DOCSLIB.ORG

Provenance and Paleotectonic Setting of Conglomerates in the Virgilian Holder Formation, Northern Sacramento Mountains, New Mexico

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Provenance and Paleotectonic Setting of Conglomerates in the Virgilian Holder Formation, Northern Sacramento Mountains, New Mexico RICE UNIVERSITY PROVENANCE AND PALEOTECTONIC SETTING OF CONGLOMERATES IN THE VIRGILIAN HOLDER FORMATION, NORTHERN SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS, NEW MEXICO BY CHARLES PRESTON DUNNING A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS Thesis Director's Signature: ABSTRACT PROVENANCE AND PALEOTECTONIC SETTING OF CONGLOMERATES IN THE VIRGILIAN HOLDER FORMATION, NORTHERN SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS, NEW MEXICO Charles Preston Dunning The Late Pennsylvanian (Virgilian) Holder Formation of the Sacramento Mountains, south central New Mexico, is composed of clastic and carbonate rocks cyclically deposited on the narrow Sacramento Shelf. Coarse channel fill con¬ glomerates are often found in the lower terrigenous member of the cycles. The cycle thicknesses, coarse terrigenous clastic thicknesses and the trend of the conglomerate chan¬ nels respond to both the pre-cycle topography and the growth of topographic structures during deposition of the cycle. The prominence of the tectonic structures appear to have increased during the early Virgilian to a maximum during cycle 6. The relatively thin and uniform thicknesses during cycle 7 indicates that growth of shelf structures was at a minimum. Growth was renewed during cycles 8 and 9, documented by the rejuvenation of the La Luz Anticline and the Dry Canyon Syncline. Paleotransport directions from the lower 9 cycles generally indicate southwesterly transport, away from the Pedernal Uplift and into the Orogrande Basin. Where channels are recognized, there is good correlation between channel trends and transport directions. During the height of the transgressive phase of the cycle, the Paleozoic detritus derived from the Pedernal Uplift was involved in high energy coastal processes at the base of the escarpment. It was in this environment that Paleozoic chert and Cambro-Ordovician Bliss Formation quartz¬ ite clasts were rounded, and whatever feldspars and Pre- Pennsylvanian limestones that has not been reduced insitu on the uplift or in transport, were destroyed. High energy runoff from the uplift spread the cherts, quartzites and quartz sand across the shelf as clastic flows. These flows cut the channels, incorporating shelf linestones of Virgilian age into the Virgilian conglomerate deposits. Acknowledgments I would like to gratefully acknowledge the New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources and its director, Frank Kottlowski, for funds supporting field and laboratory work, and the Sigma Xi organization for additional financial assistance. Dr. James Lee Wilson deserves much credit for comple¬ tion of this thesis. He suggested the study, helped obtain funding, spent time in the field and was involved in all stages of lab work and writing. His support, encouragement and constructive criticism are certainly appreciated. Thanks also go to the other members of my committee, Drs. John B. Anderson and John E. Warme, for their help in the field and for critically reading the thesis. Mr. Ben Donegan, Leonard Resources, Albuquerque, New Mexico, was very helpful in sharing his knowledge of previous work in the area. I benefited from the assistance of and discussions with many students in the field, particularly John Van Wagoner, Dennis Kurtz, Joan Mussler Spaw, Ann Leavesley, Camille Hueni, and Jerry Kennedy. Mr. and Mrs. John Anderson of Roswell, New Mexico, and their daughter, Jenna, made the field season more enjoyable by opening their home to me on numerous occasions. I wish to acknowledge the help of many people at Rice University: Bill Lambert for his ongoing encouragement; Keith Shanley for drafting and other assistance; Ken Hahn for help with photography, for reading the text, and for his invaluable assistance in preparing for the thesis defense; John Van Wagoner, Dennis Kurtz and Roy Adams for many hours discussing the various geologic aspects of the thesis and reading the text; and Mary Bogert for typing and for her constant encouragement. Appreciation is expressed to Mrs. James Lee Wilson for the use of her office and typewriter in preparing the rough copy, and to Charlena Williams for her fast and expert typing of the final copy. Appreciation is extended to Mr. James Bogert, Garland, Texas, for my "home away from home" and to my own parents and family for their financial and moral support during the past three years. And a very special acknowledgment goes to two individuals who have been most important to me these diffi¬ cult past two years; Cane, my field assistant--and my dog— and of course Mary--the little things make all the difference. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION 1 LOCATION 2 REGIONAL MORPHOLOGY 5 STRUCTURAL SETTING 6 Pre-Pennsylvanian 6 Pennsylvanian-Permian 6 Post Permian 9 PENNSYLVANIAN HOLDER FORMATION 10 TOPOGRAPHIC AND TECTONIC CONTROLS ON DEPOSITION OF VIRGILIAN CYCLES 15 Previous Work . 16 Field Data 20 Transport Systems 23 Provenance 24 CHARACTER OF VIRGILIAN CYCLES 29 Cycle 3 32 Cycle 6 37 Cycle 7 53 Cycles 8 and 9 57 SUMMARY 63 DISCUSSION 65 Paleoclimatology 65 Pedernal Uplift 66 Coastal Processes 67 Depositional Setting 68 Clastic Deposition 69 Provenance 71 BIBLIOGRAPHY 76 APPENDIX I 79 APPENDIX II 92 APPENDIX III 109 ILLUSTRATIONS Figure Page 1 Field Area Location 3 2 Field Area 4 3 Pennsylvania Physiography 7 4 Generalized Holder Formation Cycle 11 5 Lower 9 Cycles, Holder Formation 12 6 North Field Area 17 7 South Field Area 18 8 North Field Area Cycle 3 Isopach Map 33 9 South Field Area Cycle 3 Isopach Map 34 10 North Field Area Cycle 3 Clastic Isopach Map 35 11 North Field Area Cycle 6 Isopach Map 38 12 South Field Area Cycle 6 Isopach Map 39 13 North Field Area Cycle 6 Clastic Isopach Map 41 14 South Field Area Cycle 6 Clastic Isopach Map 42 15 South Field Area Cycle 6 Channels 43 16 North Field Area Cycle 6 Size Distribution Map 51 17 South Field Area Cycle 6 Size Distribution Map 52 18 North Field Area Cycle 7 Isopach Map 54 19 South Field Area Cycle 7 Isopach Map 55 20 South Field Area Cycle 7 Clastic Thickness Map 56 21 North Field Area Cycles 8 and 9 Isopach Map 58 22 South Field Area Cycles 8 and 9 Isopach Map 59 23 North Field Area Cycles 8 and 9 Clastic Isopach Map 61 24 Composite Paleotransport Directions—Lower 9 Holder Formation Cycles 64 25 The Origin of Feldspars in Sandstones .... 73 PLATES Plate 1 Virgilian Triticites in limestone clast ... 25 2 Paleozoic shell debris 27 3 Late Paleozoic ramose Bryzoan 27 4 Bliss quartzite 28 5 Virgilian quartzite clast 28 6 Cycle 6 conglomerate cutting into the top of the AR limestone 46 FIELD MAP In Pocket BEEMAN CANYON CROSS SECTION In Pocket DRY CANYON CROSS SECTION In Pocket 1 Introduction The Late Pennsylvanian Holder Formation of the Sacra¬ mento Mountains, south central New Mexico, is composed of clastic and carbonate rocks cyclically deposited on the narrow Sacramento Shelf. The carbonate units of each cycle are shallow, marine deposits, while the terrigenous clastic units range in character from shales to coarse silts and sandstones derived from the Permo-Pennsylvanian Pedernal Uplift to the east and northeast. In places, the terrigenous clastic portion of each cycle contains very coarse-grained conglom¬ erates. The areal distribution of these conglomerates and in particular their occurrence in down-cutting channels, afford significant insight into the Late Pennsylvanian paleoslope and drainage patterns of the Sacramento Shelf as related to local and regional tectonics. In addition, the distribution of the conglomerates and their channels docu¬ ment the direction from which the coarse elastics were de¬ rived. The sedimentologic character of the terrigenous elastics is a key to understanding the processes and environ¬ ment of their deposition. The mineralogy of the conglomerate clasts indicates that they are genetically related to the Paleozoic sediments overlying the Pedernal Uplift to the northeast. 2 Location The Sacramento Mountains, located in south central New Mexico, trend north-south for almost 100 miles (Figure 1). The field area is in the northern part of the mountain range lying almost totally within the Lincoln National Forest, and the majority of work was done along the steep west and south facing escarpments. The field area is roughly separated into northern and southern halves by New Mexico Highway 83 running east-west through Dry Canyon, connecting the city of Alamogordo with the town of Cloudcroft (Figure 2). The topographic map for the field area is the U.S.G.S. 15 minute series, Alamogordo Quadrangle, New Mexico, Otero County. Figure 1 Field Area Location Figure 2 Field Area Boundary fault is shown by hatchered line Biohermal buildup shown by stippling 4 5 Regional Morphology The Sacramento Mountains separate the Great Plains to the east from the Basin and Range topography to the west. The Tularosa Basin lying to the west of the Sacramento Moun¬ tains is a bolson created by Basin and Range tectonics which is filled by Quaternary alluvium, a vast gypsum sand deposit (the White Sands) and basalt flows associated with the rift¬ ing of the Rio Grande trough. The Sacramento Mountains form a steep western escarpment along the north-south trending boundary fault (Figure 2). The mountains rise from 4500 feet in elevation in the basin to over 9000 feet at the crest, 7-13 miles to the east. The gentle (1°) eastern slope of the Sacramento Mountains extends 80 miles to the Pecos River. Four major west-northwest draining canyons cut the field area creating exposures normal to those created by the north trending boundary fault. These canyons are, from north to south, Fresnal Canyon, Dry Canyon, Beeman Canyon, and Indian Wells Canyon (Figure 2). Access roads are severely restrict¬ ed by terrain and essentially all work was done on foot from points accessed from New Mexico Highway 83. 6 Structural Setting Pre-Pennsylvanian Prior to Pennsylvanian time south central New Mexico was characterized by a broad, flat shelf across which a sea entering from the south deposited clastic and carbonate sediments from Cambrian through Mississippian time.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Marine Invertebrate Assemblages from the Late Pennsylvanian (Virgilian) Holder Formation, Dry Canyon, Sacramento Mountains, South-Central New Mexico
    Marine invertebrate assemblages from the Late Pennsylvanian (Virgilian) Holder Formation, Dry Canyon, Sacramento Mountains, south-central New Mexico Barry S. Kues, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, MSC03 2040, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001 Abstract Retispira–Polidevcia assemblage suggest Introduction abnormal marine conditions. The taxonomic The Holder Formation along Dry Canyon composition and relative abundances of taxa The Holder Formation, which crops out consists of a cyclic succession of Virgilian in this assemblage are unique in the Penn- along the western slopes of the Sacramen- marine siliciclastics, marine carbonates, and sylvanian of New Mexico and possibly of to Mountains, is one of the most intensive- nonmarine siliciclastics, including a large North America. The second assemblage, ly studied Pennsylvanian sedimentary basal algal bioherm complex, deposited on a from a transgressive interval of interbedded units in New Mexico. The formation was narrow shelf just west of the shoreline of the dark-gray shale and thin limestone 15–20 m Pedernal land mass. Holder marine inverte- (49–66 ft) above the first assemblage, consists named by Pray (1961) for essentially the brates have been little studied; here two of 100+ species from a wide assortment of Virgilian part of Thompson’s (1942) type quite different middle Virgilian assemblages marine groups, including gastropods (40+ Fresnal Group; the cyclic nature of Holder from an 80-m-thick (262-ft-thick) section species), brachiopods (24 species), bivalves strata was recognized by Cline (1959) and along US–82 are discussed. The first assem- (18 species), scaphopods, nautiloids, has been studied and related to correlative blage, from a 1-m-thick (3-ft-thick) dark-gray ammonoids, fusulinids, sponges, rugose basinal strata to the west (e.g., Wilson calcareous mudstone within a regressive corals, bryozoans, crinoids, echinoids, trilo- 1967); and its facies architecture and interval approximately 50 m (164 ft) above bites, ostracods, and fish teeth.
    [Show full text]
  • West Texas Geological Society Publications and Contents Purchase from West Texas Geological Society
    West Texas Geological Society Publications and Contents Purchase from West Texas Geological Society: http://www.wtgs.org/ 77-68 Geology of the Sacramento Mountains Otero County, New Mexico Regional Distribution of Phylloid Algal Mounds in Late Pennsylvanian and Wolfcampian Strata of Southern New Mexico James Lee Wilson Growth History of a Late Pennsylvanian Phylloid Algal Organic Buildup, Northern Sacramento Mains, New Mexico D.F. Toomey, J.L. Wilson, R. Rezak Paleoecological Evidence on the Origin of the Dry Canyon Pennsylvanian Bioherms James M. Parks Biohermal Submarine Cements, Laborcita Formation (Permian), Northern Sacramento Mountains, New Mexico John M. Cys and S.J. Mazzullo Carbonate and Siliciclastic Facies of the Gobbler Formation John C. Van Wagoner The Rancheria Formation: Mississippian Intracratonic Basinal Limestones Donald A. Yurewicz Stratigraphic and Structural Features of the Sacramento Mountain Escarpment, New Mexico Lloyd C. Pray Conglomeratic Lithofacies of the Laborcita and Abo Formations ( Wolfcampian), North Central Sacramento Mountains: Sedimentology and Tectonic Importance David J. Delgado Paleocaliche Textures from Wolfcampian Strata of the Sacramento Mountains, New Mexico David J. Delgado Introduction to Road Logs Lloyd C. Pray Alamogordo to Alamo Canyon and the Western Sacramento Mountains Escarpment Field Guide and Road Log “A” Lloyd C. Pray Supplemental Field Guide to Southernmost Sacramento Mountains Escarpment – Agua Chiquita and Nigger Ed Canyons Lloyd C. Pray Alamogordo to Indian Wells Reentrant Field Guide and Road Log “B” Lloyd C. Pray Guide Locality B-1-West End of Horse Ridge John C. Van Wagoner 1 Field Guide and Road Log “C” Lloyd C. Pray Plate Shaped Calcareous Algae in Late Paleozoic Rocks of Midcontinent (abstract): James M.
    [Show full text]
  • Regressive Limestone” (Bethany Falls Limestone), Midcontinent, Usa
    HIGH FREQUENCY SEQUENCE STRATIGRAPHIC CONTROLS ON STRATAL ARCHITECTURE OF AN UPPER PENNSYLVANIAN “REGRESSIVE LIMESTONE” (BETHANY FALLS LIMESTONE), MIDCONTINENT, USA By GRAHAM J. BUTLER, B.S. A THESIS IN GEOSCIENCES Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Texas Tech University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE Approved Dr. Peter Holterhoff Chairperson of the Committee Dr. James E. Barrick Dr. George Asquith Dr. Peggy Gordon Miller Interim Dean of the Graduate School December, 2010 Copyright 2010, Graham James Butler All Rights Reserved Texas Tech University, Graham Butler, December 2010 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank Dr. Peter Holterhoff, Dr. Jim Barrick, and Dr. George Asquith for standing on my committee and for being not only mentors but friends. Special thanks are due to Dr. Steven Rosscoe for sacrificing many of his valuable weekends to share his expertise on Mid-Pennsylvanian conodonts. To the Texas Tech Geosciences Department I would like to thank everyone for their assistance and specifically James Browning for his cutting of thin sections. Lastly, I would like to thank my friends, family, and fiancée for their endless support and assistance in every way possible. Without you all, it may never have been finished. ii Texas Tech University, Graham Butler, December 2010 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT vi LIST OF TABLES viii LIST OF FIGURES ix CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION 1 II. BACKGROUND INFORMATION 4 2.1 The Cyclothem Model 4 2.2 Sequence Stratigraphy 8 2.2.1 The Falling Stage Systems Tract 12 2.2.2 Clarification of Common FSST Terms 15 2.3 Sequence Stratigraphy vs.
    [Show full text]
  • Intense Drilling in the Carboniferous Brachiopod Cardiarina Cordata Cooper, 1956
    Intense drilling in the Carboniferous brachiopod Cardiarina cordata Cooper, 1956 ALAN P. HOFFMEISTER, MICHAs KOWALEWSKI, RICHARD K. BAMBACH AND TOMASZ K. BAUMILLER Hoffmeister, A.P., Kowalewski, M., Bambach, R.K. & Baumiller, T.K. 2003 06 12: In- tense drilling in the Carboniferous brachiopod Cardiarina cordata Cooper, 1956. Lethaia, Vol. 36, pp. 107±118. Oslo. ISSN 0024-1164. The brachiopod Cardiarina cordata, collected from a Late Pennsylvanian (Virgilian) limestone unit in Grapevine Canyon (Sacramento Mts., New Mexico), reveals frequent drillings: 32.7% (n = 400) of these small, invariably articulated specimens (<2 mm size) display small (<0.2 mm), round often beveled holes that are typically single and pene- trate one valve of an articulated shell. The observed drilling frequency is comparable with frequencies observed in the Late Mesozoic and Cenozoic. The drilling organism displayed high valve and site selectivity, although the exact nature of the biotic interac- tion recorded by drill holes (parasitism vs. predation) cannot be established. In addi- tion, prey/host size may have been an important factor in the selection of prey/host taxa by the predator/parasite. These results suggest that drilling interactions occasion- ally occurred at high (Cenozoic-like) frequencies in the Paleozoic. However, such anomalously high frequencies may have been restricted to small prey/host with small drill holes. Small drillings in C. cordata, and other Paleozoic brachiopods, may record a different guild of predators/parasites than the larger, but less common, drill holes pre- viously documented for Paleozoic brachiopods, echinoderms, and mollusks. & Brachio- pod, Carboniferous, drilling, parasitism, predation. A.P. Hoffmeister [[email protected]], Department of Geological Sciences, Indiana University, 1001 E.
    [Show full text]
  • Brenda L. Kirkland Department of Geosciences Mississippi State
    9/29/15 Brenda L. Kirkland Department of Geosciences (662) 268-1032 ext. 228 (dept.) Mississippi State University (662) 341-8998 (cell) Mississippi State, MS 39762 [email protected] Education Louisiana State University Ph.D. Geology (Botany minor) 1992 Texas A&M University M.S. Geology 1986 Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität 1982-83 Course work in geology 1983 (Munich, Germany) The University of Texas at Austin B.S. Geology (Botany minor) 1982 B.A. German (Spanish minor) 1980 Significant Accomplishments • Published 34 papers (26 peer-reviewed), 3 guidebooks, and 3 books • Awarded $5,210,766 in grants • Supervised 28 Master’s and 6 Ph.D. candidates • Developed and taught 21 different courses for classroom, field, and on-line Professional Experience Associate Professor, Mississippi State University, 2010-Present On campus courses taught: • Geomorphology (Fall 2015) • Geowriting (Fall 2010, 2011) • Honors Seminar: Food Security (Spring 2014) • Introduction to Environmental Geology (Spring 2010, 2011, 2012) • Introduction to Earth Science I (Physical Geology) (Fall 2011, Maymester 2013, 2014, 2015) • Introduction to Earth Science II (Historical Geology) (Fall 2014) • Mineralogy (Fall 2012) • Philosophy and Ethics (Spring 2016) • Sedimentology I (Spring 2011, 2013, Fall 2015) • Structural Geology (Spring 2010, 2012, 2013, 2914, 2015, 2016) • Special Topic in Geology: Carbonate Petrology (Spring 2011, Fall 2014) • Special Topic in Geology: Participation in Research (Maymester 2010, 2011, 2012) • Special Topic in Geology: Imperial Barrel Competition
    [Show full text]
  • Index to the Geologic Names of North America
    Index to the Geologic Names of North America GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1056-B Index to the Geologic Names of North America By DRUID WILSON, GRACE C. KEROHER, and BLANCHE E. HANSEN GEOLOGIC NAMES OF NORTH AMERICA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 10S6-B Geologic names arranged by age and by area containing type locality. Includes names in Greenland, the West Indies, the Pacific Island possessions of the United States, and the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1959 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR FRED A. SEATON, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Thomas B. Nolan, Director For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington 25, D.G. - Price 60 cents (paper cover) CONTENTS Page Major stratigraphic and time divisions in use by the U.S. Geological Survey._ iv Introduction______________________________________ 407 Acknowledgments. _--__ _______ _________________________________ 410 Bibliography________________________________________________ 410 Symbols___________________________________ 413 Geologic time and time-stratigraphic (time-rock) units________________ 415 Time terms of nongeographic origin_______________________-______ 415 Cenozoic_________________________________________________ 415 Pleistocene (glacial)______________________________________ 415 Cenozoic (marine)_______________________________________ 418 Eastern North America_______________________________ 418 Western North America__-__-_____----------__-----____ 419 Cenozoic (continental)___________________________________
    [Show full text]
  • Bibliography of New Mexico Invertebrate Paleontology Barry S
    University of New Mexico UNM Digital Repository Earth and Planetary Sciences Faculty and Staff Scholarly Communication - Departments Publications 8-2-2005 Bibliography of New Mexico Invertebrate Paleontology Barry S. Kues Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/eps_fsp Recommended Citation Kues, Barry S.. "Bibliography of New Mexico Invertebrate Paleontology." (2005). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/eps_fsp/4 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Scholarly Communication - Departments at UNM Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Earth and Planetary Sciences Faculty and Staff ubP lications by an authorized administrator of UNM Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. BIBLIOGRAPHY OF NEW MEXICO INVERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY Barry S. Kues Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, MSC03 2040, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001; [email protected] Introduction New Mexico has a rich record of invertebrate fossils, which have been reported in publications since 1848. Several thousand species have been documented from the state, and they represent each of the geologic periods from Cambrian to Neogene. The literature on the invertebrate paleontology of New Mexico is vast. Reference to much of this literature through 1979 was brought together by Kues and Northrop (1981) in a bibliography that included vertebrate and plant as well as invertebrate fossil groups reported in the state. A separate bibliography on vertebrate paleontology was published by Kues and Lucas in 1993, and this has been recently updated by Lewis et al. Much work on New Mexico invertebrate paleontology has been published since 1979, especially by paleontologists associated with the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science (which opened in the mid-1980s), the University of New Mexico, and the U.
    [Show full text]
  • Geology of the Bear Peak Area Dona Ana County New Mexico
    Geology of the Bear Peak Area Dona Ana County New Mexico GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1271-C Geology of the Bear Peak Area Dona Ana County New Mexico By GEORGE O. BACHMAN and DONALD A. MYERS CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1271-C A study of the southern part of the San Andres Mountains, with emphasis on Paleozoic stratigraphy UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1969 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR WALTER J. HIGKEL, 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- __ _____________________________________________________ Cl Introduction._____________________________________________________ 1 Precambrian rocks.-_______________________________________________ 3 Paleozoic rocks.___________________________________________________ 4 Cambrian and Ordovician Systems Bliss Sandstone..---------.--- 4 Ordovician System___________________________________________ 6 El Paso Formation._______________________________________ 6 Montoya Dolomite._______________________________________ 10 Silurian System Fusselman Dolomite.__________________________ 13 Devonian System____________________________________________ 14 Mississippian System._________________________________________ 16 Caballero Formation of Laudon and Bowsher (1941)___________ 16 Lake Valley Limestone.____________________________________ 17 Rancheria Formation of Laudon and Bowsher (1941)__________ 21 Pennsylvanian
    [Show full text]
  • Distinctions Between Reefs and Bioherms
    Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses Graduate School 1992 Distinctions Between Reefs and Bioherms Based on Studies of Fossil Algae: Mizzia, Permian Capitan Reef Complex (Guadalupe Mountains, Texas and New Mexico) and Eugonophyllum, Pennsylvanian Holder Formation (Sacramento Mountains, New Mexico). Brenda Kirkland George Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses Recommended Citation George, Brenda Kirkland, "Distinctions Between Reefs and Bioherms Based on Studies of Fossil Algae: Mizzia, Permian Capitan Reef Complex (Guadalupe Mountains, Texas and New Mexico) and Eugonophyllum, Pennsylvanian Holder Formation (Sacramento Mountains, New Mexico)." (1992). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 5306. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/5306 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted.
    [Show full text]
  • Middle Permian (Late Guadalupian) Back-Reef Carbonate of Panther Canyon, Apache Mountains, Trans-Pecos Texas
    MIDDLE PERMIAN (LATE GUADALUPIAN) BACK-REEF CARBONATE OF PANTHER CANYON, APACHE MOUNTAINS, TRANS-PECOS TEXAS by JOSHUA C. MOORE 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 ENVIRONMENTAL AND EARTH SCIENCES THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT ARLINGTON MAY 2018 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Many thanks to my advisors Merlynd Nestell, Galina Nestell, and John Wickham for the opportunity to learn and work under their supervision and with their guidance during the duration of this project. Special thanks to the Jobe family for their hospitality allowing access to their private property and for permission to use their wonderful facilities during field work. I am also grateful for my friends and field partners Michael Loveland, Rene St. Julien, and Ryan Collins. Sincerest gratitude to the geologists and paleontologists, past and present, who have aimed their research goals to understanding the geologic history of the Delaware Basin system. They paved the way. Words cannot express how thankful I am to my wife Katy Moore for her patience and support during this project and of all my endeavors. And finally, thank you to my son Jack Moore for always making me laugh. March 8, 2018 ii DEDICATION I dedicate this master thesis to my patient and loving wife, Katy Moore. iii ABSTRACT In the Apache Mountains of West Texas, Middle Permian (Guadalupian) strata a portion of the Delaware Basin part of the Capitan Reef is well exposed in many canyons that cut through the northern escarpment in the eastern part of the mountains.
    [Show full text]
  • Cumulative Bibliography and Index: the Mountain Geologist 1964-2010
    Cumulative Bibliography and Index to The Mountain Geologist, 1964 through 2010 By Michele G. Bishop The Mountain Geologist was first published in 1964 by the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists. This Cumulative Bibliography and Index records the entire publication history from 1964 through 2010. Contents Part I Author Index ……………………………………………………page 2 Part II Geographical Index……….…………..……………………….page 66 Part III Topical Index……………………………….…………………page 80 The first cumulative bibliography for The Mountain Geologist was prepared by John W. Oty and published in the January 1975 issue. It covered Volumes 1 to 11 (1964-1974) and was largely geographic in its categorization of papers. In 1992 Stephen D. Schwochow published a cumulative bibliography and index of The Mountain Geologist for the years 1975 through 1991 (see The Mountain Geologist, v. 29, no. 4, pages 101-130). He then published yearly indices from 1992 through 1995 in The Mountain Geologist. In 1999, Mary P. (Penny) Frush assembled and published these indices and added the additional years with guidance from the format that Stephen Schwochow outlined (see The Mountain Geologist, v. 36, no. 1, p. 1-56). The Cumulative Bibliography and Index was brought up to date in 2001, again in 2010 and now in 2011, by Michele G. Bishop. Many additional people have given guidance or proofed various updates and their time and ideas are very much appreciated. The 2010 update version was reviewed by Ira Pasternack, Mark Longman, Joy Rosen-Mioduchowski, Jeanette Dubois, and Kristine Peterson. Hardcopies of some issues of The Mountain Geologist are available for sale from the RMAG website <www.rmag.org/publications/index.asp>.
    [Show full text]
  • Geology of the Sacramento Mountains Escarpment, Otero County, New Mexico
    GEOLOGY OF THE SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS ESCARPMENT, OTERO COUNTY, NEW MEXICO BULLETIN 35 Geology of the Sacramento Mountains Escarpment, Otero County, New Mexico by LLOYD C. PRAY 1 9 6 1 STATE BUREAU OF MINES AND MINERAL RESOURCES NEW MEXICO INSTITUTE OF MINING & TECHNOLOGY CAMPUS STATION SOCORRO, NEW MEXICO NEW MEXICO INSTITUTE OF MINING & TECHNOLOGY Laurence H. Lattman, President NEW MEXICO BUREAU OF MINES & MINERAL RESOURCES Frank E. Kottlowski, Director George S. Austin, Deputy Director BOARD OF REGENTS Ex Officio Toney Anaya, Governor of New Mexico Leonard DeLayo, Superintendent of Public Instruction Appointed Judy Floyd, President, 1977-1987, Las Cruces William G. Abbott, Secretary-Treasurer, 1961-1985, Hobbs Donald W. Morris, 1983-1989, Los Alamos Robert Lee Sanchez, 1983-1989, Albuquerque Steve Torres, 1967-1985, Socorro Published by Authority of State of New Mexico, NMSA 1953 Sec. 63-1-4 Printed by University of New Mexico Printing Plant, February, 1984 Available from New Mexico Bureau of Mines & Mineral Resources, Socorro, NM 87801 Ab str act The Sacramento Mountains constitute a sharply asymmetrical cuesta at the eastern edge of the Basin and Range province in south-central New Mexico. The escarpment rises abruptly for more than a mile above the desert plains of the Tularosa Basin. From the crest, near 10,000 feet, the surface slopes gently to the Pecos River, 100 miles to the east and 6,000 feet lower. The rugged west-facing escarpment has been carved in an uplifted fault block composed largely of sedimentary rocks having an aggregate thickness of about 8,000 feet. Tertiary sills and dikes of intermediate composition are of local importance.
    [Show full text]