Guadalupian stratigraphy of the Delaware Basin near Carlsbad, NM

Kevin Hobbs (Geologic Mapping) and Dan Lavery (Aquifer Mapping) accompanied University of Houston geoscience students to the Delaware Basin to study the Guadalupian stratigraphy of the area in the field. The trip was led by Kurt Rudolph (formerly of ExxonMobil) and Dr. Julia Wellner (UH Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences). Complex exposures of sedimentary rocks were inspected recording environments ranging from basin floor to shelf, including the spectacular Capitan Reef. Particular focus was devoted to interpreting the relationship between the formations of the Guadalupian Delaware Mountain Group with underlying Leonardian rocks. These sediments were deposited as the Delaware Basin underwent a complex change from a relatively low-relief basin to one with a very steep profile defined by reef development on the basin margin. In addition to being a valuable experience learning about one of the best-studied sedimentary basins in the world, this field experience is useful for ongoing modeling efforts in the adjacent Salt Basin. The geology underlying the modern internally-drained Salt Basin is composed of many of the same slope and shelf sedimentary rocks as in the Delaware Basin, but with an additional layer of structural complexity from Cenozoic Basin and Range tectonism.