Muleros Formation | |
---|---|
Stratigraphic range: | |
Type | Formation |
Underlies | Mesilla Valley Formation |
Overlies | Smeltertown Formation |
Thickness | 106 feet (32 m) |
Location | |
Coordinates | 31°47′39″N106°32′35″W / 31.7940792°N 106.5430513°W |
Region | New Mexico |
Country | United States |
Type section | |
Named for | Cerro de Muleros (now Cerro de Cristo Rey) |
Named by | W.S. Strain |
Year defined | 1976 |
The Muleros Formation is a geologic formation in New Mexico, which is particularly well exposed at Cerro de Cristo Rey near El Paso, Texas. [1] It preserves fossils dating back to the early Cretaceous period. [2]
The formation consists of highly fossiliferous nodular argillaceous (clay-rich) limestone at its base and in its upper portion, with shale dominating the middle section and interbedding with the limestone towards the top of the formation. Total thickness is 106 feet (32 m). The formation conformably overlies the Smeltertown Formation and grades into the overlying Mesilla Valley Formation. [2]
The formation is interpreted as an outer shelf formation that later experienced shallowing and deposition of limestone in an inner shelf environment subject to storm influence, then deepened again to deposit shale with some storm layers. [3]
The formation contains at least 20 genera and 23 species of fossils. These include the molluscs Lima wacoensis Roemer, Lima mexicana Bose, Pecten texanus var. elongatus Bose, Pecten subalpinus Bose, Plicatula incongrua Conrad, Ostrea quadriplicata (Shumard), Texigryphaea washitaensis. Trigonia emery Conrad, Helicocryptus mexicanus Bose, and Turritella granulata Sowerby var. cenomanensis d'Orbigny and the echinoderm Heteraster bravoensis (Bose). These are characteristic of the Albian age. [1] The formation is highly fossiliferous, with some beds consisting almost entirely of fossils of the oyster Texigryphaea washitaensis. [2]
The beds making up the formation were first described by E. Bose in 1906 as subdivision 5 of his stratigraphic section. [1] W.S. Strain assigned the name Muleros Formation to this subdivision in 1976. [2]
The Boquillas Formation is a geologic formation deposited during the Late Cretaceous in modern-day West Texas. It is typically composed of alternating marls and limestones with thin volcanic ash beds (bentonites). It was named for outcrops near the former Boquillas post office in Big Bend National Park. The term Boquillas Formation has been used for rocks that outcrop from Del Rio, Texas to as far west as Doña Ana County, New Mexico.
The Graneros Shale is a geologic formation in the United States identified in the Great Plains as well as New Mexico that dates to the Cenomanian Age of the Cretaceous Period. It is defined as the finely sandy argillaceous or clayey near-shore/marginal-marine shale that lies above the older, non-marine Dakota sand and mud, but below the younger, chalky open-marine shale of the Greenhorn. This definition was made in Colorado by G. K. Gilbert and has been adopted in other states that use Gilbert's division of the Benton's shales into Carlile, Greenhorn, and Graneros. These states include Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and New Mexico as well as corners of Minnesota and Iowa. North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana have somewhat different usages — in particular, north and west of the Black Hills, the same rock and fossil layer is named Belle Fourche Shale.
The Greenhorn Limestone or Greenhorn Formation is a geologic formation in the Great Plains Region of the United States, dating to the Cenomanian and Turonian ages of the Late Cretaceous period. The formation gives its name to the Greenhorn cycle of the Western Interior Seaway.
The Arcadia Park Shale is a geologic formation within the Eagle Ford Group that outcrops in the northern portion of East Texas. It was deposited during the Middle to Late Turonian of the Late Cretaceous. It was originally described by W. L. Moreman from outcrops near the former Arcadia Park railway station west of downtown Dallas, where it is 100 ft thick. In the type area there is an unconformity between the Arcadia Park and the underlying Britton Formation. The base of the Arcadia Park is a thin limestone termed the Kamp Ranch Limestone. The Kamp Ranch Limestone is made up of broken pieces (prisms) of Inoceramus clams, and also contains shark's teeth. The remainder of the Arcadia Park in the Dallas area is shale with concretions. Sandstones are found within the Arcadia Park north of Dallas. The sandstones have been termed the Bells Sandstone Member for outcrops in Grayson County, and the Sub-Clarksville Sandstone in the subsurface. The shale overlying the Bells Sandstone has been named the Maribel Shale
The Hueco Formation is a geologic formation in west Texas and southern New Mexico. It preserves fossils dating back to the early Permian period.
The Lake Valley Limestone is a geologic formation widely exposed in southwestern New Mexico. It preserves fossils dating back to the lower to middle Mississippian.
The Sandia Formation is a geologic formation in New Mexico, United States. Its fossil assemblage is characteristic of the early Pennsylvanian.
The Berino Formation is a geologic formation in the Franklin Mountains of southern New Mexico and western Texas. It preserves fossils dating back to the middle Pennsylvanian.
The Del Norte Formation is a geologic formation in Mexico, New Mexico and Texas near the city of El Paso. It preserves fossils dating back to the early Cretaceous period.
The Finlay Limestone is a geologic formation in western Texas, southern New Mexico, and northern Chihuahua. It preserves fossils dating back to the early Cretaceous period.
The Mesilla Valley Shale is a geologic formation in southern New Mexico, northern Chihuahua, and far west Texas. It preserves fossils dating back to the Albian age of the early Cretaceous period.
The Smeltertown Formation is a geologic formation in New Mexico, which is particularly well exposed at Cerro de Cristo Rey near El Paso, Texas. It preserves fossils dating back to the early Cretaceous period.
The Tucumcari Formation is a geologic formation in New Mexico. It preserves fossils dating back to the Albian Age of the early Cretaceous period.
The Atrasado Formation is a geologic formation in New Mexico. Its fossil assemblage dates the formation to the Kasimovian age of the Pennsylvanian. It was formerly known locally as the Wild Cow Formation or the Guadelupe Box Formation.
The Bisbee Group is a geologic group in Arizona, Mexico, and New Mexico. It preserves fossils dating back to the early Cretaceous period.
The Porvenir Formation is a geologic formation exposed in the southeastern Sangre de Cristo Mountains of New Mexico. It preserves fossils dating back to the middle Pennsylvanian period.
The U-Bar Formation is a geologic formation in southwestern New Mexico. It preserves fossils dating back to the early Cretaceous period.
The La Tuna Formation is a geologic formation in the Franklin Mountains of southern New Mexico and western Texas and the Hueco Mountains of western Texas. It preserves fossils dating back to the Bashkirian Age of the early Pennsylvanian.
The Lead Camp Limestone is a geologic formation in the San Andres Mountains of New Mexico. It preserves fossils dating back to the middle Pennsylvanian.
Texigryphaea is an extinct genus of oyster belonging to the order Ostreida and family Gryphaeidae. It dates to the Albian to Cenomanian Ages of the Cretaceous period and is primarily found in Texas and the southern Western Interior of North America. However, specimens have been identified from northern Spain.