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Table of Contents

  1. Geology of the Guadalupe Mountains, New Mexico
    1. Introduction

    2. Purpose

    3. Previous Work

    4. Present Investigation And Acknowledgments

    5. Geography

    6. Pre-Permian Rocks Of The Subsurface

    7. Methods of Study

    8. Precambrian Rocks

    9. Ordovician Rocks

    10. Bliss Sandstone

    11. El Paso Formation

    12. Bocks Correlated With The Simpson Group

    13. Montoya Dolomite

    14. Silurian Rocks

    15. Fusselman Dolomite

    16. Devonian Rocks

    17. Percha (?) Shale

    18. Mississippian Rocks

    19. Pennsylvanian Rocks

    20. Stratigraphy of Permian Rocks

    21. Framework

    22. Rocks of the Delaware Basin

    23. Wolfcamp Series

    24. Wolfcamp(?) Formation

    25. IjEONARD SERIES

    26. Guadalupe Series

    27. Delaware Mountain Group

    28. Ochoa Series

    29. Castile Formation

    30. Rustler Formation

    31. Rocks of the Basin Margin

    32. Wolfcamp Series

    33. Leonard Series

    34. Victorio Peak Limestone

    35. Cutoff Shale

    36. Guadalupe Series

    37. Sandstone Tongue of the Cherry Canyon Formation

    38. Goat Seep Dolomite

    39. Capitan Limestone

    40. Rocks of the Northwest Shelf

    41. Hueco Limestone

    42. Yeso Formation

    43. San Andreas Limestone

    44. Artesia Group

    45. Grayburg Formation

    46. Queen Formation

    47. Seven Rivers Formation

    48. Yates Formation

    49. Tansill Formation

    50. Fossils of the Artesia Group

    51. Post-Permian Deposits

    52. Cretaceious Rocks

    53. Quarternary Deposits

    54. Gravel of Pleistocene Age

    55. Alluvium

    56. Calcareous Tufa

    57. Tertiary Igneous Rocks

    58. Structural Geology

    59. Major Structural Elements

    60. Older Structural Features

    61. Hupache Thrust Zone

    62. Bone Spring Monocline and Bone Spring Arch

    63. Cenozoic Structural Features

    64. Folds

    65. Faults

    66. Joints

    67. Linear Features In Castile Formation

    68. Geomorphology

    69. Major Landforms

    70. Drainage

    71. Caves

    72. Geologic History

    73. Economic Geology

    74. Oil and Gas

    75. Previous Exploration

    76. Future Possibilities

    77. Gypsum

    78. Building Stone

    79. Gravel

    80. Sodium Sulfate

    81. Ground Water

    82. Brokeoff Mountains-Dog Canyon Area

    83. Northern Guadalupe Mountains

    84. Seven Rivers Embayment

    85. Guadalupe Ridge

    86. Mescal Wash and Black River Valley Area

    87. Yeso Hills and Gypsum Plain

    88. Selected Stratigraphic Sections

  2. Illustrations
    1. Untitled

    2. Untitled

    3. Untitled

    4. Figure 1.— Index map of Guadalupe Mountains region showing location of mapped area, major geographic features, and certain features referred to in text but not shown on the geologic map.

    5. Figure 2.— Map of southeastern New Mexico and nearby areas showing location of mountain ranges referred to in text.

    6. Figure 3.— Map of western Texas and eastern New Mexico and adjacent areas showing approximate positions of some sedimentary basins and uplifted areas that were prominent during Pennsylvanian and Permian time. Map was compiled from various published and unpublished sources.

    7. Figure 4.— Diagram showing correlation of Permian rock units in Guadalupe Mountains region. Diagonal-lined areas indicate rocks are absent.

    8. Figure 5.— Thin-bedded dark-gray limestone near top of the Lamar Limestone Member of the Bell Canyon Formation in sec. 34, T. 26 S., R. 22 E. About 1% miles to the northwest the Lamar Member grades into the breccia member of the Capitan Limestone.

    9. Figure 6.— Interlaminated white gypsum and dark-brownish-gray limestone in lower part of the Castile Formation in roadcut in SE 1/4 sec. 28, T. 26 S., R. 24 E.

    10. Figure 7.— Probable residuum of the Salado Formation on the east bank of Black River in the NW1/4 sec. 35, T. 24 S., R. 26 E. The coarser debris consists of blocks of white and pink gypsum and yellowish-brown and pink siltstone. The matrix is gypsiferous silt. Bank is about 25 feet high.

    11. Figure 8.— Thin-bedded dolomite of the Rustler Formation exposed in roadicut in NW1/4 sec. 4, T. 24 S., R. 26 E.

    12. Figure 9.— Lateral fades boundaries of some stratigraphic units of Guadalupe age in the report area.

    13. Figure 10.— Northeast side of Slaughter Canyon at location of stratigraphic section 17. Lateral transition of parts of the Yates (Pya) and Tansill (Pt) Formations into the massive member of the Capitan Limestone (Pern) and transition of the massive member to the breccia member of the Capitan (Pcb) take place here. Gravel (Qg) covers bottom of canyon.

    14. Figure 11.— Photomicrograph of limestone from the massive member of the Capitan Limestone. Solution cavity in lower right is partially filled by crystalline calcite which has apparently replaced some of the cavity wall. Most of the rock is finely divided "lime-mud" which may contain a trace of carbonaceous material. Light areas are autoclasts of limestone within the fine matrix. Fossil at upper left may be part of the brachiopod Prorichthofenia or Leptodus. Arrow 1 mm long points up.

    15. Figure 12.— Photomicrograph of limestone from the breccia member of the Capitan Limestone. Note broken fragments of large fusulinids (probably Polydiexodina) and other organic debris in finely crystalline calcite matrix. At top are subrounded limestone clasts derived from the massive member. Bar is Imm long.

    16. Figure 13.— Bedding features in the lower cherty member of the San Andres Limestone in Last Chance Canyon between the mouths of Wilson and White Oaks Canyons.

    17. Figure 14.— Diagram showing stratigraphic relations in Last Chance Canyon between the mouths of Roberts (northwest) and Sitting Bull (southeast) Canyons. Grayburg Formation, Pg; upper member of San Andres Limestone, Psau; tongue of San Andres, Psat; sandstone tongue of Cherry Canyon Formation, Pec; lower cherty member of San Andres Limestone, Psal.

    18. Figure 15.— North wall of Wilson Canyon near locality of stratigraphic section 8. Thickening of the upper part of the lower cherty member of the San Andres Limestone (Psal) at left, thinning of the lowest tongue of the Cherry Canyon Formation (Pcc) at left, unusual swelling of a tongue of upper member of the San Andres Limestone (Psau) in center, transition of the upper member of the San Andres into the sandstone tongue of the Cherry Canyon Formation at right, and truncation of a tongue of the San Andres (Psat) and beds of the Cherry Canyon beneath evenly bedded Grayburg Formation (Pg).

    19. Figure 16.— Photomicrograph of dolomite from near the top of the Grayburg Formation at stratigraphic section 20. This oolitic dolomite is typical of the Grayburg and Queen Formations near their transition into the Goat Seep Dolomite. Oolites are in a finely crystalline dolomite matrix. Large dark area in center is a rounded clast of sandy dolomite possibly derived from the Goat Seep. 1 mm-long arrow points up.

    20. Figure 17.— Surface and well sections showing correlation of the Gray-burg and Queen Formations from outcrop area in Guadalupe Mountains to original subsurface type section of the Grayburg Formation in Lockhart Root Permit 2 well (Dickey, 1940). Well sections were interpreted from sample descriptions. Numbers to left of well sections indicate depth in feet below surface; numbers to left of composite surface section indicate stratigraphic interval above base of the Grayburg Formation.

    21. Figure 18.— Photomicrograph of fusulinid coquina from the Seven Rivers Formation near its transition into the Capitan Limestone. Fusulinids (probably Polydiexodina) are all oriented in same direction with long axes subparallel to trend of facies change. Smaller circular bodies randomly mixed with the fusulinids are the algae Mizzia. Matrix is very finely crystalline dolomite partially replaced by sparry calcite. 1 mm-long arrow points up.

    22. Figure 19.— Photomicrograph of pisolitic carbonate from the lower part of the Seven Rivers Formation at stratigraphic section 21. Large pisolite has a nucleus of three smaller pisolites which, in turn, have nucleae of several oolites and minute rock fragments. White areas are crystalline calcite which has apparently replaced the outer edges of the pisolites and some of the dolomite matrix. Bar is 1 mm long.

    23. Figure 20.— Contact between siltstone at the top of the Yates Formation and dolomite at the base of the Tansill Formation along Carlsbad Caverns National Park road in S1/2 sec. 30, T. 24 S., R. 25 E.

    24. Figure 21.— Photomicrograph of well-sorted coarse siltstone from the Yates Formation. Cementing material is dolomite which has apparently replaced outer margins of quartz grains. Larger irregular light-gray areas are dolomite. Small opaque spherules may be limonite or pyrite. Bar is 1 mm long.

    25. Figure 22.— Nearly vertical sandstone dike of probable Cretaceous age in the Capitan Limestone near its transition into the Tansill Formation in Jurnigan Draw.

    26. Figure 23.— Calcareous tufa at Sitting Bull Falls. Rock picnic shelters and automobiles at lower right provide scale. Falls are visible as a small trickle near left edge of tufa dam. Sitting Bull Spring, out of view up the canyon, issues from tongue of the San Andres Limestone.

    27. Figure 24.— Tectonic map of Guadalupe Mountains region, New Mexico and Texas. Texas part of map adapted from P. B. King (1949).

    28. Figure 25.— Section B-B' across Big Dog Canyon. (See pl. 1 for line of section.) Qal, alluvium; Psau, upper member of San Andres Limestone; Psal, lower cherty member of San Andres Limestone; pPsa, pre-San Andres rocks.

    29. Figuee 26.— Incised meanders of Dark Canyon at Serpentine Bends. Undercut bank at top left is 600 feet high. The lower twothirds of the cliff is held up by dolomite of the Seven Rivers Formation; the Yates Formation is in slope at top.

    30. Figure 27.— Section C-C' through the Capitan Limestone and associated rocks showing position of Carlsbad Cavern (solid black area). (See pl. 1 for line of section.) Most of the cave is in the massive member of the Capitan Limestone (Pcm), but the south end of the Big Room is in the breccia 'member of the Capitan (Pcb); a basal sandstone tongue of the Yates Formation (Pya) is present in the New Mexico Room; higher beds of the Yates are present in the Main Corridor; and the cavern entrance and other chambers (not shown) are in the Tansill Formation (Pt). Other units in the cross section are the Seven Rivers Formation (Psr), Goat Seep Dolomite (Pgs), Cherry Canyon Formation (Pec), Bell Canyon Formation (Pbc), Castile Formation (Pcs), and gravel (Qg) of Quaternary age.

    31. Figure 28.— Outline maps of three caves of the Guadalupe Mountains showing relative sizes and shapes of the joint-controlled passages. The map of Lechuguilla Cave is by George W. Moore, of the U.S. Geological Survey; the map of Carlsbad Cavern is based on the original map of Willis T. Lee with modifications and additions made by or for the U.S. National Park Service.

    32. Figure 29.— Areas of ground-water availability discussed in text.

  3. Plates
    1. Plate 1

    2. Plate 2

    3. Plate 3

    4. Plate 4

    5. Plate 5