# Salitral Formation

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Triassic geologic formation in New Mexico, United States

Salitral Formation Stratigraphic range: Late Triassic PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N Salitral Formation at its type section, near Youngsville, New Mexico. Type Formation Unit of Chinle Group Sub-units Piedre Lumbre Member, Youngsville Member Underlies Poleo Formation Overlies Shinarump Conglomerate Thickness 30 m (98 ft) Lithology Primary Shale Location Coordinates 36°10′35″N 106°41′22″W / 36.1765°N 106.6894°W / 36.1765; -106.6894 Region New Mexico Country United States Type section Named for Salitral Creek Named by Wood and Northrop Year defined 1946 Salitral Formation (the United States) Show map of the United States Salitral Formation (New Mexico) Show map of New Mexico

The **Salitral Formation** is a [Late Triassic](/source/Late_Triassic) [geologic formation](/source/Formation_(geology)) found in north-central [New Mexico](/source/New_Mexico), primarily the northwestern [Jemez Mountains](/source/Jemez_Mountains). It is an older subunit of the [Chinle Group](/source/Chinle_Group) (or formation), overlying the [Shinarump Conglomerate](/source/Shinarump_Conglomerate) and underlying the [Poleo Formation](/source/Poleo_Formation).

## History of investigation

The unit was originally designated as the **Salitral Shale** tongue of the [Chinle Formation](/source/Chinle_Formation) by Wood and Northrup in 1946, as part of their petroleum survey of the region. It was presumably named for Salitral Creek ([36°10′35″N 106°41′22″W / 36.1764797°N 106.6893804°W / 36.1764797; -106.6893804](https://geohack.toolforge.org/geohack.php?pagename=Salitral_Formation&params=36.1764797_N_106.6893804_W_)).[1] Lucas and Hunt raised it to formation rank in 1992 in the same study in which they raised the [Chinle Formation](/source/Chinle_Formation) to group rank.[2] Other authors prefer a lower rank, as the **Salitral Member** of the Chinle Formation.[3]

## Geology

The formation consists of variegated [mudstone](/source/Mudstone)[1] and is assigned to the lower ([bentonitic](/source/Bentonite)) [Chinle Group](/source/Chinle_Group).[4] The Salitral extensively [intertongues](/source/Intertongues) with the underlying [Shinarump Conglomerate](/source/Shinarump_Conglomerate) (formerly known in the Jemez as the [Agua Zarca Sandstone](/source/Agua_Zarca_Sandstone)) and pinches out in the [Abiquiu](/source/Abiquiu) area and in the southern Jemez, where the overlying [Poleo Formation](/source/Poleo_Formation) rests directly on the Shinarump.[4][5]

The Salitral Formation is time-equivalent to other Chinle strata found further west, occupying the same stratigraphic position. These include the [Bluewater Creek Formation](/source/Bluewater_Creek_Formation) and the [Blue Mesa Member](/source/Blue_Mesa_Member) in west-central New Mexico, and the [Monitor Butte Formation](/source/Monitor_Butte_Formation) and Blue Mesa Member in southeastern [Utah](/source/Utah). However, it is not a synonym for any of these formations, being much thinner and having its own distinctive [lithology](/source/Lithology).[5]

The formation is notable for the presence of [septarian concretions](/source/Septaria).[1][6]

Septarian nodule from the Salitral Formation

### Members

As a formation, the Salitral consists of two members. The lower **Piedre Lumbre Member**, named for the Piedre Lumbre Land Grant, is [sandstone](/source/Sandstone) and [siltstone](/source/Siltstone), olive gray to brown in color, up to 5 meters (16 feet) thick. It tends to form a green slope immediately above the underlying [Shinarump Conglomerate](/source/Shinarump_Conglomerate). The upper bed is occasionally prominent as a brownish yellow intraformational [conglomerate](/source/Conglomerate_(geology)) up to 1.6 meters (5.2 feet) thick. When present, this is designated the **El Cerrito Bed**. The upper **Youngsville Member** is reddish brown, bentonitic mudstone up to 26 meters (85 feet) thick. It is named for the nearby village of Youngsville.[5]

## Fossils

[Tetrapod](/source/Tetrapod) fossils have been identified in the type section of the Youngsville Member. These include [coprolites](/source/Coprolite) and indeterminate [metoposaurid](/source/Metoposaurid) and [phytosaur](/source/Phytosaur) remains, including a paramedian [scute](/source/Scute) that may be the [aetosaur](/source/Aetosaur) *[Longosuchus](/source/Longosuchus)* or *[Desmatosuchus](/source/Desmatosuchus)*.[5]

## Footnotes

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEWoodNorthrop1946_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEWoodNorthrop1946_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEWoodNorthrop1946_1-2) [Wood & Northrop 1946](#CITEREFWoodNorthrop1946).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTELucasHunt1992_2-0)** [Lucas & Hunt 1992](#CITEREFLucasHunt1992).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTECatherZeiglerMackKelley2013_3-0)** [Cather et al. 2013](#CITEREFCatherZeiglerMackKelley2013).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEStewartPooleWilsonCadigan1972_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEStewartPooleWilsonCadigan1972_4-1) [Stewart et al. 1972](#CITEREFStewartPooleWilsonCadigan1972).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTELucasZeiglerHeckertHunt2005_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTELucasZeiglerHeckertHunt2005_5-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTELucasZeiglerHeckertHunt2005_5-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTELucasZeiglerHeckertHunt2005_5-3) [Lucas et al. 2005](#CITEREFLucasZeiglerHeckertHunt2005).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTELucasZeiglerHeckertHunt2005116_6-0)** [Lucas et al. 2005](#CITEREFLucasZeiglerHeckertHunt2005), p. 116.

## References

- Cather, Steven M.; Zeigler, Kate E.; Mack, Greg H.; Kelley, Shari A. (2013-01-01). ["Toward standardization of Phanerozoic stratigraphic nomenclature in New Mexico"](https://doi.org/10.2113/gsrocky.48.2.101). *Rocky Mountain Geology*. **48** (2): 101–124. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.2113/gsrocky.48.2.101](https://doi.org/10.2113%2Fgsrocky.48.2.101). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [1555-7332](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/1555-7332).

- Lucas, Spencer G.; Zeigler, Kate E.; Heckert, Andrew B.; Hunt, Adrian P. (2005). ["Review of Upper Triassic stratigraphy and biostratigraphy in the Chama Basin, northern New Mexico"](https://nmgs.nmt.edu/publications/guidebooks/downloads/56/56_p0170_p0181.pdf) (PDF). *New Mexico Geological Society Field Conference Series*. **56**: 170–181. Retrieved 29 April 2020.

- Lucas, S.G.; Hunt, A.P. (1992). ["Triassic stratigraphy and paleontology, Chama Basin and adjacent areas, north-central New Mexico"](https://nmgs.nmt.edu/publications/guidebooks/downloads/43/43_p0151_p0172.pdf) (PDF). *New Mexico Geological Society Field Conference Series*. **43**: 151–167. Retrieved 20 May 2020.

- Stewart, John Harris; Poole, Forrest Graham; Wilson, Richard Farifield; Cadigan, R.A.; Thordarson, William; Albee, H.F. (1972). ["Stratigraphy and Origin of the Chinle Formation and Related Upper Triassic Strata in the Colorado Plateau Region"](https://doi.org/10.3133%2Fpp690). *U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper*. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.3133/pp690](https://doi.org/10.3133%2Fpp690).

- Wood, G.H.; Northrop, S.A. (1946). ["Geology of the Nacimiento Mountains, San Pedro Mountain, and adjacent plateaus in parts of Sandoval and Rio Arriba Counties, New Mexico"](https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/Prodesc/proddesc_5417.htm). *Oil and Gas Investigations Map*. OM-57. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20211112180753/https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/Prodesc/proddesc_5417.htm) from the original on 12 November 2021. Retrieved 11 November 2019.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Salitral Formation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salitral_Formation) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salitral_Formation?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.