DOI: 10.5066/p147qteg
title: Surficial geologic map database for the Wheeler Peak, Raton, Springer, and Taos 30-minute by 60-minute quadrangles, New Mexico

description:     This data release presents geologic map data for the surficial geology of the Wheeler Peak, Raton, Springer, and Taos 30-minute by 60-minute quadrangles, New Mexico. This 1:100,000 scale geologic mapping incorporates new interpretive contributions and compilation from 1:24,000 to 1:250,000 scale published geologic map data sources. Much of the geology incorporated from previous mapping is adjusted with Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) 1-meter digital elevation models, satellite imagery, and field observations in key localities to improve spatial resolution of the data and eliminate mismatches at source map boundaries. This data set represents only the surficial geology, defined as generally unconsolidated sedimentary deposits that are Quaternary or partly Quaternary in age. Bedrock, volcanic deposits, and faults without documented Quaternary offset are not included in this database, but are instead published in a separate companion bedrock database of the same footprint. The surficial data set encompasses two physiographic provinces; the Southern Rocky Mountains Province and Great Plains Province, Raton Section. These physiographic provinces are split further into subprovinces based on general deposit type; alluvium, colluvium, alluvium/colluvium, glacial, eolian, mass-wasting, groundwater/spring discharge, and playa, lake, and wetland deposit types; which host the specific map units that are binned by age (e.g., Holocene, Pleistocene, Quaternary undivided) as relevant to available information, chronology, and map scale. Map unit polygons also include attributes such as constituent material, genetic type, compilation method, and links to the source map(s) from which data was compiled. Gaps in map compilation are related to a lack of published geologic mapping at the time of compilation, and not necessarily a lack of surficial deposits. The database follows the schema and structure of the Seamless Integrated Geologic Mapping (SIGMa; Turner and others, 2022) extension to the Geologic Map Schema (GeMS; USGS, 2020).
    The map area lies within two physiographic provinces of Fenneman (1928): the Southern Rocky Mountains Province, and the Great Plains Province, Raton Section.   Surficial geology of this region of the Southern Rocky Mountain Province is characterized by high peaks (~3,900-4,300 meters asl) of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains uplifted along active faults and deeply eroded by Pleistocene glacial activity (Ruleman and others, 2025).  Surficial deposits within the mountain ranges on the map consists of glacial and glaciofluvial deposits, landslide deposits, and alluvial-colluvial deposits aggrading into localized depositional areas eroded during glacial cycles.  On the west side of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains lies the San Luis Basin, a volcanically plugged and intermittently closed basin through the Neogene, with most recent integration with the Gulf of Mexico, formation of the modern Rio Grande, and deep-canyon incision occurring in the last 400 k.y. (Ruleman and others, 2016; Ruleman and others, 2019).  Deposits of the San Luis basin are generally characterized as closed-basin alluvial fan systems and bajada complexes overlying lacustrine sediments of early to middle Pleistocene Lake Alamosa (Machette, 2013: Ruleman and others, 2016; Ruleman and others, 2019) in an actively subsiding basin.  Deposits predating the Rio Grande gorge incision and aggrading across the current position of the gorge and through-going, mainstem Rio Grande gravels integrating basins to the south are both included in the database and geologic map. Surficial deposits of the Great Plains Province and Raton basin generally consist of eastward-sloping pediment deposits overlying Miocene to Pleistocene volcanics.  Glacial, glaciofluvial, and periglacial activity has produced terrace gravels marking the Pleistocene incision of the region, and left an abundance of dissolution and ablation landforms containing playas, wetlands, and small water bodies in closed depressions.
       The geologic data in this data release will be published through a USGS publication series, for example Open-file report, as a static, cartographic representation of the surficial geology and will include a more detailed description of mapping methods. The cartographic map published through the USGS publication series will reflect a single visualization of the data and will be associated with a specific version of this data release, whereas this data release may be versioned as the state of geologic knowledge throughout the region evolves. This data release and subsequent versions will be the most current and authoritative source of the geologic information.