Alkaline Rocks and Carbonatites of the World

Setup during HiTech AlkCarb: an online database of alkaline rock and carbonatite occurrences

Blue Range Primitive Area

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Occurrence number: 
174-00-065
Country: 
United States
Region: 
Arizona
Location: 
Longitude: -109.17, Latitude: 33.5
Carbonatite: 
No

This area of eastern Arizona extending into New Mexico consists entirely of volcanic rocks or clastic sedimentary rocks derived from them. The volcanics include lava flows and pyroclastic sheets of basaltic andesite, latite and rhyolite. Within a thick basaltic andesite unit occurs a sheet of peralkaline rhyolitic ash-flow tuff varying from a few cm to 60 m in thickness. It varies from poorly to densely welded and separate cooling units can be recognized at some localities. A chemical analysis is available (Ratte et al., 1969. Table 6).

Age: 
The basaltic andesite within which the peralkaline sheet is intercalated gave an age by K-Ar (whole rock) of 23.3 ± 0.7 Ma (Ratte et al., 1969, p. 19).
References: 

RATTE, J.C., LANDIS, E.R., GASKILL, D.L. and RAABE, R.G. 1969. Mineral resources of the Blue Range primitive area, Greenlee County, Arizona and Catron County, New Mexico. With a section on aeromagnetic interpretation by G.P. Eaton. Bulletin, United States Geological Survey, 1261-E: 1-91

Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith