New Mexico Geological Society Annual Spring Meeting — Abstracts

Reef complexes of Mississippian, Pennsylvanian, and Permian age are excellently exposed in the northern part of the Sacramento Mountains. The Lake Valley reef complex, Mississippian, in Indian Wells Canyon is a retrograde reef that experienced sea level fluctuations of as much as 35 feet, at least six ditferenttimes. There was about 700 feet of progradation and approximately 78 feet of vertical accumulation in the carbonate complex.

The Holder reef complex in Dry Canyon exhibits progradation of nearly 3950 feet. Vertical sea level changes in excess of 150 feet appear to have occurred several times. As many as 20 sea level fluctuations may be represented in the Holder strata. Different patterns of phylloid algal growth reflect the amount and rate of sea level fluctuations.

Sea level changes of the Laborcita reef complex near Tularosa resulted in a different growth pattern. The phylloid algal bioherms grew on an actively prograding siliciclastic shelf constructed by fans and deltas. Fluctuation of sea level was in excess of 80 feet (24.4 m). progradation exceeded 1600 feet (557 m) during the growth of the bioherms.