U. S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Mineral and Energy Resources of the BLM Roswell Resource Area, East-central New Mexico by Susan Bartsch-Winkleri, editor Open-File Report 92-0261 1992 This report is preliminary and has not been reviewed for conformity with U.S. Geological Survey editorial standards or with the North American Stratigraphic Code. Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. 1 Denver, Colorado iMail Stop 937 Federal Center P.O. Box 25046 Denver, Colorado 80225 MINERAL AND ENERGY RESOURCES OF THE BLM ROSWELL RESOURCE AREA, EAST-CENTRAL NEW MEXICO Summary.......................................................................................... 1 Introduction.................................................................................... 1 Location and geography of study area...................................... 1 Purpose and methodology........................................................ 3 Acknowledgements......................................................................... 4 Geology of east-central New Mexico, by Susan Bartsch-Winkler, with a section on Intrusive and extrusive alkaline rocks of the Lincoln County porphyry belt by Theodore J. Armbrustmacher 4 General..................................................................................... 4 Structure................................................................................. 5 Uplifts......................................................................... 5 Pecos Slope, Sacramento, and Capitan uplifts Carrizozo anticline Pedernal uplift Matador uplift and Bravo Dome San Jon High Basins ......................................................................... 7 Sierra Blanca basin Permian Basin Tucumcari Basin Faults and folds............................................................ 8 Tinnie fold belt Lincoln fold belt Vaughn trend Buckles and northeast-trending faults Roosevelt County fault Alamosa Creek fault Karst............................................................................ 1 0 Sinks Contortion features Caves Stratigraphy and description of rock units.......................... 1 2 Precambrian basement rocks................................................. 1 2 Pre-Permian rocks................................................................ 1 2 Pre-Permian rocks of Lincoln County....................... 1 2 Pre-Permian rocks of the Northwestern Shelf......... 1 3 Pre-Permian rocks of Tucumcari basin.................... 1 4 Lower and Middle Permian rocks........................................... 1 4 Bursum(?) Formation............................................... 1 4 Hueco Formation......................................................... 1 5 Abo Formation............................................................. 1 5 Yeso Formation............................................................ 1 6 San Andres Formation................................................. 1 7 Rio Bonito Member and the Glorieta Sandstone Bonney Canyon Member Fourmile Draw Member Artesia Group.............................................................. 1 9 Grayburg Formation Queen Formation Seven Rivers Formation Yates Formation Tansill Formation Upper Permian rocks............................................................ 21 Salado Formation....................................................... 21 Rustler Formation..................................................... 2 2 Dewey Lake Formation............................................... 22 Bernal(?) Formation................................................ 2 2 Triassic rocks....................................................................... 2 3 Dockum Group and the Redonda Formation................ 2 3 Santa Rosa Sandstone Chinle Formation Redonda Formation Jurassic rocks...................................................................... 2 4 Exeter Sandstone....................................................... 2 4 Morrison Formation................................................. 25 Cretaceous rocks.................................................................. 2 5 Tucumcari Shale....................................................... 2 5 Mesa Rica Sandstone................................................. 2 6 Pajarito Shale.......................................................... 2 6 Dakota(?) Sandstone................................................ 2 6 Mancos Shale............................................................ 2 6 Mesaverde Formation............................................... 2 7 11 Cretaceous and Tertiary rocks............................................ 27 Cub Mountain Formation......................................... 27 Late Tertiary and Quaternary deposits............................... 27 Ogaiiala Formation.................................................. 2 7 Quaternary rocks................................................................ 2 8 Gatuna Formation.................................................... 2 8 Basalt flows............................................................. 2 9 Unconsoiidated deposits........................................... 2 9 Tertiary intrusive and extrusive alkaline rocks by Theodore J. Armbrustmacher........................................ 30 Lincoln County porphyry belt................................ 30 Igneous centers Gallinas Mountains Tecolote Hills Jicarilla Mountains Lone and Baxter Mountains Carrizo Mountain Patos Mountain Capitan Mountain Three Rivers area Dikes References cited....................................................................... 3 5 Uranium in groundwater and geochemistry of sediments by James A. Erdman, Ronald R. Tidball, and Richard B. Tripp 4 3 NURE database.......................................................................... 4 3 Anomaly definition and data presentation................................ 44 Special handling of selected sediment samples........................ 4 5 Results..................................................................................... 45 Uranium in groundwater............................................. 45 Implications for mineral potential Implications for human health Uranium in sediments................................................. 47 Lithium in sediments.................................................. 48 Silver in sediments..................................................... 48 Gold in sediments........................................................ 49 Molybdenum in sediments........................................... 50 Barium in sediments................................................... 50 Copper in sediments.................................................... 51 Zinc in sediments......................................................... 52 Thorium in sediments.................................................. 52 Cerium in sediments.................................................... 53 Vanadium in sediments................................................ 54 111 Summary.................................................................................. 54 Acknowledgements.................................................................... 54 References cited....................................................................... 5 5 Geophysics of the Roswell Resource Area, New Mexico....... 59 Gravity and aeromagnetic data, by Dolores M. Kulik................ 5 9 Interpretation................................................................ 59 Conclusions.................................................................... 62 Aerial gamma-ray data, by Joseph S. Duval............................. 62 References cited......................................................................... 6 4 Industrial mineral resources of the Roswell Resource Area by Susan Bartsch-Winkler, with sections on Potash, saline brines, and brine deposits by Sherilyn Williams-Stroud, Sulfur by Charles S. Spirakis.................................................. 67 Evaporites.................................................................................. 67 Potash, by Sherilyn Williams-Stroud.......................... 67 Carlsbad potash district Roswell Resource Area Gypsum ....................................................................... 6 9 Stratigraphic occurrence Roswell Resource Area deposits Halite............................................................................. 72 Iodine and bromine in saline brines and brine deposits, by Sherilyn Williams-Stroud................................................. 72 Iodine and bromine resources..................................... 73 Sulfur, by Charles S. Spirakis............................................... 73 Texas deposits.............................................................. 7 4 Origins and assessment of sulfur resources............... 74 Aggregate and construction material..................................... 75 Sand and gravel............................................................ 76 Caliche......................................................................... 76 Dike rock and scoria................................................... 77 Limestone and dolomite.......................................................... 78 High-calcium limestone............................................. 7 8 Low-calcium limestone.............................................. 7 8 Dolomite...................................................................... 79 Building stone........................................................................