Sanders Canyon Formation
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| Sanders Canyon Formation | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range: Late Eocene | |
| Type | Formation |
| Underlies | Sierra Blanca Volcanics |
| Overlies | Cub Mountain Formation |
| Thickness | 150 m (490 ft) |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Volcaniclastics |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 33°30′25″N 105°51′25″W / 33.507°N 105.857°W |
| Region | New Mexico |
| Country | United States |
| Type section | |
| Named for | Sanders Canyon (33°31′19″N 105°54′11″W / 33.522°N 105.903°W) |
| Named by | S.M. Cather |
| Year defined | 1991 |
  Sanders Canyon Formation (the United States)  Sanders Canyon Formation (New Mexico) | |
The Sanders Canyon Formation is a geologic formation exposed north and west of the Sierra Blanca of southern New Mexico. It preserves fossils dating back to the Eocene epoch.[1]
The formation consists of volcaniclastic mudstone (70%) and sandstone (30%), with less sandstone in the higher beds. The grayish-purpose color contrasts with the reddish color of the underlying Cub Mountain Formation and reflects a content of greater than 25% volcanic debris. The upper beds interfinger with the overlying Sierra Blanca Volcanics. Total thickness is about 150 meters (490 ft) at the type section,[2] but total thickness may be as much as 400 meters (1,300 ft).[3]
The formation is part of the only extensive exposures of Cretaceous and Paleogene rocks in a large area of south-central and southeastern New Mexico. It is interpreted as sediments deposited by north-northeast-flowing streams. It may correlate with the Palm Park Formation and Rubio Peak Formation, and the overlying Sierra Blanca Volcanics have a maximum age of 38 million years, suggesting the age of the Sanders Canyon Formation is between 43 million and 38 million years.[4]