Geology of the Caballo Mountains, New Mexico

Abstract

The Caballo Mountains, just south of Truth or Consequences, rise to an elevation of 7,065 feet. Today they are flanked on the west side by Caballo Reservoir and on the east side by the Jornada del Muerto. An extraordinary geologic section is preserved here. Precambrian igneous and metamorphic rocks (granites and schists) provide a view of the Precambrian history of this part of the country, and an extraordinary thickness of sedimentary rocks (whose collective thickness is more than 3.5 miles) gives us an unparalleled picture of the evolution of southern New Mexico. Development of these mountains began with compression and uplift associated with the Laramide orogeny, at the end of the Mesozoic. Since then the complex geologic history of this part of New Mexico has included uplift, erosion, faulting, volcanic activity, continental deposition, and, finally, the development of the Rio Grande rift. That complex geologic history is well documented in this volume. This memoir is the result of many years of study and field work on the part of the authors, who have drawn together in one place this comprehensive description of the region. The volume is heavily illustrated with photographs, maps, stratigraphic sections, and other graphics. It contains both an index and a glossary.