Panther Seep Formation
The Panther Seep Formation is a geologic formation found in the mountain ranges of south-central New Mexico.[1] It preserves fossils dating back to the late Pennsylvanian to early Permian.[2]
| Panther Seep Formation Stratigraphic range: late Pennsylvanian to early Permian | |
|---|---|
| Type | Formation |
| Underlies | Hueco Group |
| Overlies | Lead Camp Limestone, Bishop Cap Formation |
| Thickness | 200–2,640 ft (61–805 m) |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Shale |
| Other | Sandstone, limestone |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 33°14′17″N 106°40′42″W |
| Region | New Mexico |
| Country | United States |
| Type section | |
| Named for | Panther Seep |
| Named by | Kottlowski et al. |
| Year defined | 1956 |
  Panther Seep Formation (the United States)  Panther Seep Formation (New Mexico) | |
Description
The formation is highly variable in lithology, consisting of interbedded black to reddish sandy, silty, or calcareous shale; brown to olive calcarious siltstone, brown to gray calcareous arkosic sandstone; gypsum; and gray argillaceous to silty limestone. It varies in thickness from 200–2,640 feet (61–805 m).[1][2] It overlies the Lead Camp Limestone or Bishop Cap Formation and is overlain by the Hueco Group.[3]
The unit likely correlates with Bar B Formation in the Caballo Mountains and the Holder Formation in the Sacramento Mountains.[2]
Fossils
The formation includes patch reefs and numerous fusulinids of Virgilian (Gzhelian) age.[1] The formation also contains algae and some invertebrate fossils typical of the Virgilian. The lower beds may be Missourian (Kasimovian) in age while the uppermost beds may be Wolfcampian (Cisuralian) in age.
History of investigation
The formation was first defined by Kottlowski et al. in 1956, who divided it into informal upper and lower members.[1]
Footnotes
- Kottlowski et al. 1956
- Bachman and Myers 1975
- Kues and Giles 2004
References
- Bachman, G.O.; Myers, D.A. (1975). "The Lead Camp Limestone and its correlatives in south-central New Mexico" (PDF). New Mexico Geological Society Field Conference Guidebook. 26: 105–108. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
- Kottlowski, F.E.; Flower, R.H.; Thompson, M.L.; Foster, R.W. (1956). "Stratigraphic studies of the San Andres Mountains, New Mexico". New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources Memoir. 1. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
- Kues, B.S.; Giles, K.A. (2004). "The late Paleozoic Ancestral Rocky Mountain system in New Mexico". In Mack, G.H.; Giles, K.A. (eds.). The geology of New Mexico. A geologic history: New Mexico Geological Society Special Volume 11. pp. 95–136. ISBN 9781585460106.