Sedimentology of the Tesuque Formation and Tectonics of the Embudo Fault System Near Dixon, New Mexico S
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New Mexico Geological Society Downloaded from: http://nmgs.nmt.edu/publications/guidebooks/55 Sedimentology of the Tesuque Formation and tectonics of the Embudo fault system Near Dixon, New Mexico S. B. Aby and D. J. Koning, 2004, pp. 351-358 in: Geology of the Taos Region, Brister, Brian; Bauer, Paul W.; Read, Adam S.; Lueth, Virgil W.; [eds.], New Mexico Geological Society 55th Annual Fall Field Conference Guidebook, 440 p. This is one of many related papers that were included in the 2004 NMGS Fall Field Conference Guidebook. Annual NMGS Fall Field Conference Guidebooks Every fall since 1950, the New Mexico Geological Society (NMGS) has held an annual Fall Field Conference that explores some region of New Mexico (or surrounding states). Always well attended, these conferences provide a guidebook to participants. Besides detailed road logs, the guidebooks contain many well written, edited, and peer-reviewed geoscience papers. 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No material from the NMGS website, or printed and electronic publications, may be reprinted or redistributed without NMGS permission. Contact us for permission to reprint portions of any of our publications. One printed copy of any materials from the NMGS website or our print and electronic publications may be made for individual use without our permission. Teachers and students may make unlimited copies for educational use. Any other use of these materials requires explicit permission. This page is intentionally left blank to maintain order of facing pages. New Mexico Geological Society Guidebook, 55th Field Conference, Geology of the Taos Region, 2004, p. 351-358. 351 SEDIMENTOLOGY OF THE TESUQUE FORMATION AND TECTONICS OF THE EMBUDO FAULT SYSTEM NEAR DIXON, NEW MEXICO. 1 2 SCOTT B. ABY AND DANIEL J. KONING 1Muddy Spring Geology, Box 488 Dixon, NM 87527, (505)689 2641 [email protected] 2New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, 801 Leroy Place, Socorro , New Mexico 87567 ABSTRACT.—The northeastern part of the Velarde 7.5-minute quadrangle, in the Dixon area, is underlain by Tertiary strata of the Tesuque Formation and an isolated outcrop of Proterozoic metasedimentary rocks of the Hondo and/or Vadito Groups. Faults associated with the transfer zone between the San Luis and Española Basins of the Rio Grande rift traverse the map area from southwest to northeast. We use the term Embudo fault system to refer to this zone of deformation and have assigned informal names to individual faults and fault zones within this system. In this area, the Embudo fault system is a ~5-km-wide zone of normal, oblique-normal, and local reverse faults. The Chama-El Rito Member (~12.5-17.5 Ma), the informally defined (Steinpress, 1980) Dixon member (~11.8-13 Ma), the Ojo Caliente Sandstone Member (~11.5-13 Ma), and the Cejita Member (~7.5-10 Ma) of the Tesuque Formation are present. No radiometric ages have been obtained from within the map area and estimates listed above are a combination of estimates based on fossil evidence and regional stratigraphic relations. We provi- sionally designate mixed eolian, fluvially-reworked eolian and fluvial deposits lying above the Ojo Caliente Sandtone Member as the ‘Cieneguilla member’ of Leininger (1982). Pliocene basalt of the Servilleta Formation (~3.39(?) –2.81 Ma near Rinco- nada) caps La Mesita and mesas north of the Rio Grande. Quaternary landslides are ubiquitous north of the Rio Grande and on the flanks of La Mesita. Proterozoic-Pliocene units are offset along numerous faults within the Embudo fault system. Offset is mostly normal left-lateral and dominantly down–to-the-northwest although outcrop patterns suggest a complex history of deformation including tilting, extension, localized(?) compression, and shear. Compression in this area is most likely related to a restraining bend in the southeastern margin of the fault system. Tertiary unit contacts are laterally offset between ~1 and 2.75 km within and across a zone of intense deformation ~.5 km wide that makes up the southeastern margin of the fault system. Vertical-offset measurements within/across this zone cannot be made with confidence due to interfingering relations between Tertiary units and the complications arising from left-lateral offset. Pliocene basalt flows are offset 60-70 m vertically and pos- sibly up to 460 m laterally across the La Mesita fault. Tertiary units generally dip toward the southwest. This tilting preceded or accompanied offset within the Embudo fault system and much of it probably occurred between deposition of the Dixon and Ojo Caliente members and deposition of the Cejita Member, although some post-Cejita tilting is also apparent. Paleocurrent measurements and clast counts largely confirm earlier interpretations that: 1) The Chama-El Rito Member was derived largely from the Latir volcanic field with input from Proterozoic and Paleozoic rocks near Taos and at least episodic input from the the Picuris Mountains. 2) The Dixon member and the younger Cejita Member were derived largely from Paleozoic rocks to the east and southeast with input from older Tertiary and Proterozoic units. 3) The Ojo Caliente Sandstone is an eolian unit transported from the southwest. 4) The Cieneguilla member represents primary eolian deposits interbedded with reworked Ojo Caliente sand and sediment derived from older Tertiary units, Proterozoic rocks of the Picuris Mountains and probably the southern Taos Range. INTRODUCTION disturbed by Quaternary landslides along the entire length of the Rio Grande and on the flanks of La Mesita. Quaternary deposits Recent STATEMAP mapping of the Velarde 7.5-minute quad- include those related to these landslides and terrace gravels that rangle adds insight into the Tertiary sedimentary history of the are largely restricted to the Embudo River valley. area, and helps to refine tectonic relations within the northeast- Steinpress (1980, 1981) provided the first detailed stratigraphic trending transfer zone (following usage of Faulds and Vargas, and tectonic study of the area. This report builds on his study and 1998) that relays extensional strain between the primarily down- attempts to refine tectonic interpretations and suggest possible to–the-west Española Basin to the southeast and the primarily controls on sedimentation. down-to the-east San Luis Basin to the northwest. This transfer zone is defined by a zone of faulting which has been interpreted TERTIARY SEDIMENTS OF THE TESUQUE as an intracontinental transform fault (Muehlberger, 1979). We FORMATION refer to this zone of faulting as the Embudo fault system and have assigned informal names to individual faults and one fault zone Chama-El Rito Member of the Tesuque Formation (Fig.1). This paper focuses on the northeastern part of the Velarde Volcaniclastic sediments north of the Embudo River and quadrangle (Fig.1, Plate 11). The Rio Grande follows the Embudo within the Embudo fault system have been mapped by Steinpress fault system from northeast to southwest across this area and (1980) as the Chama-El Rito Member of the Tesuque Formation. has incised to form a deep gorge. With the exception of a small This designation is retained here although lithologically similar (1-2 square kilometer) outcrop of Proterozoic metasedimentary beds have been assigned to the Picuris Formation to the northeast rocks exposed between the towns of Dixon and Embudo, Tertiary (Rehder, 1986), and the type section of the Chama-El Rito Member sedimentary units of the Tesuque Formation (Galusha and Blick, (Galusha and Blick, 1971) is dominated by quartz-rich silty sand 1971) underlie the entire area. These sedimentary units are par- with only subordinate volcaniclastic conglomerate. Galusha and tially covered by Pliocene basalt flows of the Servilleta Forma- Blick (1971) also show both Chama-El Rito Member and ‘Picuris tion, (2.81-3.39(?) Ma near Rinconada; Appelt, 1998), and are Tuff’ on a poorly located cross section of the Dixon area (Galusha 352 ABY AND KONING 105˚57.5' 0 5 km 105˚52.5' Tsb Tto Tsb 02 N 02? Tto ? 11 06 Tto Tto 45 ? Ttc 45 ?05 onada Tto Rinc Embudo Tto 69 59 12 24 39 08 Rio Grande 41 54 18 Ttc 58 12 22 Ttd 24 40 35 e on Ttch z 23 Embudo 12 on fault Creek Ttch Dix Dixon La Mesita 21 Ttch 08 Tsb Mesita fault 49 La 08 09 14 Ttd 05 15 09 08 07 08 07 Ttce Tto 12 09 09 21 72 08 10 15 08 05 11 Ttd t Tto 20 Ocole 05 07 Ttc Arroyo aul 09 Tto Cañada de las e F d 05 03 r 08 Tto la 09 84 14 15 Ve 03 12 15 10 E 09 ntr 23 Tto Ttce 13 13 añas 05 Ttce Mesa de la Cejita Ttce 36˚10' EXPLANATION Quaternary Proterozoic Valley floor alluvium (high-level Hondo and/or Vadito Groups Landslide -- Shade beneath stipple pattern Structure: 05