Stratigraphic summary of Pennsylvanian and Lower Permian rocks, Manzano Mountains, New Mexico
— Donald A. Myers

The Manzano Mountains (fig. 1) are east of the Rio Grande Valley between I-40 and U.S. 60. The Manzano Mountains are a fault-block range about 16 km wide and 72 km long. The western part of the range has been uplifted along mostly concealed north-trending faults to expose a core of Precambrian metasedimentary, metavolcanic, and crystalline rocks. The Albuquerque basin is downfaulted relative to the uplift.

The eastern part of the range is a gently sloping surface formed by Pennsylvaniän rocks that dip eastward beneath overlying surficial deposits. The Pennsylvanian rocks, at most places, overlie the Precambrian; however, at a few localities, remnants of Mississippian rocks that are less than 4 m thick rest on the Precambrian.

The Pennsylvanian and Lower Permian marine, marginal marine, and terriginous rocks (fig. 2) have been subdivided into the Sandia Formation (Atokan) and the overlying Madera Group. The Madera Group is subdivided, in ascending order, into the Los Moyos Limestone (Des Moinesian and Missourian), the Wild Cow Formation (Missour-ian, Virgilian, and Wolfcampian), and the Bursum Formation (Wolfcampian).