Miocene rhyolitic volcanism in the Socorro area of New Mexico

Bobrow, Danny J.; Kyle, Philip R.; Osburn, Glenn R.

doi:10.56577/ffc-34.211

Cited by 6 publications

(9 citation statements)

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“…However, part of the cooling may be related to the waning of volcanism in the Socorro area. The block lies on the northern margin of the 12 to 7 Ma Socorro Peak rhyolite field (Chamberlin, 1980;Bobrow et al, 1983;Chapin, 1989). The apatite FT ages are similar to the age of the rhyolitic volcanism, which suggests that the FT data reflect the combined effects of uplift and changes in heat flow related to volcanism.…”

Section: Central New Mexicomentioning

confidence: 99%

Late Mesozoic to Cenozoic cooling histories of the flanks of the northern and central Rio Grande rift, Colorado and New Mexico

Kelley¹,

Chapin²,

Corrigan³

1992

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Apatite fission-track (FT) data collected in the northern and central Rio Grande rift of NM and CO indicate that rocks now exposed in the eastern and western margins of the rift cooled during uplift and erosion in a complex spatial and temporal pattern. FT data from the Santa Fe Range, Los Pinos Mountains, and northern Nacimiento Mountains indicate that these mountain blocks cooled during the early stage of the Laramide orogenic event. Other mountain blocks began cooling during the late stage of the Laramide event and subsequent Eocene erosion. The Sandia Mountains, Blanca Peak, Joyita Hills, Sierra Ladrones, the high-elevation portion of the Sawatch Range, and the lower-elevation samples in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains began cooling during early extension of the Rio Grande rift and/or waning of regional volcanism in the late Oligocene and early Miocene. The eastern front of the Sawatch Range, the Sangre de Cristo Mountains north of Blanca Peak, the low-elevation portion of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains near San Luis, Colorado, and the Lemitar Mountains cooled during late-stage rifting in middle to late Miocene. Generally, the youngest FT ages are found in the rift flanks adjacent to large normal faults along the deep margins of the en echelon half-grabens that make up the present Rio Grande rift. Two of the blocks with Miocene FT ages, the Sierra Ladrones and Blanca Peak, are promontories that project into the rift basins at the junction of arcuate normal faults bounding the deep side half-grabens. Tectonic denudation of three sides has allowed unusually rapid isostatic uplift in these blocks. Similarly, the Sangre de Cristo Mountains north of Blanca Peak are bounded on two sides by active late Cenozoic faults that have allowed the rapid isostatic rise of these mountains. Cooling rates increased from the Laramide orogenic event (1 deg. to 4 deg. C/Ma) to the development of the Rio Grande rift (7 deg. to 20 deg. C/Ma).The Southern Rocky Mountains in CO and NM have had a long and complex geologic history, culminating in the Late Cretaceous to late Eocene with the compressional Laramide orogenic event. A widespread surface of low relief was carved across much of the area in late Eocene. Major volcanism affected the province during the Oligocene. The Rio Grande rift, an extensional feature that bisects the Southern Rocky Mountains, began to form about 30 Ma and developed during two phases of regional extension. The early northeast-southwest-oriented phase of extension is characterized by the development of broad, shallow basins, low-amplitude topographic relief, local areas of intense extensions associated with low-angle normal faults, and the emplacement of large volumes of silicic ash-flow tuffs and basaltic andesite lavas. The later phase of extension is characterized by the development of deep half-grabens, high topographic relief, the formation of widely spaced, high-angle normal faults, and the emplacement of alkali-olivine and tholeiitic basalts.The tectonic development of Southern Rocky Mountains in the vicinity of the rift has been determined primarily by studying the depositional and structural history of sedimentary and volcanic rocks preserved in and adjacent to the rift basins. Two of the basins of the northern Rio Grande rift, the San Luis Basin and the Albuquerque-Belen Basin, are largely undissected so that the early history in these basins is not well constrained, although data from seismic lines and petroleum test wells have improved the understanding of these areas in recent years. Little has been done to estimate the uplift rate or timing of uplift of the mountain ranges that bound the margins of the rift. Many of the rift models in the literature predict uplift rates, but there are few data to test these predictions. Fission-track data from rocks exposed along the flanks of the rift provide powerful constraints for these models.

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Section: Central New Mexicomentioning

confidence: 99%

Late Mesozoic to Cenozoic cooling histories of the flanks of the northern and central Rio Grande rift, Colorado and New Mexico

Kelley¹,

Chapin²,

Corrigan³

1992

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“…This small volume, high-yield deposit lies along a Quaternary fault-line escarpment that defines the eastern flank of the west-tilted Socorro Peak uplift. Our following description of the Socorro perlite is primarily based on a geologic map of the Socorro Peak volcanic center (scale 1:12,000) by , unpublished petrologic studies by Chamberlin, a regional geochemical study of late Miocene silicic domes and flows by Bobrow et al, (1983), and drill hole data provided by Dicaperl. Except for some structural details and age relationships, our observations are in general agreement with an early reconnaissance study by We-ber (1963).…”

Section: Socorro Perlite Depositmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The lava dome has a maximum lateral extent of 840 m and is exposed over a topographic interval of 135 m; the partially buried crest of the dome (or flow) is a flat surface over a distance of 360 m. 2. The lava is a high-silica rhyolite (76-77% SiO2, anhydrous), strongly enriched in lithophile trace elements, namely Rb, Mn, Nb, Ta, Pb, Th, U, and heavy-rare-earth elements; also it is relatively depleted in Sr and Ba (Bobrow et al, 1983; Table 2). A confident interpretation of the eruptive history for this high-silica rhyolite lava dome will require additional and deeper drilling to define more precisely its original geometry and the total distribution of perlite ore. Based on available data, we suggest the following tentative eruptive history.…”

Section: From C E Chapin New Mexico Bureau Of Mines and Mineral Resou...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Proceedings of the 31st Forum on the Geology of Industrial Minerals--The Borderland Forum

1996

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This volume includes 28 papers and 12 abstracts presented at the 31st annual meeting of the Forum on the Geology of Industrial Minerals held in El Paso, Texas, April 23-28, 1995. Five additional papers in this volume were not presented in El Paso but came from a session on industrial minerals in NM at the 1994 annual meeting of the Society of Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration (SME) held in Albuquerque. The key article in this bulletin is Industrial minerals and rocks of the tri-state border region by K. F. Clark. These 33 illustrated papers offer a comprehensive survey of the industrial minerals of the U.S.-Mexico border region: clay, garnets, humate, limestone, mica, nepheline syenite, perlite, potash, pumice, travertine, and zeolites, to name a few. Papers are abstracted in English and Spanish. This bulletin includes articles on materials in Mexico TX, NM, GA, IN, and AR. Other countries discussed are Chile, Tanzania, and the Nova Scotia area. Some general topics discussed are cat litter, garment wet-processing, brick tunnel-kiln thermal-energy inputs, refractory dolomite, ISO 900 and geology reserve management, and teacher workshops. The first appendix holds the abstracts of the presentations. The second appendix is a list of the professional registrants.

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“…As discussed below, there is a geochemical relationship between jasperoids and igneous differentiation. Several authors (Blakestad, 1978;Bobrow et al, 1983;Osburn and Chapin, 1983a, b) have reviewed the igneous rocks of the district, but there is still much to be done on their geochemistry and petrology. At this point, only indirect relationships and indirect geochemistry and geothermometry establish a genetic tie of the igneous rocks to jasperization (Figs.…”

Section: Intrusive Activitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Manrique and Campbell (1987) did a fluid-inclusion study and produced a genetic model for ore deposition at the Waldo-Graphic mine. Bobrow et al (1983), Chapin et al (1978), Chapin (1989), andMcIntosh et al (1991) studied the Cenozoic calderas and volcanic history of the Magdalena Mountains. Silicification of the upper part of the Mississippian Kelly Limestone in the northern Magdalena Mountains appears to be related to the thermal and hydrothermal processes that occurred during evolution of the 32.1 Ma Socorro caldera and 28.9 Ma Sawmill-Magdalena caldera which both overlapped the Magdalena mining district (Fig.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geology, mineralogy, geochemistry, and geothermometry of Kelley Limestone jasperoids, Magdalena mining district, New Mexico

Renault¹,

Armstrong²,

Repetski³

et al. 1995

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Jasperoid, a microcrystalline silica rock, occurs along the crest of the Magdalena Mountains and along the west-facing dip slope. It is the focus of this study because in similar settings in Nevada it is associated with economically important deposits of very fine grained gold. In the Magdalenas, jasperoid extensively replaces the Mississippian Kelly Limestone. Mineralogy displays strongly oxidized pyrite with internal zones of silver and copper sulfides; galena and sphalerite follow pyrite in the paragenesis. Geochemistry suggests that silicification of the limestones occurred in a single event. Gold ranges in concentration from 2 to 2,100 ppb, averaging 274 ppb; silver ranges from 2 to 200 ppm, averaging 22.3 ppm. Geothermometry indicates high temperatures consistent with the association of the silicification with proximal intrusive activity. Heat was advected through open space by the silicification event, and silica-rich fluids were carried into the karsted carbonate rocks of Kelly Limestone along faults and dikes. The fluids were prevented from reaching higher in the section by an impermeable seal of Pennsylvanian black shales and siltstones.The Magdalena mining district is located in the northern part of the Magdalena Mountains, 3-5 mi southeast of the town of Magdalena, Socorro County, NM. The mining district is accessible by four-wheel drive vehicle and foot trails from NM Highway 60. This study area covers about 3 mi2 and lies entirely within the boundaries of the Magdalena 7.5 minute quadrangle. Elevations in the map area range from 5,955 to 10,179 ft.Silicification of the upper part of the Mississippian Kelly Limestone in the northern Magdalena Mountains appears to be related to the thermal and hydrothermal processes that occurred during evolution of the 32.1 Ma Socorro caldera and 28.9 Ma Sawmill-Magdalena caldera which both overlapped the Magdalena mining district. However, it may be related to younger intrusions not exposed at the surface. In caldera settings, mineralization is often much later and related to intrusions into the ring-fracture zone which provides the structural pathway for mineralizing fluids. An example is the Mogollon mining district in southwestern NM, where the mineralization is some 10 Ma younger than the caldera.

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Miocene rhyolitic volcanism in the Socorro area of New Mexico

Cited by 6 publications

References 0 publications

Late Mesozoic to Cenozoic cooling histories of the flanks of the northern and central Rio Grande rift, Colorado and New Mexico

Late Mesozoic to Cenozoic cooling histories of the flanks of the northern and central Rio Grande rift, Colorado and New Mexico

Proceedings of the 31st Forum on the Geology of Industrial Minerals--The Borderland Forum

Geology, mineralogy, geochemistry, and geothermometry of Kelley Limestone jasperoids, Magdalena mining district, New Mexico

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