Estancia news-herald. [volume] (Estancia, Torrance County, N.M.) 1912-19??, 1914-08-13

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the mountains, reaching it
greatest thickness in the foot
hills and being absent on th'
sharp headlands of the noun
tains themselves, but extending
up into the canyons along th'
mountain sides.
The kinds of rock in the Els
tancia valley and surrounding
mountains are limestone, rec
rock, sandstone, shale, slate ane
conglomerate. Limestone is the
predominating rock of the re
gion to the central and western
sides, while sandstone shows
freely in the Pedernaal Noun
tains and also in the foothills OF
the Manzano and San Pedro
mountains. In the Manzanc
foothills | found considerable
coarse conglomerate having
large water-worn pebbles OF
quartz and feldspar, indicating
the rock layer Was formed along
a sandy shore of an ancient lake
or river bed coming from igne
Gus mountains far to the north.
The majority of the Primary
Mantle is of carboniferous age,
and this of course would be the
age of material in the Seconda-
ry Mantle, but the manner of its
formation should be kept in
mind. There is a showing of
cretaceous rock in the foothills
which was evidently small in
amount and which seems to be
sandWiched between the Prima-
ry and Secondary Nantes.
The age of the Primary Man
tie Rock makes it possible for
an accumulation of coal, oil and
gas. Coal has, indeed, been
found and is being mined in the
foothills of the San Pedro Noun
tains at the northwest border of
the valley. | saw two places
where oil appeared on the sur
face of water III the creeks
among the foohills, but one OF
the springs showing this came
from beneath the village of Chill
iii and I am skeptical aS to its
origin. In well forty feet deep
lear the north central part OF
the valley there is about one-half
inch of a heavy, yiscous oil re
sembling crude oil. The man
owning the well keeps it closed
and says il has been in its pres
ent condition about two years. |
drew up enough of the oil to get
a sample for testing in the labo'
ratory, but have not yet made
the analysis.
There are copper and gold
mines in the mountains to the
north of the valley, | was told.
There is adobe soil in parts Of
the region, the adobe being used
for building houses, etc. | am
not certain as to the chemica
nature of adobe, except that il
answers the usual acid test fol
calcium carbonate.
In the lake region near the
center of the valley an interest
ing phenomenon occurs. These
lakes contain a high per centum
of mineral matter, such as
sodium chloride and sodium
sulphate, which l think are part
lv the residuum of the origina
saline lake of early geological
times and partly the teaching
out of the minerals from The
substrata of the entire valley
Several distinct minerals appear
in the waters of these lakes anC
in the surrounding soil, all o
which, as | have already indicat
ed. | believe are the minera
DRAWINGS from the strata of th'
surrounding valley. If thi
Dhenomonen be true, | shoult
say the saline lakes act as
safety valve" to the entire val
| ley, allowing the minerals whicl
would be injurious to crops t
collect at this central plac,
where evaporation causes ther
to crystalize in a pure and con
cent rated form. This fac
has been utilized to the eXten
that salt is being taken from on
of the lakes in paying CONNIE
cial quantities and shipped i
carload lots. The water of thi
lake was about eight inches dee