The Red House Formation is a
geologic formation
A geological formation, or simply formation, is a body of rock having a consistent set of physical characteristics ( lithology) that distinguishes it from adjacent bodies of rock, and which occupies a particular position in the layers of rock exp ...
found in the
Caballo Mountains
The Caballo Mountains, ( Spanish: "horse") are a mountain range located in Sierra
Sierra (Spanish for "mountain range" and "saw", from Latin '' serra'') may refer to the following:
Places Mountains and mountain ranges
* Sierra de Juárez, a m ...
in
New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe, New Mexico, Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Albuquerque metropolitan area, Tiguex
, Offi ...
.
It preserves
fossils
A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...
dating back to the
middle
Middle or The Middle may refer to:
* Centre (geometry), the point equally distant from the outer limits.
Places
* Middle (sheading), a subdivision of the Isle of Man
* Middle Bay (disambiguation)
* Middle Brook (disambiguation)
* Middle Creek (d ...
to
late Pennsylvanian
The Pennsylvanian ( , also known as Upper Carboniferous or Late Carboniferous) is, in the ICS geologic timescale, the younger of two subperiods (or upper of two subsystems) of the Carboniferous Period. It lasted from roughly . As with most ot ...
.
Description
The formation consists mostly of thinly bedded dark gray
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms wh ...
and
shale
Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock formed from mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4) and tiny fragments (silt-sized particles) of other minerals, especia ...
or
claystone
Mudrocks are a class of fine-grained siliciclastic sedimentary rocks. The varying types of mudrocks include siltstone, claystone, mudstone, slate, and shale. Most of the particles of which the stone is composed are less than and are too sm ...
containing limestone nodules and lenses. Some massive cherty limestone beds are locally present.
It rests unconformably on the
Lake Valley Limestone
The Lake Valley Limestone is a geologic formation widely exposed in southwestern New Mexico. It preserves fossils dating back to the lower to middle Mississippian.
Description
The Lake Valley Limestone consists of gray cherty limestone with ...
or
Percha Shale
The Percha Formation is a geologic formation in southern New Mexico. It preserves fossils dating back to the Famennian Age of the late Devonian period.
Description
The formation consists mostly of black to gray shale and minor limestone. It rest ...
,
with a thin sandstone bed at its base. Thickness is about .
It is overlain by the
Nakaye Formation
The Gray Mesa Formation is a geologic formation in New Mexico. Its fossil assemblage dates the formation to the Moscovian age of the Pennsylvanian.
The formation as presently defined includes outcrops previously assigned to many local units, inc ...
.
Fossils
Many of the beds are abundantly fossiliferous.
The formation dates from the late Morrowan (
Bashkirian
The Bashkirian is in the ICS geologic timescale the lowest stage or oldest age of the Pennsylvanian. The Bashkirian age lasted from to Ma, is preceded by the Serpukhovian and is followed by the Moscovian.
The Bashkirian overlaps with the ...
) to the early Atokan (
Moscovian
Moscovian may refer to:
*An inhabitant of Moscow, the capital of Russia
*Something of, from, or related to Moscow
*Moscovian (Carboniferous)
The Moscovian is in the ICS geologic timescale a stage or age in the Pennsylvanian, the youngest subs ...
).
History of investigation
The formation was first described by V.C. Kelley and
Caswell Silver
Caswell Silver (June 25, 1916 – October 18, 1988) was an American geologist and entrepreneur who was President of Sundance Oil Company from 1960 to 1984. In addition to the business of oil and gas exploration, he was active in the American Ass ...
in 1952 and assigned to the now-obsolete Magdalena Group.
G.O. Bachman and D.A. Myers criticized its definition in 1975,
but it is accepted by Barry Kues and Katherine Giles.
In 2016,
Lucas and coinvestigators recommended that the local names Green Canyon Group, Arrey Formation, Apodaca Formation, Mud Springs Group, Fra Cristobal Formation, and Chuchillo Negro Formation be abandoned in favor of the Red House Formation.
See also
*
List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in New Mexico
This article contains a list of fossil-bearing stratigraphic units in the state of New Mexico, U.S.
Sites
See also
* Paleontology in New Mexico
References
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fossiliferous stratigraphic units in New Mexico
New Mexico
...
*
Paleontology in New Mexico
Paleontology in New Mexico refers to paleontological research occurring within or conducted by people from the U.S. state of New Mexico. The fossil record of New Mexico is exceptionally complete and spans almost the entire stratigraphic colu ...
References
{{Reflist
Carboniferous formations of New Mexico
Carboniferous southern paleotropical deposits