The Mountain Geologist v.

9, 1972

LARGE GYPSUM MOUNDS IN THE TODILTO FORMATION,

MEXICOL
NEW MEXICO

WILLIAM TAh-TR: Floricla

WTLT,TABI F. TANNER: Floridn State University,
Tallahassee. Floricln
Tnll:~l~nssee.Florida

ABSTRACT: T h e unusual and interesting

The i n t i r e s t i n g mounds
m o u n d s whLch
which characterize
c h a r a c t e r n e much m u c h of the northernn o r t h e r n and
a n d southern
s o u t h e r n edges
e d g e s of the
the
g y p s u m (upper
gypsum ( u p p e r member)
member) m In the Tod1lto
T o d ~ l t oFormation ( J u r a s s i c age).
F o r m a t i o n (Jurassic age), m i n New MeXlco.iMexlco, are a r e dLff1cult
difficult to t o explam.
explain. F1ve F l v e dLstmct
distlnct
t h e o r i e s have b
theories e e n advanced to
been t o account for f o r these
t h e s e large.
l a r g e , dLscretc
d i s c r e t e hills.
h i l l s , or
o r ndges.
r i d g e s , of gypsum:. (1) ( 1 ) nver
r i v e r erOSLon
e r o s i o n rem-
rem-
n a n t s , (2)
nants. d u n e s , (3)
( 2 ) dunes. ( 3 ) subaqueous b a r s , (4)
bars. differential squeez1ng
(4) dLffercntial squeezing p r o d u c t s , and (5)
products, (5) karst
k a r s t remnants.
remnants.
F i e l d eV1dence
FLeld e v l d e n c e 1S
1s p r e s e n t e d to
presented t o show that none of these theones t h e o r l e s (at
( a t least.
l e a s t , as
a s usually
u s u a l l y conce1ved)
conceived) can c a n be correct.
correct. A
c o m b i n a t i o n of subaqueous b
combinatLon a r (No.3)
bar (No. 3) and a n d dune activity (No.2). (No. 2), modified by later l a t e r non-Karst
n o n - K a r s t m1cro-solutLon
m l c r o - s o l u t i o n (No.5).
(No. 5),
m a y provlde a sUltable
may suitable explanation.

INTRODUCTION \ 0\
T h e Todllto
The T o d l l t o Formahon.
F o r m a t i o n , of Jurass1cJ u r a s s i c age.a g e , occurs
o c c u r s be-
tween the underlymg u n d e r l y m g Entrada
E n t r a d a sandstone
s a n d s t o n e and the overlymg
M o r r i s o n Format1on
Morrison FormatLon (or ( o r ltS
~ t equivalents)
esq u i v a l e n t s ) throughout most
of northwestern
n o r t h w e s t e r n New Mexlco (Flg. ( F i g . 1).1).
w e s t e r n edge
The western e d g e of the TodLlto T o d ~ l t oFormation
F o r m a t i o n lS 1s close
to, and roughly
to. roughly p parallel wlth, the
a r a l l e l wah. thc Arlzona
A r i z o n a states t a t e line.
line,
the type locahty. l o c a l l t y , ln i n Todllto Park. P a r k , near n e a r the town of
Navajo,
Navajo. New Mexlco. Mexico, is kilometer or
i s only a kllometer o r so s o from
f r o m the
f e a t h c r edge.
feather e d g e . The southern s o u t h e r n hm1t
h m r t extends t h r o u g h the
e x t e n d s through
vlcinltieS
vlcimtle s of Gallup.
Gallup, Grants. G r a n t s , and Acoma. A c o m a , and thence
northeastward p
northeastward a s t Albuquerque toward Las
past L a s Vegas
V e g a s (all(all
i n New Mexico). The
in T h e eastern
e a s t e r n edge
cdge of essentially con-
tlnuous Todllto
tmuous T o d l l t o hash a s been traced traced m In detail
d e t a i l near
n e a r the hamlets
of LosL o s Montoyas.
Montoyas, San S a n Agustm.
Agustin, and La L a Liendre.
L i e n d r e , all a l l with-
i n 25 km
in s o u t h or
krn south o r southeast
s o u t h e a s t of Las L a s Vegas.
V e g a s . (An (An outlier of
T o d i l t o or
Todilto Todllto-llke mate
o r Todllto-hke m a t e rnOll
i a l also
a l s o occurs
o c c u r s in eastern
castcrn NEW O 200
Guadalupe County. County, east e a s t of Santa Rosa R o s a and a n d south of Cuervo Cucrvo MEXICO ==~~=
KM.
and Newkirk,
Newkirk. New Mexico. Mexico, however. however, it i t is
i s separated
separated
f r o m the known edge
from e d g e to t o the northn o r t h and northwest
n o r t h w e s t by an an
~ n t e r v a l ,approximately
lnterval. a p p r o x i m a t e l y 75 7 5 kmkrn or o r more
m o r c wide.widc, where whcrc
M o r r i s o n rests
Morrison r e s t s dlrectly
d i r e c t l y on Entrada.
E n t r a d a , with no n o Todilto in
betwecn.
between. ) The T h e northern
n o r t h e r n edge
cdge of the formation f o r m a t i o n lie l i c s along
aa line
l i n e extending from f r o m a few kllometers
k i l o m e t e r s southwest
s o u t h w e s t of Las Las F i g . I.
Fig. 1. Outhne
Outline map m a p of New Mexico. Mexico, showmg showing the loca- loca-
V e g a s , northwest
Vegas. n o r t h w e s t through the vicinities v i c i n i t i e s of EI E l Rito
R i t o and tion of the thc Todilto
T o d i l t o Formation.
F o r m a t i o n . Light shading.shading, approxi-
approxi-
C h a m a , Ncw
Chama. Mexico, and northward
New Mexlco. n o r t h w a r d into i n t o Colorado.
Colorado. m a t e position of the upper
mate u p p e r member
m e m b e r (gypsum);
( g y p s u m ) ; heavy
hcavy
T h e r e are
There a r e two members m c m b e r s in i n the Todilto Formation. Formation. shading, locahties
shading. l o c a l i t i e s where
w h e r e gypsum
g y p s u m mounds
m o u n d s werew e r e studied.
T h e lower
The l o w e r member
m e m b e r LS i s a thin-bedded to l a m i n a t c d lime-
t o laminated lime- C i t i e s , towns and p
Cities. l a c c s indicated are:
places a r e : A. A, Albuquer-
Albuquer-
s t o n e , commonly
stone. c o m m o n l y 6 m or o r Ie
l e ss
s s thlck.
tluck, gradingg r a d i n g fromf r o m pale quc. SF.
que. S F , Santa Fe; F e ; LV,
LV, Las L a s Vegas;
V c g a s ; SR. SantaSantn Rosa; Rosa;
g r a y in color
gray c o l o r 10 i n the southwe
s o u t h w estern
stcrn p a r t of the
part thc areaa r e a to T , Tucumcari;
T. T u c u m c a r i ; G. G, Gallup; N, Navajo; NavaJO; S. S, Shiprock;
S h i p r o c k ; and
and
d a r k gray
dark g r a y or o r almost
almost b l a c k along the eastern
black c a s t e r n and north- GR, Ghost Ranch.
GR.
e r n edges.
ern e d g e s . The T h e limestone
l i m e s t o n e member
m e m b e r is is p r c s c n t wherever
present wherever
f o r m a t i o n is
the formation is p resent.
present.
T h e upper
The u p p e r member
m e m b e r conslsts
c o n s i s t s of gypsum.
g y p s u m , as a s much
m u c h asas e a s t e r n McKinley County.
in eastern County, and near n e a r Ablquiu.
Abiquiu, in south-
40 m thlck. thlck, it i t appear
a p p e a r smas i n a central
c e n t r a l belt. extending from from eastern R l o Arriba
e a s t e r n RLo A r r i b a County. In these these p l a c e s , the gyp-
places.
n o r t h to
north t o south.
south, and is i s found 10 i n only about a b o u t a thirdt h i r d of the s u m occurs
sum o c c u r s in
i n mounds.
m o u n d s , or or b u r i e d hills.
buried h i l l s , having typLcally
typically
t o t a l area
total a r e a of Todilto occurrence. o c c u r r e n c e . The T h e eastern
e a s t e r n anda n d west- f l a t tops
flat t o p s and very v e r y steep
s t e e p sides.
s i d e s . Good examples e x a m p l e s of these
these
e r n edges
ern e d g e s of the gypsum g y p s u m member
m e m b e r eithere i t h e r area r e hidden in g y p s u m mounds
gypsum m o u n d s can c a n be seen s e e n we w e sts t of the village of Calione C a z o n e Er
t h e subsurface
the s u b s u r f a c e or o r have been removed r e m o v e d by erosion. erosion. ( R i o Arriba
(Rio A r r i b a County)
County) along a l o n g ana n abandoned road. r o a d , across
across
T h e northern
The n o r t h e r n and southern s w t h e r n edgese d g e s of the gypsum g y p s u m can the Rio R i o Puerco
P u e r c o fromf r o m the villages
v i l l a g e s of Coyote and Youngs-
be seens e e n in i n several
s e v e r a l 10cahtLes;
localities; for f o r example.
e x a m p l e , near n e a r Laguna.
Laguna, ville; on the cliffs c l i f f s above
a b o v e the Ghost Ranch R a n c h headquarters.
headquarters,
n o r t h w e s t of Abiquiu; and in the
northwest t h e vlcinity
vicinity of Echo E c h o Amphl-
Arnph-
lManuscnpt r e c e i v e d , September
I M a n u s c r l p t received. S e p t e m b e r 25.
25, 1971;
1971; accepted.
accepted, t h e a t e r , along
theater. a l o n g both sides s i d e s of U. U.S. k g h w a y 85.
S. Hlghway 85. The
with r e v ~ s i o n s , January
w i t h reVlsions. J a n u a r y 14.
14, 1972. m o u n d s tend to
mounds t o be oval-shaped
o v a l - s h a p e d or o r oblong (Tanner. ( T a n n e r . 1965).
1965).

'Ibc Mountain
11Ie Gdosin. v. 9. no.
Mountain Geologist. I . p. SffS
no. 1, 55-56
2005 The Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists