, fossil content, lateral extent, timing of emplacement and allochthonous debris origin. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ....................................................................................... ii ABSTRACT .............................................................................................................. iii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ..................................................................................... x LIST OF TABLES ..................................................................................................... xiii Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION………............................................................................. …1 1.1 Geographic Setting…………………………………………………….. …1 1.2 Previous Work-Regional and Map Area .................................................. …3 1.3 Scope of Current Study ............................................................................ …6 1.4 Regional Geologic Setting ....................................................................... …7 1.4.1 Upper Middle Permian (Upper Guadalupian) .......................... ....8 1.4.2 Upper Permian (Lopingian) ...................................................... ..11 1.5 Tectonic Setting……………………………………………………….....13 1.5.1 General Tectonic Setting of the Seven Heart Gap Area ........... ..16 2. STRATIGRAPHY…………………………………………………………....17 2.1 Introduction…………………………………………………………… .. ..17 2.2 Bell Canyon Formation B, A, G, E-F, and M-Sections ........................... ..19 2.2.1 B-Section………………………………………………………….. ..19 v 2.2.1.1 B-Section Package (I) ............................................................ 22 2.2.1.2 B-Section Package (II) ........................................................... 23 2.2.1.3 B-Section Package (III) ......................................................... 23 2.2.1.4 B-Section Package (IV)……………………………… ......... 24 2.2.2 A-Section……………….. ............................................................... 24 2.2.2.1 A-Section Package (I) ............................................................ 25 2.2.2.2 A-Section Package (II) .......................................................... 25 2.2.2.3 A-Section Package (III) ......................................................... 26 2.2.2.4 A-Section Package (IV) ......................................................... 26 2.2.2.5 A-Section Package (V) .......................................................... 26 2.2.3 G-Section…………………………………………………………..26 2.2.3.1 G-Section Package (I) ............................................................ 28 2.2.3.2 G-Section Package (II) .......................................................... 28 2.2.3.3 G-Section Package (III)……………………………………..28 2.2.3.4 G-Section Package (IV) ......................................................... 29 2.2.4 E-F-Section………………………………………………………...29 2.2.4.1 E-F-Section Package (I) ......................................................... 31 2.2.4.2 E-F-Section Package (II) ....................................................... 32 2.2.4.3 E-F-Section Package (III) ...................................................... 33 2.2.4.4 E-F-Section Package (IV) ...................................................... 33 2.2.4.5 E-F-Section Package (V) ....................................................... 33 2.2.4.6 E-F-Section Package (VI) ...................................................... 34 vi 2.2.4.7 E-F-Section Package (VII) .................................................... 34 2.2.4.8 E-F-Section Package (VIII) ................................................... 35 2.2.5 M-Section ……………………………………………………….....36 2.2.5.1 M-Section Package (I) ........................................................... 37 2.2.5.2 M-Section Package (II) ......................................................... 37 2.2.5.3 M-Section Package (III) ........................................................ 37 2.2.5.4 M-Section Package (IV) ........................................................ 38 2.2.5.5 M-Section Package (V) .......................................................... 38 2.2.5.6 M-Section Package (VI) ........................................................ 38 2.2.6 Large Scale Reefal Debris ............................................................... 38 2.3 Bell Canyon Formation Correlated Sections ........................................... 39 2.3.1 Correlated Section below B-Section (BDB2) .................................. 39 2.3.1.1 Correlated Section below B-Section (BDB2-Package (I)) .... 41 2.3.1.2 BDB2-Package (II) ................................................................ 41 2.3.1.3 BDB2-Package (III) ............................................................... 42 2.3.1.4 BDB2-Package (IV) ............................................................... 42 2.3.2 Correlated Section below E-F-Section Gravite (NMW) .................. 42 2.3.2.1 Correlated Section below E-F-Section Gravite NMW-Package (I) .................................................... 45 2.3.2.2 Correlated Section below E-F-Section Gravite NMW-Package (II)................................................... 45 2.3.2.3 Correlated Section below E-F-Section Gravite NMW-Package (III) ................................................. 45 2.4 Upper Permian (Lopingian) Castile and Rustler Formations .................. 45 vii 2.4.1 Castile Formation………………………………………………….45 2.4.2 Rustler Formation………………………………………………….48 3. SUBAQUEOUS GRAVITY SLIDES (GRAVITES)……………………....51 3.1 Gravites in and around the Map Area…………………………………..51 3.2 Gravites in the Map Area…………………………………………… ..... 52 3.2.1 Mapped Gravites .............................................................................. 53 3.3 B-Section Gravite Introduction ................................................................ 54 3.3.1 B-Section Gravite ............................................................................. 55 3.3.1.1 Lower Contact ....................................................................... 55 3.3.1.2 Gravite Zones ......................................................................... 57 3.3.1.3 Lower 2.5 Meter Zone (I) ...................................................... 58 3.3.1.4 Middle 2.5 Meter Zone (II) .................................................... 59 3.3.1.5 Upper 1.7 Meter Zone (III) .................................................... 61 3.3.1.6 Upper Contact ........................................................................ 62 3.3.2 Lateral