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Middle to Late Tertiary Geology of the Cedar Hills-Selden Hills Area, Dona

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Middle to Late Tertiary Geology of the Cedar Hills-Selden Hills Area, Dona Circular 133 1975 MIDDLE TO LATE TERTIARY GEOLOGY OF CEDAR HILLS-SELDEN HILLS AREA, NEW MEXICO by William R. Seager and Russell E. Clemons New Mexico Bureau of Mines & Mineral Resources A DIVISION OF NEW MEXICO INSTITUTE OF MINING & TECHNOLOGY Circular 133 New Mexico Bureau of Mines & Mineral Resources A DIVISION OF NEW MEXICO INSTITUTE OF MINING & TECHNOLOGY Middle to Late Tertiary Geology of Cedar Hills-Selden Hills Area, New Mexico by William R. Seager and Russell E. Clemons SOCORRO 1975 11 NEW MEXICO INSTITUTE OF MINING & TECHNOLOGY KENNETH W. FORD, President NEW MEXICO BUREAU OF MINES & MINERAL RESOURCES FRANK E. KOTTLOWSKI, Director BOARD OF REGENTS Ex Officio Jerry Apodaca, Governor of New Mexico Leonard DeLayo, Superintendent of Public Instruction A p p o i n t e d William G. Abbott, President, 1961-1979, Hobbs John M. Kelly, 1975-1981, Roswell Dave Rice, 1972-1977, Carlsbad Steve Torres, 1967-1979, Socorro James R. Woods, 1971-1977, Socorro BUREAU STAFF Full Time WILLIAM E. ARNOLD, Scientific Illustrator CANDACE H. MERILLAT, Editorial Secretary GEORGE S. AUSTIN, Indust. Minerals Geologist LESLIE S. Morr, Clerk-typist ROBERT A. BIEBERMAN, Senior Petrol. Geologist NEILA M. PEARSON, Draftswoman LYNN A. BRANDVOLD, Chemist MARSHALL A. REITER, Geophysicist CORALE BRIERLEY, Chemical Microbiologist JACQUES R. RENAULT, Geologist JUDY BURLBAW, Editorial Assistant JAMES M. ROBERTSON, Mining Geologist CHARLES E. CHAPIN, Geologist RONALD J. ROMAN, Chief Research Metallurgist RICHARD R. CHAVEZ, Technician ROBERT SHANTZ, Metallurgist RUBEN A. CRESPIN, Technician JACKIE H. SMITH, Laboratory Assistant LOIS M. DEVLIN, Office Manager WILLIAM J. STONE, Hydrogeologist JO DRAKE, Administrative Ass't. & Sec'y. DAVID E. TABET, Ass't. Field Geologist ROUSSEAU H. FLOWER, Senior Paleontologist JOSEPH E. TAGGART, JR., Assoc. Mineralogist ROY W. FOSTER, Senior Petrol. Geologist SAMUEL THOMPSON III, Petroleum Geologist JOHN W. HAWLEY, Geologist ROBERT H. WEBER, Senior Geologist ROBERT W. KELLEY, Editor & Geologist SHIRLEY WHYTE, Stenographer NORMA J. MEEKS, Clerk-Typist MICHAEL W. WOOLDRIDGE, Scientific Illustrator Part Time CHRISTINA L. BALK, Geologist JUDY PERALTA, Secretary CHARLES B. HUNT, Environmental Geologist JOHN REICHE, Instrument Manager JACK B. PEARCE, Director, Information Services ALLAN R. SANFORD, Geophysicist Graduate Students DANIEL R. BROWN DAVID L. HAYSLIP CHARLES SHEARER RICHARD M. STEPHEN C. HOOK TERRY SIEMERS CHAMBERLIN JOSEPH JOSEPH IOVINITTI WILLIAM WILKINSON ROGER LEONARD DAUCHY C. L. EDWARDS Plus more than 35 undergraduate assistants First printing, 1975 Published by Authority of State of New Mexico, NMSA 1953 Sec. 63-1-4 Printed by University of New Mexico Printing Plant, September, 1975 Available from New Mexico Bureau of Mines & Mineral Resources, Socorro, NM 87801 Price $5.00 111 Preface Our investigation of the geology of the Cedar Hills-Selden Hills area had three objectives. The first was to interpret the geology of the Oligocene-Miocene Cedar Hills vent zone. A variety of volcanic and subvolcanic features in various stages of erosion are well exposed. These include rhyolite domes, cinder and tuff cones, probable ignimbrite dikes, collapsed areas, and a possible diatreme—all formed along the eastern border of a broad volcano-tectonic depression. The internal structure of these features, their relationship to surface flows, and the magmatic evolution depicted can be interpreted from structural, stratigraphic, and chemical relationships. These features may be of value in recognizing similar vent zones in other ancient volcanic complexes in the Southwest or elsewhere. The second objective was to point out evidence (from the vent zone area) that helps in dating the beginning of Rio Grande rifting in southern New Mexico. We suggest that certain middle Oligocene volcano-tectonic features were precursors of the rift, and will discuss the possibility that the change from Oligocene volcanism to late Tertiary rifting was entirely transitional, culminating in active block faulting during the Miocene, and especially the Pliocene. These data will relate importantly to timing of rifting in models of Tertiary plate tectonics of the western United States. The third objective was to summarize evidence (from the Cedar Hills-Selden Hills and adjacent areas) relating to evolution of the Rio Grande rift during t he Miocene-Pliocene. This phase involves interpretation of Santa Fe strata and their relation to paleobasins and paleouplifts, as well as to modern uplifts and basins of the rift zone. The importance of this area in terms of Tertiary tectonics was recognized following detailed mapping of several 7 1/2- and 15-minute quadrangles from 1967 to 1974; most of that work is published, in press or in open-file (Seager, Hawley and Clemons, 1971; Clemons and Seager, 1973; Seager and Clemons, 1975; Seager, Clemons and Hawley, in press; Seager, in press; Clemons, in press; and Kottlowski, Seager and Hawley, in preparation). These reports are part of a broader project involving systematic mapping from Hatch to Las Cruces (fig. 1, following page). The New Mexico Bureau of Mines & Mineral Resources supported our mapping efforts between Las Cruces and Hatch. The Bureau also provided numerous thin sections, K-Ar dates, and chemical analyses. We particularly wish to thank Frank E. Kottlowski, Director of the Bureau for his interest and help in the project. Special thanks are due John W. Hawley of the Soil Conservation Service, and C. E. Chapin of the Bureau for valued counsel on late Tertiary geology. We also thank 0. W. Preece of Radium Springs for allowing access to his mining claims in the Cedar Hills. The illustration on cover is by Neila Pearson after a sketch done by C. B. Hunt. William R. Seager Russell E. Clemons Las Cruces, NM 88001 Department of Earth Sciences January, 1975 New Mexico State University iv Contents A B S T R A C T 7 INTRODUCTION 7 TECTONIC SETTING 7 CEDAR HILLS VENT ZONE 9 GENERAL 9 PRE-OLIGOCENE ROCKS 9 BELL TOP FORMATION 9 Basalt Member 9 Lower Tuff and Breccia 11 Tuff 3 12 Upper Tuff, Breccia, and Andesite 12 Flow-banded Rhyolite and Rhyolite Porphyry 12 Bell Top Rocks Younger Than Vent Zone 13 STRUCTURAL FEATURES 13 Intrusive Tuff 3 13 Diatreme at Porcupine Tank 14 Collapsed Area at Foster Canyon 14 Rhyolite Domes 14 Oligocene (?) Faults 15 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 15 ANDESITE INTRUSIONS OF FAULKNER CANYON 16 RIO GRANDE RIFT 16 UVAS BASALTIC ANDESITE 16 SANTA FE GROUP 17 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 18 REFERENCES CITED 20 APPENDIX A—Petrographic Summaries 21 APPENDIX B—Cedar Hills Section 22 FIGURES 1—Progress map iv 2—Index map vi 3—Structure map 8 4—Cross section of Cedar Hills vent zone area 9 5—Stratigraphic section near Foster Canyon 11 6—Distribution and thickness of ash-flow tuff 3 12 7—Diagrammatic section of Bell Top vents 13 8—View of rhyolite dome, Dark Mountain 14 9—View of rhyolite dome, south of Foster Canyon 14 10—Structure map and section, rhyolite dome 15 11—View of Broad Canyon area 16 12—View of Coyote Canyon fanglomerate member 16 13—Early to middle Miocene intrarift basin 17 14—Late Miocene-early Pliocene intrarift basins 19 TABLES 1—Rocks in Cedar Hills-Selden Hills area 10 2—Chemical analyses of Tertiary rocks 11 REAR POCKET Tectonic map Cross sections vi 7 Abstract Rocks in the Cedar Hills and Selden Hills provide an The transition into active faulting within the Rio excellent record of 1) Oligocene volcanism in the Cedar Grande rift is marked by outpouring of Uvas Basaltic Hills vent zone, 2) the timing of initial rifting in the Rio Andesite (26 m.y.). Initial rifting is indicated by erup- Grande rift, and 3) the Miocene-Pliocene evolution of tion of basaltic andesite from a cinder cone constructed the rift. Volcanic activity in the Cedar Hills vent zone across the Cedar Hills fault, one of the large, through- about 35 m.y. ago was concentrated along a north- going rift faults of the region. The interfingering of trending zone at least 20 miles long and as much as 4 basaltic andesite flows with fanglomerate derived from miles wide. Initial rhyolitic tephra eruptions were the uplifted block suggests rifting was in progress at closely followed by emplacement of an ash-flow tuff least 26 m.y. ago. sheet from fissures within the vent zone, and by the Late Tertiary evolution of the rift is characterized by formation of tuff cones, diatremes, and collapsed areas. the development of deep, broad downwarps in Miocene Volcanic activity in the zone was climaxed by the time that were filled with bolson deposits, and then intrusion of at least 21 flow-banded rhyolite intrusions. segmented into smaller intrabasin uplifts and grabens in The vent zone, together with other north-trending Pliocene time. Many of the uplifts of the region appear Oligocene faults and basins, all generally parallel to the to have formed initially in Pliocene time, while others Rio Grande rift, suggest that these features may be originated as early as earliest Miocene or latest Oligo- precursors of the rift. cene. Introduction The Cedar Hills vent zone is located within the Cedar quadrangles, and Sierra Alta 7 1/2-minute quadrangle). Hills and the Rough and Ready Hills in west-central Access through the northeastern part of the area is Dona Ana County, New Mexico (fig. 2). The area provided by US-85, which follows the Rio Grande shown on the tectonic map (in pocket) is about 20 miles through Selden Canyon. Jeep trails are scattered northwest of Las Cruces, and encompasses about 100 throughout the Cedar Hills and are accessible from square miles of canyon, badland, and hill country west Faulkner or Selden Canyon. Access north of the Rio of Radium Springs (comprising parts of the Corralitos Grande is limited to a few jeep trails starting at the Ranch, Las Cruces, and San Diego Mountain 15-minute resort in Radium Springs on the east side of the river.
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