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Mineral Resources > Online Spatial Data > Geology > by state > New Mexico Geology

Geologic units in McKinley county, New Mexico

[Additional scientific data in this geographic area]

Rio Salado Tongue of Mancos Shale (Phanerozoic | Mesozoic | Cretaceous) at surface, covers 1 % of this area

Rio Salado Tongue of the Mancos Shale. Overlies Twowells Tongue of Dakota Sandstone; mapped only where Tres Hermanos Formation or the Atarque Sandstone is present; mapped as Kdr in parts of Socorro County; Turonian

Lithology: shale; limestone

Tres Hermanos Formation (Phanerozoic | Mesozoic | Cretaceous) at surface, covers 1 % of this area

Tres Hermanos Formation; formerly designated as Lower Gallup Sandstone in the Zuni Basin; Turonian

Lithology: sandstone

Lewis Shale (Phanerozoic | Mesozoic | Cretaceous) at surface, covers 2 % of this area

Lewis Shale; marine shale and mudstone

Lithology: shale; fine-grained mixed clastic; limestone

Pescado Tongue of the Mancos Shale and Gallup Sandstone (Phanerozoic | Mesozoic | Cretaceous) at surface, covers 2 % of this area

Pescado Tongue of the Mancos Shale and Gallup Sandstone; in Zuni Basin only. Pescado is chrono-stratigraphic equivalent of Juana Lopez Member of Mancos Shale; Turonian

Lithology: sandstone; shale

Nacimiento Formation (Phanerozoic | Cenozoic | Tertiary) at surface, covers 0.5 % of this area

Nacimiento Formation; Paleocene, San Juan Basin

Lithology: sandstone; shale; conglomerate

Gallup Sandstone (Phanerozoic | Mesozoic | Cretaceous) at surface, covers 2 % of this area

Gallup Sandstone; generally regressive marine sandstone; Turonian

Lithology: sandstone

basalt and andesite flows, Miocene (Phanerozoic | Cenozoic | Tertiary) at surface, covers 4 % of this area

Basalt and andesite flows; Miocene

Lithology: basalt; andesite

Pictured Cliffs Sandstone (Phanerozoic | Mesozoic | Cretaceous) at surface, covers 0.3 % of this area

Pictured Cliffs Sandstone; prominent cliff-forming marine sandstone

Lithology: sandstone; mudstone

San Andres Formation (Phanerozoic | Paleozoic | Permian) at surface, covers 0.7 % of this area

San Andres Formation; limestone and dolomite with minor shale; Guadalupian in south, in part Leonardian to north

Lithology: carbonate; fine-grained mixed clastic; evaporite

silicic to intermediate intrusive rocks (Phanerozoic | Cenozoic | Tertiary) at surface, covers < 0.1 % of this area

Miocene to Oligocene silicic to intermediate intrusive rocks; dikes, stocks, plugs, and diatremes

Lithology: plutonic rock (phaneritic)

Mancos Shale, upper part (Phanerozoic | Mesozoic | Cretaceous) at surface, covers 1.0 % of this area

Mancos Shale, Upper part

Lithology: shale; fine-grained mixed clastic

Zuni and Entrada Sandstones (Phanerozoic | Mesozoic | Jurassic) at surface, covers 2 % of this area

Zuni and Entrada Sandstones, undivided

Lithology: sandstone; fine-grained mixed clastic

intrusive rocks (Phanerozoic | Cenozoic | Tertiary) at surface, covers < 0.1 % of this area

Tertiary intrusive rocks; undifferentiated

Lithology: plutonic rock (phaneritic)

Menefee Formation (Phanerozoic | Mesozoic | Cretaceous) at surface, covers 33 % of this area

Menefee Formation; mudstone, shale, and sandstone; coal-bearing

Lithology: fine-grained mixed clastic; coal; limestone

landslide deposits and colluvium (Phanerozoic | Cenozoic | Quaternary) at surface, covers 1 % of this area

Landslide deposits and colluvium

Lithology: landslide; colluvium

continental red beds (Phanerozoic | Mesozoic | Triassic) at surface, covers 0.6 % of this area

Triassic rocks, undivided; continental red beds

Lithology: medium-grained mixed clastic

Mancos Shale, lower part (Phanerozoic | Mesozoic | Cretaceous) at surface, covers 2 % of this area

Mancos Shale, Lower part

Lithology: shale; fine-grained mixed clastic

Satan Tongue of Mancos Shale (Phanerozoic | Mesozoic | Cretaceous) at surface, covers 2 % of this area

Satan Tongue of Mancos Shale

Lithology: shale

intertongued Dakota-Mancos sequence (Phanerozoic | Mesozoic | Cretaceous) at surface, covers 4 % of this area

Intertongued Dakota-Mancos sequence of west-central New Mexico; includes the Whitewater Arroyo Tongue of Mancos Shale and the Twowells Tongue of the Dakota

Lithology: fine-grained mixed clastic; medium-grained mixed clastic; limestone

upper Tertiary sedimentary units (Phanerozoic | Cenozoic | Tertiary) at surface, covers 2 % of this area

Upper Tertiary sedimentary units; includes Bidahochi Formation, the Picuris Formation, and Las Feveras Formation, and locally fanglomerates; Pliocene to upper Miocene

Lithology: clastic; mixed clastic/volcanic; volcanic rock (aphanitic); unconsolidated deposit

Dakota Sandstone (Phanerozoic | Mesozoic | Cretaceous) at surface, covers 0.4 % of this area

Dakota Sandstone; includes Oak Canyon, Cubero, and Paguate Tongues plus Clay Mesa Tongue of Mancos Shale; Cenomanian

Lithology: medium-grained mixed clastic

undivided, Upper Cretaceous (Phanerozoic | Mesozoic | Cretaceous) at surface, covers 0.1 % of this area

Upper Cretaceous, undivided. Includes Virden Formation in northern Hidalgo County, Ringbone Formation in Hidalgo and Luna and Grant Counties, and locally Beartooth and Sarten, Mancos in Silver City area; Cenomanian - Maastrichtian for most part, although Beartooth is pre-Cenomanian

Lithology: medium-grained mixed clastic; volcanic rock (aphanitic); limestone

Crevasse Canyon Formation (Phanerozoic | Mesozoic | Cretaceous) at surface, covers 13 % of this area

Crevasse Canyon Formation; coal-bearing units are Dilco and Gibson Coal Members; other members are Bartlett Barren, Dalton Sandstone, and Borrego Pass Sandstone (or Lentil)

Lithology: fine-grained mixed clastic; coal

eolian deposits (Phanerozoic | Cenozoic | Quaternary) at surface, covers < 0.1 % of this area

Eolian deposits

Lithology: eolian

Glorieta Sandstone (Phanerozoic | Paleozoic | Permian) at surface, covers 0.4 % of this area

Glorieta Sandstone; texturally and mineralogically mature, high-silica quartz sandstone

Lithology: sandstone

Abo Formation (Phanerozoic | Paleozoic | Permian) at surface, covers 0.2 % of this area

Abo Formation; red beds, arkosic at base, finer and more mature above; Wolfcampian; may include limestone beds of Pennsylvanian age (Virgilian) in Zuni Mountains. In Robledo Mountains the Abo may be considered a member of the Hueco Formation

Lithology: sandstone; shale; conglomerate; limestone

Cliff House Sandstone (Phanerozoic | Mesozoic | Cretaceous) at surface, covers 2 % of this area

Cliff House Sandstone; transgressive marine sandstone; Campanian

Lithology: sandstone; shale

Mancos Shale (Phanerozoic | Mesozoic | Cretaceous) at surface, covers 0.4 % of this area

Mancos Shale; divided into Upper and Lower parts by Gallup Sandstone

Lithology: shale; fine-grained mixed clastic

volcanic rocks, Neogene (Phanerozoic | Cenozoic | Tertiary) at surface, covers < 0.1 % of this area

Neogene volcanic rocks; primarily in Jemez Mountains

Lithology: volcanic rock (aphanitic)

Chinle Group (Phanerozoic | Mesozoic | Triassic) at surface, covers 7 % of this area

Chinle Group; Upper Triassic; includes Moenkopi Formation (Middle Triassic) at base in many areas; in eastern part of state the following five formations are mapped:

Lithology: medium-grained mixed clastic; fine-grained mixed clastic; limestone; chert; evaporite

Hosta Tongue of Point Lookout Sandstone (Phanerozoic | Mesozoic | Cretaceous) at surface, covers 0.4 % of this area

Hosta Tongue of Point Lookout Sandstone; transgressive marine sandstone

Lithology: sandstone

Yesa Formation (Phanerozoic | Paleozoic | Permian) at surface, covers 0.3 % of this area

Yeso Formation; sandstones, siltstones, anhydrite, gypsum, halite, and dolomite; Leonardian

Lithology: sandstone; limestone; mudstone; evaporite

plutonic rocks, Lower Proterozoic (Proterozoic | Paleoproterozoic) at surface, covers 0.1 % of this area

Lower Proterozoic plutonic rocks (older than 1600 Ma)

Lithology: plutonic rock (phaneritic)

Mulatto Tongue of Mancos Shale (Phanerozoic | Mesozoic | Cretaceous) at surface, covers 1 % of this area

Mulatto Tongue of Mancos Shale

Lithology: shale; sandstone

Chuska Sandstone (Phanerozoic | Cenozoic | Tertiary) at surface, covers 1.0 % of this area

Chuska Sandstone; restricted to Chuska Mountains

Lithology: sandstone

San Rafael Group (Phanerozoic | Mesozoic | Jurassic) at surface, covers 2 % of this area

San Rafael Group; consists of Entrada Sandstone, Todilto and Summerville Formations, Bluff Sandstone, and locally Zuni Sandstone (or only Acoma Tongue of Zuni)

Lithology: medium-grained mixed clastic; fine-grained mixed clastic; evaporite; limestone

Ojo Alamo Formation (Phanerozoic | Cenozoic | Tertiary) at surface, covers 0.1 % of this area

Ojo Alamo Formation; Paleocene, San Juan Basin

Lithology: sandstone; shale; conglomerate

middle and upper Jurassic rocks, unidivided (Phanerozoic | Mesozoic | Jurassic) at surface, covers 0.3 % of this area

Jurassic rocks, Middle and Upper, undivided

Lithology: clastic; sedimentary rock

Morrison Formation (Phanerozoic | Mesozoic | Jurassic) at surface, covers 1 % of this area

Morrison Formation; Upper Jurassic nonmarine rocks present only in northern one-third of state

Lithology: fine-grained mixed clastic; limestone

basalt or basaltic andesite (Phanerozoic | Cenozoic | Quaternary) at surface, covers 0.2 % of this area

Basalt or basaltic andesite; middle and lower Pleistocene

Lithology: basalt; mafic volcanic rock; intermediate volcanic rock

basalt and andesite flows and vent deposits (Phanerozoic | Cenozoic | Quaternary) at surface, covers 0.2 % of this area

Basalt and andesite flows and locally vent deposits

Lithology: andesite; basalt

Rock Point Formation of Chinle Group (Phanerozoic | Mesozoic | Triassic) at surface, covers < 0.1 % of this area

Rock Point Formation of Chinle Group; Upper Triassic. May locally include Lukachukai Member of Wingate Sandstone

Lithology: sandstone; siltstone

Point Lookout Sandstone (Phanerozoic | Mesozoic | Cretaceous) at surface, covers 4 % of this area

Point Lookout Sandstone; regressive marine sandstone in McKinley and Sandoval Counties. The lower, Hosta Tongue, of Point Lookout is transgressive and is separated from main body by the Satan Tongue of Mancos Shale; Santonian - Campanian

Lithology: sandstone; arkose

basalt and andesite flows, Neogene (Phanerozoic | Cenozoic | Tertiary) at surface, covers < 0.1 % of this area

Basalt and andesite flows; Neogene. Includes flows interbedded with Santa Fe and Gila Groups

Lithology: basalt; andesite

Kirtland and Fruitland Formations (Phanerozoic | Mesozoic | Cretaceous) at surface, covers 2 % of this area

Kirtland and Fruitland Formations; coal-bearing, coal primarily in the Fruitland; Campanian to Maastrichtian

Lithology: sandstone; mudstone; coal

alluvium (Phanerozoic | Cenozoic | Quaternary) at surface, covers 4 % of this area

Alluvium; upper and middle Quaternary

Lithology: alluvium