Third-day road log: From Inn of the Mountain Gods to Nogal, Carrizozo, White Oaks and Valley of Fires
— Spencer G. Lucas, Virginia T. McLemore, Adrian P. Hunt, Michael S. Allen, Steven M. Cather, and Mark Ouimette

Day 3 begins with a north-south traverse of the Sierra Blanca and the southern part of Lincoln County. We first examine Cretaceous (Crevasse Canyon Formation) and Eocene (Cub Mountain Formation) sedimentary rocks cut by Tertiary igneous dikes at Stop l. We then pass through the Nogal mining district and leave the Sierra Blanca to enter the Sierra Blanca basin (Tularosa Valley) near Carrizozo. From Carrizozo the route passes northnortheast through the White Oaks and Jicarilla mining districts. The road log includes an optional stop at White Oaks. Triassic Moenkopi and Santa Rosa Formations are then examined at Stop 2 near Ancho. Just to the south, a basaltic sill intrudes the Cretaceous Greenhorn Formation at Stop 3, and the trip ends at the Quaternary olivine-basalt lava flow at the Valley of Fires Recreation Area at Stop 4. Today's route covers an area dominated by the structural Capitan lineament as shown by the numerous Tertiary igneous intrusive centers forming the Lincoln County porphyry belt (Table 3.1, Fig. 3.1). It also affords an understanding of Triassic and Cretaceous stratigraphy and sedimentation in the Sierra Blanca basin.