National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Pecos National Historical Park Geologic Resources Inventory Report Natural Resource Report NPS/NRSS/GRD/NRR—2015/951 ON THE COVER The last Spanish mission church at Pecos National Historical Park was completed by 1717 (view looking south). National Park Service photograph by Chris Dietrich (Resource Information Services Division). THIS PAGE Limestone of the Alamitos Formation crops out along the Pecos River. National Park Service photograph by Mario Armijo (Pecos National Historical Park). Pecos National Historical Park Geologic Resources Inventory Report Natural Resource Report NPS/NRSS/GRD/NRR—2015/951 Rebecca Port National Park Service Geologic Resources Division Geologic Resources Inventory PO Box 25287 Denver, CO 80225 April 2015 US Department of the Interior National Park Service Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Fort Collins, Colorado The National Park Service, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science office in Fort Collins, Colorado, publishes a range of reports that address natural resource topics These reports are of interest and applicability to a broad audience in the National Park Service and others in natural resource management, including scientists, conservation and environmental constituencies, and the public. The Natural Resource Report Series is used to disseminate comprehensive information and analysis about natural resources and related topics concerning lands managed by the National Park Service. The series supports the advancement of science, informed decision-making, and the achievement of the National Park Service mission. The series also provides a forum for presenting more lengthy results that may not be accepted by publications with page limitations. All manuscripts in the series receive the appropriate level of peer review to ensure that the information is scientifically credible, technically accurate, appropriately written for the intended audience, and designed and published in a professional manner. This report received informal peer review by subject-matter experts who were not directly involved in the collection, analysis, or reporting of the data. Views, statements, findings, conclusions, recommendations, and data in this report do not necessarily reflect views and policies of the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use by the U.S. Government. Printed copies of this report are produced in a limited quantity and they are only available as long as the supply lasts. This report is available from the Geologic Resources Inventory website (http://www.nature.nps.gov/geology/inventory/ gre_publications.cfm) and the Natural Resource Publications Management website (http://www.nature.nps.gov/publications/nrpm/). To receive this report in a format optimized for screen readers, please email [email protected]. Please cite this publication as: Port, R. 2015. Pecos National Historical Park: Geologic resources inventory report. Natural Resource Report NPS/NRSS/GRD/NRR—2015/951. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado. NPS 430/128395, April 2015 ii NPS Geologic Resources Division Contents Page List of Figures ................................................................................................................. v List of Tables .................................................................................................................. v Executive Summary ..................................................................................................... vii Products and Acknowledgments .................................................................................. x GRI Products ................................................................................................................................................................ x Acknowledgments ....................................................................................................................................................... x Geologic Setting and Significance ................................................................................ 1 Geologic Setting .......................................................................................................................................................... 1 Geologic Significance and Connections to Park Stories ................................................................................................. 1 Geologic Features and Processes .................................................................................. 7 Geologic Foundation ................................................................................................................................................... 7 Sangre de Cristo Mountains ......................................................................................................................................... 9 Glorieta Pass .............................................................................................................................................................. 11 Glorieta Mesa ............................................................................................................................................................ 11 Fluvial Features .......................................................................................................................................................... 12 Folds ......................................................................................................................................................................... 12 Faults......................................................................................................................................................................... 13 Slope Movements ...................................................................................................................................................... 15 Paleontological Resources .......................................................................................................................................... 16 Caves and Karst Resources ......................................................................................................................................... 18 Earthquakes ............................................................................................................................................................... 19 Geologic Resources in a Cultural Context ................................................................................................................... 20 Geologic Resource Management Issues ..................................................................... 27 Fluvial Erosion ............................................................................................................................................................ 27 Water Quantity and Quality ....................................................................................................................................... 31 Disturbed Land Restoration ........................................................................................................................................ 31 Abandoned Mineral Lands Hazards ............................................................................................................................ 32 Slope Movement Hazards and Risks ........................................................................................................................... 33 Paleontological Resource Inventory, Monitoring, and Protection ................................................................................. 34 Caves and Associated Landscape Management .......................................................................................................... 34 Land Subsidence ........................................................................................................................................................ 35 Earthquake Hazards and Risks .................................................................................................................................... 35 External Energy or Mineral Development .................................................................................................................... 35 Interpretation and Education ...................................................................................................................................... 35 Geologic History .......................................................................................................... 37 2,500 million–542 million years ago (Proterozoic Eon): Development of the Structural Foundation .............................. 37 542 million–252 million years ago (Paleozoic Era): Rise and Fall of the Ancestral Rocky Mountains .............................. 38 252 million–66 million years ago (Mesozoic Era): Sedimentary Basins .......................................................................... 40 The past 66 million years (Cenozoic Era): Mountain Building, Erosion, and Emergence of the Modern Landscape ........ 40 Geologic Map Data ...................................................................................................... 43 Geologic Maps .........................................................................................................................................................