
Hypothetical views of the Delaware basin and surrounding platform areas
during sea-level low- and
highstands. Lowstand intervals were periods of terrigenous sand transport
across shelves, mainly by
eolian processes, and sand deposition occurred mainly in the basin. Highstand
intervals saw develop-
ment of shelf-margin reefs with associated back reef carbonate-evaporite-redbed
deposits and thick
carbonate fore-reef talus deposits. Basins of this time had only thin calcareous
shale deposition.
© Peter A. Scholle, 1999
Guadalupe Mtns. geology Scholle home page NM Bureau staff page NM Bureau main page