[meteorite-list] Impact Crater in New Mexico – Part 2 Lincoln County

From: Paul H. <oxytropidoceras_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Wed, 5 Jan 2011 21:34:12 -0600
Message-ID: <20110105223412.XRR8N.570452.imail_at_eastrmwml46>

Abe wrote in ?Impact Crater in New Mexico? at
http://six.pairlist.net/pipermail/meteorite-list/2011-January/072191.html ;

?How about these 34? 0'51.00" N 105? 8'41.46" W?
I notice a huge scatter of craters. Is much known
about these or what they are? There are a lot of
these ancient scars for several miles around. If
they aren't impact craters it would be interesting
to know what they are.?

The features that are located at and near 34? 0'51.00"
N 105? 8'41.46" W lie within the S1/2 of the SE1/4, of
Section 27 and the N1/2 of the NE 1/2 of Section 34 of
T. 3S., R. 17E. within Lincoln County, New Mexico.
According to Scholle, P. A. (2003), this area is underlain
by the San Andres Formation, which is described as
?Limestone and dolomite with minor shale.?

Judging from what can be seen in the images, the
depressions in this area are natural features. Their
morphology exhibits all the characteristics of typical
sinkholes developed in the local limestone and
dolomite bedrock. Unfortunately, I cannot at this
time find anything specific about the geology of
this part of Lincoln County, New Mexico.

If a person wants to look for features to investigate
as possible impact craters, they can check out the
potential impact crater that Skotnicki (2009)
reported finding within the Lincoln 7.5 quadrangle,
Lincoln County, New Mexico.

References;

Scholle, P. A., 2003, Geologic Map of New Mexico.
scale 1:500,000, New Mexico Bureau of Geology
and Mineral Resources, Socorro, New Mexico.

Skotnicki , S. J., 2009, Preliminary Geologic Map
of the Lincoln Quadrangle, Lincoln County, New
Mexico. scale: 1:24,000. Open-file Digital Geologic
Map OF-GM 188. New Mexico Bureau of Geology
and Mineral Resources, Socorro, New Mexico.
http://geoinfo.nmt.edu/publications/maps/geologic/ofgm/details.cfml?Volume=188
Map at http://geoinfo.nmt.edu/publications/maps/geologic/ofgm/downloads/188/Lincoln_v1p-00.pdf
Text at http://geoinfo.nmt.edu/publications/maps/geologic/ofgm/downloads/188/Lincoln_Report.pdf

Yours,

Paul H.
Received on Wed 05 Jan 2011 10:34:12 PM PST