Geologic Map of the Pueblo of Isleta Tribal Lands and Vicinity, Bernalillo, Torrance, and Valencia Counties, Central New Mexico By Florian Maldonado1, Janet L. Slate1, David W. Love2, Sean D. Connell2, James C. Cole1, and Karl E. Karlstrom3 1U.S. Geological Survey, Denver, Colo. 2New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, Socorro, N. Mex. 3Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, N. Mex. Pamphlet to accompany Scientific Investigations Map 2913 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Department of the Interior DIRK KEMPTHORNE, Secretary U.S. Geological Survey Mark D. Myers, Director U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2007 For product and ordering information: World Wide Web: http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod Telephone: 1-888-ASK-USGS For more information on the USGS—the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment: World Wide Web: http://www.usgs.gov Telephone: 1-888-ASK-USGS Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. Although this report is in the public domain, permission must be secured from the individual copyright owners to reproduce any copyrighted materials contained within this report. Suggested citation: Maldonado, Florian, Slate, J.L., Love, D.W., Connell, S.D., Cole, J.C., and Karlstrom, K.E., 2007, Geologic map of the Pueblo of Isleta tribal lands and vicinity, Bernalillo, Torrance, and Valencia Counties, central New Mexico: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Map 2913, 35-p. pamphlet, 1 plate, scale 1:50,000. iii Contents Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................1 Geography and Geomorphology .......................................................................................................1 Sources of Information .......................................................................................................................1 Drill-Hole Information ..........................................................................................................................5 Geologic Setting ..........................................................................................................................................10 Cross Section ...............................................................................................................................................13 Acknowledgments ......................................................................................................................................13 Description of Map Units ...........................................................................................................................14 References Cited .........................................................................................................................................30 Figures 1. Index maps ...................................................................................................................................2 2. Shaded-relief map of map area ................................................................................................3 3. Index to 7.5-minute quadrangles and sources of geologic mapping .................................4 4. Shaded-relief map showing approximate sample locations ...............................................5 5. Map showing locations of selected deep wells ....................................................................8 6. Profile A–A’ of stratigraphic units penetrated in oil-exploration wells ..............................9 7. Sketch map of major structural features of Albuquerque basin .......................................12 Table 1. Summary of radioisotopic, biostratigraphic, and geochemical correlation data ............6 iv Conversion Factors ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________To convert Multiply by To obtain meter (m) 3.281 foot (ft) kilometer (km) 0.6214 mile (mi) square kilometer (km2) 0.3861 square mile (mi2) ________________________________________________________________ Note: Measurements in this report are in metric except for elevations, which are in feet on topographic base. Introduction The approximately 20-km-wide Llano de Manzano surface rises eastward to a prominent break at about 6,200- This 1:50,000-scale map is a compilation of geologic ft elevation that marks the base of the Manzano Mountains, quadrangle maps of the Pueblo of Isleta tribal lands and vicin- or a break at 6,000 ft that marks the base of the Manzanita ity in the central part of the Albuquerque Basin in central Mountains. These breaks in slope roughly mark the contacts New Mexico (fig. 1A, B). The map synthesizes new geologic between old, well-lithified rocks of the mountain uplifts and mapping and summarizes the stratigraphy, structure, and the unconsolidated deposits that were eroded from them dur- geomorphology of an area of approximately 2,000 km2 that ing Neogene time. The western flank of the Manzano Moun- spans the late Paleogene–Neogene Rio Grande rift south of tains rises steeply to crestal elevations of 7,500–9,500 ft; the Albuquerque, N. Mex. The map is part of studies conducted Manzanita Mountains are lower overall, reaching about 8,000 between 1996 and 2001 under the U.S. Geological Survey ft. The eastern flank of both ranges is a more gently inclined, (USGS) Middle Rio Grande Basin Study by geologists from dissected dip slope to the limits of the map area and beyond. the USGS, the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral The Rio Grande is the only perennial river in the map Resources (NMBGMR), and the University of New Mexico area. Its only significant tributary drainage is Hell Canyon (UNM). This work investigates the geologic factors that influ- Wash, which discharges from the piedmont slope of the Llano ence ground-water resources of the Middle Rio Grande Basin, de Manzano southeast of Isleta during times of high seasonal and provides new insights into the complex geologic history of rainfall. This wash has been shown on maps as both Hell the Rio Grande rift in this region. Canyon Wash and Hells Canyon Wash. We use Hell instead of Hells based on previous use on a geologic map (Myers and McKay, 1970) and by Julyan (1996, p.163) in “The Place Geography and Geomorphology Names of New Mexico.” The Rio Puerco on the west margin of the map area also flows intermittently, and joins with the The map area encompassed in this compilation includes Rio Grande about 39 km south of the southern margin of this most of the northern half of the Belen 1:100,000-scale quad- map compilation. The Rio San Jose is an intermittent river rangle. The map area is approximately 69 km west-to-east and that joins the Rio Puerco approximately 2 km west of the 28 km north-to-south and includes parts of Bernalillo, Tor- western boundary of the map area. All other drainages in the rance, and Valencia Counties. The Isleta tribal lands include map area are ephemeral. about 70 percent of the mapped area from the Rio Puerco valley (partly west of the map area) to the crest of the Man- zano and Manzanita Mountains that border the Rio Grande Sources of Information valley on the east (fig. 2). The higher parts of the Manzano Mountains on the east are within the Cibola National Forest This compilation is based primarily on a synthesis and (including parts of the Manzano Wilderness area), and the summary of geologic mapping conducted between 1996 and north-central part of the map area lies within the boundaries of 2001, at scales of 1:24,000 and, locally, 1:12,000 (fig. 3). Kirtland Air Force Base. Published geologic maps for bedrock units in the Manzano The map area covers an east-west swath that spans the Mountains area from the 1960s (Myers, 1966, 1969) and physiographic valley of the Rio Grande. The westernmost 1970s (Myers and McKay, 1970, 1971) were incorporated part of the map area includes reaches of the south-flowing Rio with minor revision in this compilation, and merged with Puerco that lie in a broad valley (approximately 6 km wide) reconnaissance mapping of surficial units by S.D. Connell at about 5,000-ft elevation with a narrow (approximately 100 and D.W. Love (NMBGMR). Published geologic mapping m wide), deeply incised historic channel. To the east of the of the western part of the map area is compiled from Mal- Rio Puerco, the landscape rises to a broad flat mesa at about donado and Atencio (1998a, b), Love and others (1998), and 5,500-ft elevation known as the Llano de Albuquerque (fig. 2) Maldonado (2003). The geology in the southwesternmost part (Bryan and McCann, 1937, 1938). This broad, gently south- of the quadrangle was modified from Lozinsky and Tedford southeast sloping mesa forms the drainage divide between the (1991). The regional synthesis map and report by Kelley present Rio Puerco and Rio Grande drainage basins and forms (1977) served as a useful guide for general structural and a discontinuous line of bluffs at roughly 5,200-ft elevation that stratigraphic relationships, as did the overlapping compila- mark the western edge of the broad Rio Grande valley. The tion of the Socorro 1:250,000-scale quadrangle by Machette floodplain of the modern Rio Grande lies at about 4,850-ft (1978). An early comprehensive report by Wright (1946) that elevation,