The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1908-12-05
GEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS
n NEW MEXICO

About two wears ago ali the pub.
lic lands Ia New Mcuc3 supposed
- contain coal were withdraw
from entry by the president, pend.
INK ar inye>tIga;ion and classinca.
ton nov being carried on hy the
United States geological survey.
IS part Of the duty Of the federal
geglOglsis Is o. examine such with.
drawn land and % determine
whether u is coal - noncoal land.
In the performance OF this duty the
geylygIst examines many tracts
owned by individuals. lie Is IN
no sense = detective and Is not, IN
tact, concerned about the owner.
ship Oh the and nor does b. are
whether the title rs clear ~ clouded
iu actual practic, he seldom knows
who owns a particular plat Of
ground. His business is 70 deter.
mine the geologic conditions OF the
area under survey and to make
public the results OF his work with
out reference to the use that may
be- made oi his conclusions.
ARIA EXAMINED
During the last summer a parry
oi biologists from the survey has
been at work investigating the
valuable mineral deposits IN the
vicinity OF Ration. An area Is
miles wide, extending from ohn.
son mesa westward to the noun.
tatus, has been examined tor coal
deposits, and the work will later
be- extended over the jrmatulng
part ct this coal n,,d
MAPS r@NtHNht.
~ u preliminary % tHg making
oi q geologic map showing On,
iucauon and extent 81, toe s,A ,rJ>
and the depths AZ Wgl,a a. u,
beneath the surface, the >gtyt, :
making a topogtaphlc las, rtIr
OF ia, area near Ration, WH,tr ,.c
exploitation OF the coal o., mines
has been granted. Another map
showiug the arcal extent ct the
coal bearing formation, Is also be.
my prepared, covering th, area
between Ration aud the Rocky
mountains.
QUALIFY Ot IuE coal
The coal beds have been studied
g,olopically IN order to ascertain
tH, quantity OF coal available, and
| .h,mIea. analyses OF samples that
have been collected will show lts
| character and quality. II can hc
rtdt,d, however, that most, IL not
all, the coal OF this field IS high
grade bltuminous and OF coking
quality.
DEuIODl,rs ASSIGNED 10 rHE woRE.
The geological held work ~ ;h,
Ration region has been IN charge OF
Willis /. Lee, who has been as.
sisted by Chas. ). Blair and Albert
l.. Becky. On his return TO
Washington whore he will spend
the winter prcprring ms report.
Mr.. Lee made tor publication a
bnci statement IN regard TO the
area under investigation, the sub.
stance OF which Is given below.
GEOLOGY o. TuF FIELD
The hcld work done shows that
the oldest geologic formation cN.
posed at the surface near Ration
IS the dark colored rock on which
the town IS built, a formation known
20 biologists as the Pierre ghalc.
The dark color Ut tins shalc has
ted some people 10 search Tor
coal ~ a., but II contains no coal,
though there are local Indications
that It may contain oil. Above
the Pierre shaic Is a white, cliff
making sandstone, the rock seen
in the CHIT al Goat Hin, Ration.
This - known a the Trinidad
sandstone, and though IN some
! places It includes LAYERS OF carbona.
Ccous shalc with thin beds OF coal,
It IS not to be- regarded as a coal
bearing formation. To the coal
prospector, however, II IS OF the
greatest value as a reference hOIi.
zOn, a II Immediately underllcs
the real c~oal-bcarng formation
throughout the Ration hcld. Its
whItr color and the characteristic
markings locally known as 'petri.
ned CornCobs make It easily rec
I o~gnlztblc. The "corncohs are
supposed to be impressions OF
scaw eds.
DuAL-uENRING KDChs
Above the Trinidad sandstone is
a coal bearing formation, which
varies considerably IN thickness
IN different parts OF the field.
Near the mountains It is - 10 25o
lcct thick and includes several beds
OF coal in the vicinity OF Ration IL
may be- 20 to SO tcet thick in some
places and contains the Ration
coal the important coal bed in
the h"ld IN other places, however,
It haa been crodcd away, allowing
the Younger geologic formations 10
rest upon the Trinidad sandstone.
In other words, after the sediments
that contain the Ration coal were
deposited they were exposed "a
lgTOCian and i'm gnms nla,.g yv.r,