DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY GEORGE OTIS SMITH , DIRECTOR B U LLE T I N 389 THE MANZAN O GROUP O F TH E ' RIO GRANDE VALLEY NEW MEXI O , C ILL LEE W IS T . AN D E E G ORG H . GIRTY WA S H I N G T O N G O V E R N M E N T P R I N T I N G O F F I C E 1 9 0 9 CONTENTS. G P B ILLIS T STRATIG RAP IIY O F TH E MAN ZAN O RO U , Y W . n n I troductio . Purpose of report. Preliminary sta tement r Field wo k . Location and charac ter of area Formation names Explanatory sta te ment . Magdalena group . n Sandia formatio . Madera limestone . Manzano group Abo sandstone San Andreas limestone g Stratigraphic rela tions Underlying rocks Subdivision of the Manzano group Overlying rocks i n Generalized sec t o . Descriptive deta ils of sec tions Galisteo Canyon Sandia Mounta in s Mesa del Y eso Alamillo ’ Blackinton s ranch Carthage Fra Cristobal Moun tains Nogal Creek . Engle Elephan t Butte . Caballos Moun tains Extens ion of Manzano group to the northeas t Introductory statements Apache Can yon 4 C ON TEN TS. PA LEO NTO LO GY or TH E MAN ZA N O GRO B E E H r UP, Y G O RG . G m n I troduc tion . Description of spec i es l n Coe e terata " " Echinodermata . Pelec ypoda Scaphopoda Gasteropoda Cephalopoda . Ostracoda Trilobita Registe r of localities ILLUSTRATIONS. r n n M Map of the Rio Grande egio i New exico . °A Caballos Mounta ns B G sum eds in Gal steo Can on , i , yp b i y Columnar sec tions showing relations of the Manzano group to neigh boring formations M B l P F l M ins A esa del Y eso Sad e ea ra Cr stoba Ounta . , ; , d k , i A W estern ace of Fra. Cristo al Mounta ns B Fault lane at the , f b i , p western base of Fra. Cristobal Mountains 26 Fossils of the Manzano group 124—1 36 Partial sec tion of sedimentary roc ks exposed in Galisteo Canyon west of Cerrillos ec on o a ar of h a h nort end of the Sand a 2 . S ti f p t t e beds exposed t t e h i Mounta ns near Te on i , j Sec t on near Mesa del Y eso 12 miles northeast of Socorro i , Section 2 miles north of Carthage Sec tion at Sa le Pea near the sout end of Fra Cr stobal Moun dd k , h i tains . Section in Caballos Mountains west of Upham Sec t on near the nort end of the San An reas Mountains near i h d , ’ Rhodes s ranch Section of red be s 1 m le eas t of Rowe N. Mex d i , Section 5 m les northwest of Las V e as N . Mex . i g , HE MANZAN R P F THE IO GRANDE VALLEY T O G OU O R , NEW MEXICO. ' STRATIGRAPHY OF THE MANZANO GROUP . B ILLIS LEE y W T . I N T R O D U C T I O N . Purpose of report — The purpose of the presen t paper is to describe the red beds o f that part of the Rio Grande valley which lies be tween an a Fe and ncon a s an ce of a ou 200 m es and to es a s S t Ri , di t b t il , t bli h e r os on in the eo o c co umn The roc s cons s n of san th i p iti g l gi l . k , i ti g d s one an d s a e re a in red in co or and con a n in sum an d t h l , p v il gly l , t i g gyp m es one cons u e a ar of the so-c a e Red Be s of the oc li t , tit t p t ll d d R ky n n i n n un o f e r ene sim ri in o or n Mou tai reg o . O acco t th i g ral ila ty c l a d composition to the red beds that are exposed in the eastern foo thills o f the Rocky Mountains and that exten d from the moun tains east war and sou eas war n o ansas O a om a and e as e d th t d i t K , kl h , T x , th y e e n e Pe - in e hav b e regard d as rmo Triassic ag . While my prin cipal O bject is to presen t the eviden ce that ten ds to fix the eo o ic a e of the red e s of the Rio ran e a e the re a g l g g b d G d v ll y , l n f f n i n e How tio o these to o ther beds o similar ature s also co sid red . ever a e no n en on to scuss the ar ous as ec s of the com , I h v i t ti di v i p t “ ” plicated Red Beds problem or even to review the numerous con r u ons to it ur ose ra er to confine a en on to suc t ib ti . I p p , th , tt ti h phenomena as I have person ally O bserved in the field and to such considera tions as m ay have a direct bearing upon the interpretation f e e n o th s observatio s . Prelim r s men o results — The re e s of he o oun ina y tate t f . d b d t R cky M ain re on are un oss i erous in m an aces bu t on accoun of eir t gi f il f y pl , t th “ — stratigraphic relations have frequen tly been called Jura Triassic in n T n e Re B h een o on a term still comm o us e. he am d eds as b s c stan tly applied to these rocks that it has come to have more or less of a. me si nificance and red se imen s of un e ermine a e in the ti g , d t d t d g 5 N 6 M A ZAN O GROUP OF RIO GRAN DE VALLEY . “ Rocky Mountain region are sometimes referred to as the Jura ” r assic Re Be n h - n T i d ds . I t e Texas New Mexico region the occurre ce of red sediments that are older than the recognized Triassic beds an d that are referred by many geologis ts to the Permian has given the “ ” n e Fer o- ri i o o e of he e e in ou we am m T ass c t s m t r d b ds the S th st . Investigation has shown that some of the red beds of the Rocky Moun tain region are much older than Triassic and that o thers are “ m uc oun er the eo o ic a e e tend n rom Mississi ian Lower h y g , g l g g x i g f pp ( ” n o e e o l n Carbo iferous ) t late Cr tac ous . I have f rmerly ca led a tte “ on to the ac a the ase of the red e s in err ar Co ora o ti f t th t b b d P y P k , l d , ‘ i ower C r on erous a e an d the e ence resen e in is a er s of l a b if g , vid p t d th p p shows that a large part of the red beds in cen tral New Mexico is o f e Ca bon erous or enns an an a e. Fur ermore ere ar e upp r r if P ylv i g th , th e of a e Cre aceous a e ca e a is eo san s one red b ds l t t g , ll d G l t d t by n n a er escr e more u l o nson 0 a are s m Hayde } a d l t d ib d f l y by J h , th t i i lar in general appearance to the older red beds and that have some d en fo e e own a ed se men s o f times been mis tak r th m . I hav sh th t r di t eou a e occur a so near En le . Mex . a ou 150 mi es late Cretac s g l g , N , b t l f a s eo Can on the e oca of the a s eo red eds . south o G li t y , typ l lity G li t b ed e s of the Rio ran e va e here ca e the anzano The r b d G d ll y , ll d M rou are s own on auna e ence to cons i u e the u er ar of g p , h f l vid t t t pp p t n e n e us ie i no er the Pennsylvan ia Upp r Carbo if ro ser s .