New Mexico Geological Society
Special Publication - 5
Cenozoic Volcanism in Southwestern New Mexico

Wolfgang E. Elston and Stuart A. Northrop, eds, 1976, 151 pages.

This volume has been a long time in the making. The call for papers went out in late 1970 and papers were received in 1971 and 1972. Plans called for publication as University of New Mexico Publication in Geology No. 8. Tentative approval had been obtained before the call for papers was issued but by the time papers had been reviewed and edited, the great financial crunch of the 1970's had struck in academia. UNM Press has an established reputation and market in the humanities and social sciences but was uncertain about the physical sciences. In 1973 the plan for University of New Mexico Publication in Geology No. 8 had to be abandoned.

Efforts to find an alternative publisher were successful in May 1975, when the Executive Committee of the New Mexico Geological Society voted to sponsor this volume. Rodney Rhodes' tragic death had occurred just two months before and it was decided to dedicate the volume to his memory. The technicalities of preparing manuscripts for the printer became less overwhelming when Stuart A. Northrop agreed to accept coeditorship. To save printing costs, all bibliographies were combined into one at the end of the volume.

In the meantime, science had not stood still. All authors were given an opportunity to revise their manuscripts. In general, papers that describe particular areas had remained up to date. Papers that interpreted the data required extensive revision. Specifically, all papers of which I am author or coauthor were written or completely rewritten during 1975 and early 1976. All other papers are essentially as they were in 1973. One article that had been cited in the literature as being "in press" was withdrawn by the authors: Seager, W. R., and Clemons, R. E.,"Volcanic chronology and structure of the Blue Creek basin region between Clifton, Arizona and Cliff, New Mexico."

In the years between 1970 and 1976 the growth of interest in Cenozoic volcanism in western North America has been astonishing. Volcanic rocks, once regarded as mere overburden by prospectors, have turned out to be a key in the understanding of plate motions, composition of the Earth's interior, the distribution of mineral deposits, and the evolution of planets. My views have certainly changed drastically since this volume was first conceived, as the implications of plate tectonics and the Apollo program became apparent. It is hoped that this volume will fill some of the need for specific regional information.

This volume recounts some of the progress of the last few years but it also points to the gaps that remain. Information on trace-element and isotopic composition of Cenozoic volcanic rocks of southwestern New Mexico is scanty. Crustal structure is virtually unknown. The timing of events remains uncertain and controversial. Above all, large areas remain unmapped and many conclusions and correlations rest on shaky ground. The work is continuing and whatever we may say this year, next year we may know better.

Table of Contents

Front Matter: (Table of Contents, Forward, and Memorial) [1.38 MB PDF]

Foreword

pp. v.

Memorial to Rodney Charles Rhodes

pp. 1-2

REGIONAL GEOLOGY OF THE MOGOLLON-DATIL VOLCANIC PROVINCE

Progress Report on the Mogollon Plateau volcanic field, southwestern New Mexico, No. 3 – Surface expression of a pluton

— Wolfgang E. Elston, Rodney C. Rhodes, Peter J. Coney, and Edmond G. Deal, pp. 3-28

Structure, volcanic stratigraphy, and gravity across the Mogollon Plateau, New Mexico

— Peter J. Coney, pp. 29-41

Volcanic geology of the Mogollon Range and adjacent areas, Catron and Grant Counties, New Mexico

— Rodney C. Rhodes, pp. 42-50

Volcano-tectonic structures in the San Mateo Mountains, Socorro County, New Mexico

— Edmond G. Deal and Rodney C Rhodes, pp. 51-56

Stratigraphy and structure of the northwestern part of the Mogollon Plateau'volcanic province, Catron County, New Mexico

— Rodney C. Rhodes and Eugene I. Smith, pp. 57-62

Tertiary extrusive sheets and related intrusions in the Black Range, New Mexico

— George E. Ericksen and Helmuth Wedow, Jr., pp. 63-67

Volcanic geology of the northern Black Range, New Mexico

— Ronald V. Fodor, pp. 68-70

Structure and petrology of the John Kerr Peak dome complex, southwestern New Mexico

— Eugene I. Smith, pp. 71-78

Geology and flow directions of volcanic rocks of the North Star Mesa quadrangle, Grant County, New Mexico

— M.J. Aldrich, Jr., pp. 79-81

LATE CENOZOIC BASALTS

Major-element variations of late Cenozoic basalts of New Mexico

— Ken-Ichiro Aoki and Albert M. Kudo, pp. 82-88

The Potrillo basalt field, south-central New Mexico

— Jerry M. Hoffer, pp. 89-92

TOPICAL PAPERS

Tectonic significance of mid-Tertiary volcanism in the Basin and Range province: A critical review with special reference to New Mexico

— Wolfgang E. Elston, pp. 93-102

Petrologic framework of the Mogollon Plateau volcanic ring complex, New Mexico – Surface expression of a major batholith

— Rodney C. Rhodes, pp. 103-112

Gravity survey of the Mogollon Plateau volcanic province, southwestern New Mexico

— Douglas H. Krohn, pp. 113-116

Fission-track ages of Tertiary volcanic and plutonic rocks, Mogollon Plateau, southwestern New Mexico

— Eugene I. Smith, M. J. Aldrich, Jr., Edmond G. Deal, and Rodney C. Rhodes, pp. 117-118

Paleomagnetic studies of volcanic rocks from the Mogollon Plateau area of Arizona and New Mexico

— D.W. Strangway, J. Simpson and D. York, pp. 119-124

Control of mineralization by mid-Tertiary volcanic centers, southwestern New Mexico

— Wolfgang E. Elston, Rodney C. Rhodes, and Edward E. Erb, pp. 125-130

GLOSSARY

Glossary of stratigraphic terms of the Mogollon-Datil volcanic province, New Mexico

— Wolfgang E. Elston, pp. 131-144

REFERENCES CITED

CONTENTS OF SUPPLEMENTAL POCKET

Figure 2. Reconnaissance geologic map of part of the Mogollon-Datil volcanic province, New Mexico

— Elston, Rhodes, Coney, and Deal

Table 1. Stratigraphic correlation of mid-Tertiary volcanic rocks, Mogollon-Datil volcanic province, New Mexico

— Elston, Rhodes, Coney, and Deal

Figure 9. Preliminary tectonic map of the Mogollon-Datil volcanic province, New Mexico

— Elston, Rhodes, Coney, and Deal

Figure 1. Structure, volcanic stratigraphy, and gravity across the Mogollon Plateau, New Mexico

— Coney

Figure 3. Reconnaissance geologic map of the Mogollon Range and adjacent areas, New Mexico

— Rhodes (a)

Figure 2. Geologic map of the Tularosa Mountains and adjacent areas, New Mexico

— Rhodes and Smith

Figure 2. Geologic map of the northern Black Range, New Mexico

— Fodor

Figure 2. Geology and flow directions of volcanic rocks of the North Star Mesa quadrangle, Grant County, New Mexico

— Aldrich

Figure 1. Bouguer gravity map of the Mogollon Plateau, southwestern New Mexico

— Krohn

Figure 2. Residual gravity and geologic map of the Mogollon Plateau

— Krohn