First-day Road Log: Quebradas Region
— Daniel J. Koning, W. John Nelson, Richard Chamberlin, Spencer G. Lucas, Scott Elrick, and Laila Sturgis

Summary:

We begin the field conference at Kelly Canyon, located 4 miles north of Socorro, where we can see much of the Socorro Basin and surrounding uplands. In addition to the tectonic- stratigraphic framework of the region, Kelly Canyon features an illustrative suite of terraces. How these terraces correlate to a regional terrace stratigraphy, their ages, and what drove their evolution will be discussed by Fred Phillips and Brad Sion. Afterwards, we drive for 45 minutes to 1 hour into the Quebradas region, east of Socorro, where the next two stops focus on deciphering fault-bend and fault-propagation folds that have occurred in Pennsylvanian-Permian sedimentary rocks. Stop 2 will also orientate us to the Permian stratigraphic succession. Lunch will be at Stop 3, where an impressive asymmetric, tight, anticlinal fold is found in the Atrasado Formation. Where exactly are the faults responsible for that fault-propagation fold? Stop 3 also allows a distant view of low-angle detachment faults that commonly are found in the upper Yeso Formation or Glorieta Sandstone. The afternoon will be spent at Ojo de Amado (known as Bursum Spring to folks in Socorro), where we explore a narrow canyon and learn about members of the Atrasado Formation, investigate a bioherm, and ponder stratigraphic relations and geologic structures at the western edge of the Quebradas. For all of the Quebradas stops, a recently completed geologic compilation map of the Quebradas region by Steve Cather (in press) is of great help in understanding the stratigraphy and structures of the region.


Note: Full-text Fall Field Conference road logs for recent guidebooks are only available in print.


Recommended Citation:

  1. Koning, Daniel J.; Nelson, W. John; Chamberlin, Richard; Lucas, Spencer G.; Elrick, Scott; Sturgis, Laila, 2022, First-day Road Log: Quebradas Region, in: New Mexico Geological Society, 72nd Fall Field Conference, Sept. 2022, Socorro, New Mexico, Koning, Daniel J.; Hobbs, Kevin J.; Phillips, Fred M.; Nelson, W. John; Cather, Steven M.; Jakle, Anne C.; Van Der Werff, Brittney, New Mexico Geological Society, Field Conference, pp. 30-63. https://doi.org/10.56577/FFC-72.30

[see guidebook]