Manzano Group

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Manzano Group
Stratigraphic range:
Sevilleta metarhyolite.jpg
Outcrops of Manzano Group (Sevilleta Metarhyolite) west of Abo Pass, New Mexico, US
Type Group
Sub-units Blue Springs Formation
Sais Quartzite
Estadio Schist
White Ridge Quartzite
Abajo Formation
Sevilleta Metarhyolite
Bootleg Canyon Sequence
Tijeras Greenstone
Thickness2,700 meters (8,900 ft)
Lithology
Primary Metarhyolite, quartzite
Other Schist, amphibolite
Location
Coordinates 34°20′N106°35′W / 34.33°N 106.59°W / 34.33; -106.59
Region New Mexico
Country United States
Type section
Named for Manzano Mountains
Named byA. Luther
Year defined2006
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Manzano Group (the United States)
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Manzano Group (New Mexico)

The Manzano Group is a group of geologic formations in central New Mexico. These have radiometric ages of 1601 to 1662 million years (Ma), corresponding to the late Statherian period of the Paleoproterozoic. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

The name Manzano Group was previously applied to a group of sedimentary formations of Permian age in roughly the same geographical area. The original Manzano Group was historically important in the establishment of the paleontological time scale of the Permian period in western North America. [4] However, the name was abandoned after 1920. [5] [6]

Description

The group consists of Statherian lithostratigraphic units exposed in the Los Pinos Mountains and nearby ranges of central New Mexico. These are mostly metarhyolite or quartzite units with some schist and amphibolite, and form a sequence in excess of 2,700 meters (8,900 ft) thick. [1] The group records deformation attributed to the Mazatzal orogeny, [1] [2] and the quartzites of the group may be the provenance of the lower conglomerates of the Marquenas Formation to the north, [2] which was previously problematic. [7] Study of the group also provides evidence in favor of the hypothesis that the Mazatzal Province was formed by continental arc volcanism from Yavapai crust. The group was subsequently severely folded and intruded by magma bodies during the Picuris orogeny. [3]

Stratigraphy

The group is best exposed in an overturned syncline in the Los Pinos Mountains. Here the stratigraphy is: [3]

Blue Springs Formation (youngest)
Sais Quartzite
Estadio Schist
White Ridge Quartzite
Abajo Formation
Sevilleta Metarhyolite
Bootleg Canyon Sequence
Tijeras Greenstone

The Estadio Schist is a garnet + staurolite + biotite schist, described as a marker bed separating the Sais Quartzite from the White Ridge Quartzite. [8]

History of investigation

The Manzano Series was first named by Herrick in 1900. Herrick correctly placed the Carboniferous - Permian boundary just below the base of this unit and identified Permian fossils in overlying beds, but could find no fossils within the series itself. [9] Gordon assigned the underlying beds to the (now-abandoned) Magdalena Group and added the overlying limestone beds now assigned to the San Andres Formation, and placed the Manzano Group in the upper Carboniferous [10] based on fossils reported by Lee and Girty. [4] The name continued in use at least as late as 1920, when Boese concluded from ammonite fossils that the Abo Formation was Uralian (Cisuralian?) in age. This placed the fossils in the upper Pennsylvanian as defined in western North America at that time, and Boese recommended abandonment, or at least heavy revision, of the Manzano Group. [6]

The modern units corresponding to the original Manzano Group are (in ascending stratigraphic order) the Bursum Formation, Abo Formation, Yeso Formation, Glorieta Sandstone, and San Andres Formation. [5] The Yeso Formation has itself been promoted to group rank, [11] though this has not been universally accepted. [12]

The name Manzano Group was revived in 2006 to refer to latest Statherian formations in the Manzano Mountains, [1] a usage that has since become more widely adopted. [2] [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Andres Formation, United States</span> Geologic formation in New Mexico and Texas

The San Andres Formation is a geologic formation found in New Mexico and Texas. It contains fossils characteristic of the late Leonardian (Kungurian) Age) of the Permian Period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abo Formation</span> Geological formation in New Mexico

The Abo Formation is a geologic formation in New Mexico. It contains fossils characteristic of the Cisuralian epoch of the Permian period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yeso Group</span> Group of geologic formations in New Mexico, US

The Yeso Group is a group of geologic formations in New Mexico. It contains fossils characteristic of the Kungurian Age of the early Permian Period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mazatzal orogeny</span> Mountain-building event in North America

The Mazatzal orogeny was an orogenic event in what is now the Southwestern United States from 1650 to 1600 Mya in the Statherian Period of the Paleoproterozoic. Preserved in the rocks of New Mexico and Arizona, it is interpreted as the collision of the 1700-1600 Mya age Mazatzal island arc terrane with the proto-North American continent. This was the second in a series of orogenies within a long-lived convergent boundary along southern Laurentia that ended with the ca. 1200–1000 Mya Grenville orogeny during the final assembly of the supercontinent Rodinia, which ended an 800-million-year episode of convergent boundary tectonism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yavapai orogeny</span> Mountain building event 1.7 billion years ago in the southwestern United States

The Yavapai orogeny was an orogenic (mountain-building) event in what is now the Southwestern United States that occurred between 1710 and 1680 million years ago (Mya), in the Statherian Period of the Paleoproterozoic. Recorded in the rocks of New Mexico and Arizona, it is interpreted as the collision of the 1800-1700 Mya age Yavapai island arc terrane with the proto-North American continent. This was the first in a series of orogenies within a long-lived convergent boundary along southern Laurentia that ended with the ca. 1200–1000 Mya Grenville orogeny during the final assembly of the supercontinent Rodinia, which ended an 800-million-year episode of convergent boundary tectonism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Picuris orogeny</span> Mountain-building event in what is now the Southwestern US

The Picuris orogeny was an orogenic event in what is now the Southwestern United States from 1.43 to 1.3 billion years ago in the Calymmian Period of the Mesoproterozoic. The event is named for the Picuris Mountains in northern New Mexico and interpreted either as the suturing of the Granite-Rhyolite crustal province to the southern margin of the proto-North American continent Laurentia or as the final suturing of the Mazatzal crustal province onto Laurentia. According to the former hypothesis, this was the second in a series of orogenies within a long-lived convergent boundary along southern Laurentia that ended with the ca. 1200–1000 Mya Grenville orogeny during the final assembly of the supercontinent Rodinia, which ended an 800-million-year episode of convergent boundary tectonism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vadito Group</span> Group of geologic formations in New Mexico, US

The Vadito Group is a group of geologic formations that crops out in most of the Precambrian-cored uplifts of northern New Mexico. Detrital zircon geochronology and radiometric dating give a consistent age of 1700 Mya for the group, corresponding to the Statherian period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Rock Formation</span>

The Big Rock Formation is a formation that crops out in the Tusas Mountains of northern New Mexico. Detrital zircon geochronology gives a maximum age for the formation of 1665 Mya, corresponding to the Statherian period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glenwoody Formation</span>

The Glenwoody Formation is a geological formation that is exposed in the cliffs southeast of the Rio Grande Gorge near the town of Pilar and in a few other locations in the Picuris Mountains. Its minimum age from detrital zircon geochronology is 1.693 Mya, corresponding to the Statherian period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hondo Group</span> Group of geologic formations in New Mexico, US

The Hondo Group is a group of geologic formations that crops out in most of the Precambrian-cored uplifts of northern New Mexico. Detrital zircon geochronology gives a maximum age for the lower Hondo Group of 1765 to 1704 million years (Mya), corresponding to the Statherian period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ortega Formation</span> Geologic formation in New Mexico, US

The Ortega Formation is a geologic formation that crops out in most of the mountain ranges of northern New Mexico. Detrital zircon geochronology establishes a maximum age for the formation of 1690-1670 million years (Mya), in the Statherian period of the Precambrian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marquenas Formation</span> Geologic formation in New Mexico, US

The Marquenas Formation is a geological formation that crops out in the Picuris Mountains of northern New Mexico. Detrital zircon geochronology gives it a maximum age of 1435 million years, corresponding to the Calymmian period.

The Los Pinos Mountains are a small mountain range in the central part of New Mexico, US. They are the southernmost part of a mountain front, running north to south, that also includes the Sandia Mountains and the Manzano Mountains. The Los Pinos Mountains are separated from the Manzano Mountains by Abo Pass, which was cut by a small tributary to the Rio Grande. The mountains run slightly west of south for 15 miles (24 km) and widen to a maximum of about 4 miles (6.4 km) across before narrowing again. The southern end of the range is ill-defined, being marked by cuestas that merge into badlands to the south.

The White Ridge Quartzite is a geologic formation in central New Mexico. It has a maximum age of 1650 million years (Ma), corresponding to the Statherian period.

The Blue Springs Formation is a geologic formation exposed in the Los Pinos Mountains of central New Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sais Quartzite</span> Geologic formation in New Mexico, US

The Sais Quartzite is a geologic formation exposed in the Los Pinos Mountains of central New Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abajo Formation</span> Geologic formation in New Mexico, US

The Abajo Formation is a geologic formation in the Los Pinos Mountains of central New Mexico. It was deposited about 1660 million years (Ma) ago, corresponding to the Statherian period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mazatzal Group</span> Geologic formation in Arizona, US

The Mazatzal Group is a group of geologic formations that crops out in portions of central Arizona, US. Detrital zircon geochronology establishes a maximum age for the formation of 1660 to 1630 million years (Mya), in the Statherian period of the Precambrian. The group gives its name to the Mazatzal orogeny, a mountain-building event that took place between 1695 and 1630 Mya.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tijeras Greenstone</span> Geologic formation in New Mexico, US

The Tijeras Greenstone is a geologic formation in central New Mexico. It has a radiometric age of 1660 million years (Ma), corresponding to the Statherian period.

The White Ledges Formation is a geologic formation that crops out in central Arizona, US. Detrital zircon geochronology establishes a maximum age for the formation of 1726 million years (Mya), in the Statherian period of the Precambrian. The formation is typical of quartzites deposited around 1650 million years ago in the southwestern part of Laurentia, the ancient core of the North American continent.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Luther, Amy (2006). History and timing of polyphase Proterozoic deformation in the Manzano thrust belt, central New Mexico [master's thesis] . Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Jones, James V. III; Daniel, Christopher G.; Frei, Dirk; Thrane, Kristine (2011). "Revised regional correlations and tectonic implications of Paleoproterozoic and Mesoproterozoic metasedimentary rocks in northern New Mexico, USA: New findings from detrital zircon studies of the Hondo Group, Vadito Group, and Marqueñas Formation". Geosphere. 7 (4): 974. doi: 10.1130/GES00614.1 .
  3. 1 2 3 4 Holland, Mark E.; Grambling, Tyler A.; Karlstrom, Karl E.; Jones, James V.; Nagotko, Kimberly N.; Daniel, Christopher G. (September 2020). "Geochronologic and Hf-isotope framework of Proterozoic rocks from central New Mexico, USA: Formation of the Mazatzal crustal province in an extended continental margin arc". Precambrian Research. 347: 105820. doi:10.1016/j.precamres.2020.105820. S2CID   225308346.
  4. 1 2 Lee, Willis T.; Girty, George H. (1909). "The Manzano Group of the Rio Grande Valley, New Mexico". United States Geological Survey Bulletin. 389. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  5. 1 2 "Manzano". GEOLEX. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  6. 1 2 Boese, E. (1 January 1920). "On the ammonoids from the Abo sandstone of New Mexico and the age of the beds which contain them". American Journal of Science. s4-49 (289): 51–60. doi:10.2475/ajs.s4-49.289.51.
  7. Bauer, Paul W.; Williams, Michael L. (August 1989). "Stratigraphic nomenclature ol proterozoic rocks, northern New Mexico-revisions, redefinitions, and formaliza" (PDF). New Mexico Geology. 11 (3). Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  8. Baer, Shannon; Karlstrom, Karl E.; Bauer, Paul; Connell, Sean D. (July 2004). "Geologic Map of the Manzano Peak Quadrangle, Valencia and Torrence Counties, New Mexico" (PDF). New Mexico Bureau of Geology & Mineral Resources Open File Digital Geologic Map. OF-GM 61. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  9. Herrick, C.L. (1900). "The geology of the white sands of New Mexico". Journal of Geology. 8 (2): 112–128. doi:10.1086/620780. S2CID   129830682 . Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  10. Gordon, C.H. (1907). "Notes on the Pennsylvanian formations in the Rio Grande Valley, New Mexico" (PDF). Journal of Geology. 15 (8): 805–816. doi:10.1086/621476. S2CID   140640217 . Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  11. Lucas, Spencer G.; Krainer, Karl; Colpitts, Robert M. Jr. (2005a), Lucas, S.G.; Zeiger, K.E.; Spielmann, J.A. (eds.), "Abo-Yeso (lower Permian) stratigraphy in central New Mexico", The Permian of Central New Mexico, New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin, vol. 31, pp. 101–117
  12. Cather, S.M.; Zeiger, Kate E.; Mack, Greg H.; Kelley, Shari A. (2013). "Toward standardization of Phanerozoic stratigraphic nomenclature in New Mexico". New Mexico Geological Society Spring Meeting: 12. CiteSeerX   10.1.1.667.3513 .