GEOLOGICAL NOTE

Evidence for Late Cretaceous Volcanism in Trans-Pecos Texas

John A. Breyer, Arthur B. Busbey III, Richard E. Hanson, Kenneth E. Befus,

William R. Griffin,1 Ulysses S. Hargrove,1 and Steven C. Bergman1

Department of Geology, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, Texas 76129

(e-mail: j.breyer@tcu.edu)

ABSTRACT
Cretaceous basaltic pyroclastic strata have been discovered in a fault block on the southern edge of the Rosillos
Mountains laccolith in the Big Bend area of Trans-Pecos Texas. The sequence comprises base-surge and pyroclastic-
fall deposits inferred to have accumulated on the flanks of a small phreatomagmatic volcano. A diverse assemblage
of freshwater turtles (including Aspideretes), crocodile teeth, and dinosaur bones have been recovered from the
uppermost part of the sequence. The fauna indicate a Late Cretaceous, probably Campanian age. An outward-dipping
normal fault bounding the pyroclastic strata on the southeast juxtaposes sediments of the Upper Cretaceous Javelina
Formation in the hanging wall with pyroclastic rocks in the footwall, indicating the pyroclastic strata must be
Maastrichtian or older. U-Pb SHRIMP-RG analyses of zircons separated from a basaltic block thrown out of the
volcano yield an inferred igneous crystallization age of 72.6 Ⳳ 1.5 Ma, consistent with the biostratigraphic and struc-
tural evidence. The pyroclastic strata in the fault block provide the first evidence for Late Cretaceous volcanism in
the Trans-Pecos region. Previously, the onset of igneous activity in the area was thought to be no older than 64 Ma.
We speculate that the basaltic pyroclastic rocks represent an extension of the Upper Cretaceous Balcones magmatic
province into Trans-Pecos Texas.

Online enhancement: appendix.

Introduction
Most igneous activity in the Trans-Pecos magmatic
province in west Texas (fig. 1a) took place in four
phases from 48 to 17 Ma (Henry and McDowell
1986; Henry et al. 1991). The first two phases, at
48–39 and 38–32 Ma, postdate Laramide folding but
took place under a compressional stress regime in-
herited from that earlier tectonism. The two youn-
ger phases, at 31–27 and 24–17 Ma, coincide, re-
spectively, with the change from compression to
extension in the area and the onset of significant
Basin and Range faulting (Henry and McDowell
1986; Henry and Price 1986; Henry et al. 1991).
Maxwell and Dietrich (1965, p. 29) and Maxwell et
al. (1967, p. 288) suggested that gabbroic sills at
Mariscal Mountain in Big Bend National Park pre-
date Laramide folding, but this is disproved by pa-
Manuscript received July 5, 2005; accepted August 1, 2006.
1
Department of Geosciences, University of Texas, Dallas,
Texas, 75083.
leomagnetic fold tests and 40Ar/39Ar dates of 37 Ma
for the gabbro (Harlan et al. 1995). More recently,
the Red Hills intrusion in Presidio County yielded
U-Pb zircon and Re-Os molybdenite ages of
64.2 Ⳳ 0.2 Ma and 60.2 Ⳳ 0.3 Ma, respectively, in-
dicating that the onset of Tertiary magmatism in
the Trans-Pecos region was earlier than previously
thought (Gilmer et al. 2003). McDowell et al. (2004)
reported a U-Pb monazite age of 69 Ⳳ 1 Ma from a
tuff in the Upper Cretaceous Javelina Formation in
Big Bend, but the distal nature of the deposit sug-
gests that the source may be far to the west.
Recently Discovered Cretaceous
Pyroclastic Strata
Previously undescribed strata exposed in a steep-
walled canyon on the southern edge of the Rosillos
Mountains laccolith (Oligocene) on the Rosillos
Mountains Ranch adjoining Big Bend National Park

[The Journal of Geology, 2007, volume 115, p. 243–251] 䉷 2007 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved. 0022-1376/2007/11502-0006$15.00

243
244 J. A. BREYER ET AL.
Figure 1. A, Map showing Big Bend National Park
(BBNP) at the southern end of the Trans-Pecos magmatic
province (TPMP) and the location of the area detailed in
B. EP p El Paso; B p Brewster County; K p Kinney
County; T p Terrell County; V p Val Verde County. B,
Map showing the location of the study area (black circle)
on the southeastern side of the Rosillos Mountains lac-
colith adjoining BBNP. The study area is 1 km southwest
of the headquarters of the Rosillos Mountains Ranch.
(fig. 1b) provide the first evidence of Cretaceous
volcanism in the Big Bend area of west Texas. The
strata crop out over an area about 250 m across
bounded by either vertical or outward-dipping nor-
mal faults on three sides (fig. 2). The faults juxta-
pose pyroclastic strata within the fault block
against Cretaceous rocks of strikingly different fa-
cies outside the fault block. The sequence is re-
peated by faults within the block, but no more than
15 m of strata appear to be present. The strata inside
the fault block disappear beneath alluvium to the
southwest and do not reappear in the walls of the
next canyon, which is !1 km away, suggesting that
either a fault occurs between the two canyons or
the pyroclastic deposits do not extend that far.
Agglomerate containing fluidal basalt bombs at
the base of the sequence is overlain by open-frame-
work, well-sorted, massively bedded scoriaceous
basaltic lapillistones interpreted to be of pyroclas-
tic-fall origin (figs. 3, 4). Most of the sequence con-
sists of interbedded tuff, lapilli tuff, and lapillistone
composed of basaltic tephra intermixed with ter-
rigenous detritus. Beds either are massive or show
normal coarse-tail grading and less common in-
verse and inverse-to-normal grading. Some beds
show basal scour features, low-angle cross-bedding,
dunelike bed forms, or undulatory bedding. These
characteristics indicate tractional transport and de-
position under conditions of high bed shear stress
and are consistent with formation of parts of the
sequence from pyroclastic surges (Valentine and
Fisher 2000). Other beds show uniform thickness
and planar bases and tops and are inferred to rep-
resent pyroclastic-fall deposits and/or planar-bed-
ded surge deposits. Bedding sags beneath ballistic
clasts are conspicuous in thinner-bedded, finer-
grained deposits (figs. 3, 5), indicating that the beds
were wet and cohesive when the projectiles landed.
Blocks are ≤30 cm across and consist of basalt,
mudstone, sandstone, and fine-grained felsic tuff
containing altered bubble-wall shards; fluidal ba-
salt bombs are less common.
Juvenile ash and lapilli in the deposits consist
predominantly of altered basaltic glass (tachylite
and sideromelane). Sideromelane is variably re-
placed by palagonite, smectite, and/or carbonate.
Pyroclasts range from scoriaceous and irregular to
poorly vesicular, subequant, and angular; some
have partly rounded, dropletlike shapes. The ju-
venile debris is intermixed with large amounts of
sand- and gravel-sized terrigenous detritus, includ-
ing mono- and polycrystalline quartz (some ruti-
lated), feldspar grains, and felsic volcanic lithic and
tuffaceous clasts. Quartz xenocrysts with corroded
margins occur in many basaltic pyroclasts. Phe-
nocrysts include relatively unaltered plagioclase
and abundant olivine replaced by carbonate Ⳳ
smectite. Basaltic blocks and bombs show relict
intersertal and intergranular textures, with plagio-
clase microlites variably altered to clay; interstitial
glass or mafic minerals in the groundmass are com-
pletely replaced by smectite. The high degree of
alteration prevents determination of the original
magmatic affinities of the basalt without detailed
geochemical studies.
Features of the basaltic pyroclasts indicate deri-
vation from phreatomagmatic eruptions involving
variable degrees of magmatic volatile exsolution to-
gether with explosive conversion of external water
to steam (Heiken and Wohletz 1985). We infer that
phreatomagmatic explosions were generated during
subsurface interactions between rising basaltic
Journal of Geology L AT E C R E TA C E O U S V O L C A N I S M
Figure 2. Geologic map of the study area on the Rosillos Mountains Ranch. The box shows the area of the photograph
in figure 6. Topographic contours shown in feet.
magma and groundwater-rich parts of the Creta-
ceous sedimentary sequence, resulting in eruption
of large quantities of disaggregated sediment inter-
mixed with juvenile basaltic tephra. Coarse pyro-
clastic-fall deposits, including large ballistic clasts
associated with bedding sags, indicate deposition
in near-vent settings. The pyroclastic-surge depos-
its are inferred to record repeated generation of base
surges during pulsatory phreatomagmatic erup-
tions. Overall, the characteristics of the pyroclastic
rocks are consistent with accumulation on the
gently inclined flanks of a small, subaerial phreato-
magmatic volcano, such as a maar or tuff ring.
Clasts of felsic tuff within the sequence are inferred
to be derived from distal air-fall deposits interca-
lated with the terrigenous strata beneath the vol-
245
cano, which were disrupted during the explosive
phreatomagmatism.
Age of the Pyroclastic Strata
Biostratigraphy. A collecting locality within the
uppermost pyroclastic strata exposed in the fault
block (figs. 2, 3) has yielded abundant fragmentary
turtle remains, dinosaur bones, the broken tooth of
a crocodilian, and numerous pieces of silicified
wood. A single well-preserved mytilaceaid bivalve
(cf. Brachiodontes) and a single complete vivarid
gastropod (cf. Vivarus) were also found. The dino-
saur fossils include a badly weathered distal femur,
the centrum of a sacral vertebra, and many bone
fragments. The centrum of the sacral vertebra is
246 J. A. BREYER ET AL.
Figure 3. Measured section of pyroclastic sequence.
Vertical scale is in meters. Horizontal scale shows grain
size. kp parallel laminae. Black diamond shows position
of basaltic block yielding U-Pb zircon age.
dorsoventrally compressed and is probably from ei-
ther a ceratopsian or an ankylosaur. The fauna in-
dicate that the fossil-bearing strata accumulated in
a small freshwater lake or pond that developed after
the vent that produced the underlying pyroclastic
material had ceased activity. Pyroclasts in this up-
permost part of the sequence presumably were de-
rived from another vent nearby.
The turtles provide the tightest biostratigraphic
control. The fragmentary remains include a few
vertebrae, several incomplete long bones, and nu-
merous pieces of the carapace and plastron of at
least three genera. The most common fossils are
pieces of the shell of Aspideretes sp. At least four
of the species figured by Tomlinson (1997) are pres-
ent. Also, both the pelomedusid Bothremys and the
trionychoid Adocus have been identified by their
unique ornamentation.
Figure 4. Photograph showing polished surface of cut
slab of basaltic-scoria lapillistone. Dark material be-
tween lapilli is calcite cement stained with alizarin red-
S. Cover glass over middle portion of slab. Note loose
packing of scoriaceous lapilli. The slab is 17 cm long and
8.5 cm across.
Journal of Geology L AT E C R E TA C E O U S V O L C A N I S M 247

in the footwall (figs. 2, 6). Rocks in the footwall

must be older than those in the hanging wall that
are in contact with them across the fault. At a min-
imum, the deposits in the fault block must be older
than Middle to Late Maastrichtian. The structural
evidence thus indicates that the fossils have not
been reworked into Tertiary deposits and that vol-
canic activity was taking place in this part of the
Big Bend in the Late Cretaceous.
Geochronology. Zircon grains were extracted
from a block of olivine basalt associated with a
bedding sag in the pyroclastic sequence (fig. 3).
Twenty-six zircon grains were analyzed using the
SHRIMP-RG ion microprobe at Stanford Univer-
sity. Analytical techniques and results can be found
in the appendix, available in the online edition and
from the Journal of Geology office. The grains typ-
ically are euhedral with well-developed pyramidal
terminations, exhibit well-defined, concentric (ig-

Figure 5. Photograph showing sedimentary layering

(arrows) in pyroclastic strata deformed beneath ballistic
block (upper black triangle). The second black triangle
marks another block.

In Big Bend, Bothremys is found only in the upper

two members of the Aguja Formation and Adocus
only in the uppermost member (Tomlinson 1997).
Aspideretes is known from the uppermost member
of the Aguja Formation and from the overlying Jav-
elina and Black Peaks formations, but it is abun-
dant and diverse only in the Aguja Formation. The
biostratigraphic ranges of these turtles overlap only
in the uppermost member of the Aguja Formation,
the “upper shale member” of Lehman (1985). The
strata described here must represent a previously
unrecognized facies of the upper shale member,
which is Upper Campanian/Lower Maastrichtian
(Lehman 1986, 1989, 1991)
Structural Relationships. Structural-stratigraphic
relationships also indicate a Late Cretaceous age
Figure 6. Photograph of the southeastern boundary
for the strata in the fault block. The southeastern fault showing Javelina Formation (Middle to Upper Maas-
boundary of the block is an outward-dipping nor- trichtian) in the hanging wall of the fault juxtaposed with
mal fault that juxtaposes sediments of the Javelina the pyroclastic deposits in the footwall. Arrows show
Formation (Middle to Upper Maastrichtian) in the movement on fault. View is to the southwest. For lo-
hanging wall of the fault with the pyroclastic strata cation of photograph, see figure 2.
248 J. A. BREYER ET AL.

neous) compositional zonation in cathodolumi-
nescence images, and contain only minor opaque
inclusions (avoided during analyses); obvious in-
herited cores were not observed. Concordant or
nearly concordant analyses for individual grains
yield ages ranging from Proterozoic to Cretaceous,
with the majority of the analyses yielding Creta-
ceous ages (fig. 7; table A1, available in the online
edition and from the Journal of Geology office). The
wide spread in ages indicates that the zircon pop-
ulation contains a significant number of xeno-
crysts. Analyses of the five youngest grains show
overlapping 2j error ellipses. Four of these analyses
overlap the concordia curve (fig. 7) and yield a
weighted mean concordia age of 72.6 Ⳳ 1.5 Ma
(MSWD p 0.76). There is no obvious difference in
characteristics between the five youngest zircon
grains and the older grains. One possible interpre-
tation is that all the analyzed grains are xenocrysts,
which would make the basalt younger than
72.6 Ⳳ 1.5 Ma. An alternate interpretation is that
the weighted mean concordia age of 72.6 Ⳳ 1.5 Ma
is the igneous crystallization age of the basalt, with
the older zircon grains representing xenocrysts in-
corporated in the basalt magma before or during
eruption. Ogg et al. (2004) place the Campanian-
Maastrichtian boundary at 70.6 Ⳳ 0.6 Ma. Thus, an
age of 72.6 Ⳳ 1.5 Ma for the basaltic volcanism is
consistent with the biostratigraphic and structural-
stratigraphic constraints. We favor the second in-
terpretation for the zircon age data, but note that
our age assignment for the volcanism rests prin-
cipally on the biostratigraphic and structural-strat-
igraphic evidence.
The abundance of zircon xenocrysts may at least
partly result from fine-scale interaction between
the basaltic magma and older rocks during subsur-
face phreatomagmatic processes. One possible
source for the older zircon grains is sandstones
lower in the Aguja Formation, which contain a
large proportion of igneous detritus derived from
arc terranes farther west (Lehman 1985, 1986). An-
other possible source is represented by the blocks
of felsic tuff within the basaltic pyroclastic se-
quence, which indicate that distal air-fall deposits
in the strata beneath the volcano were involved in
the phreatomagmatic explosions.

Figure 7. Tera-Wasserburg concordia diagram (Tera and Wasserburg 1972) showing 2j error ellipses for analyses of
zircon grains from the basalt block. Ages on concordia curve are shown in Ma. Inset shows four analyses used to
calculate concordia age; bold number next to each error ellipse indicates analysis number in table A1; heavy black
circle represents calculated age with 2j error. Cathodoluminescence images of the grains yielding these four analyses
are shown to the right. The circles indicate the spots that were analyzed.
Journal of Geology L AT E C R E TA C E O U S V O L C A N I S M
Figure 8. Late Cretaceous volcanic activity in the
southwestern United States. Position of Ouachita front
in south Texas and Big Bend from Flawn et al. (1961).
Location of volcanoes in Balcones magmatic province
(BMP) from Luttrell (1977). Leading edge of magmatic arc
in Mexico from Damon et al. (1981). B p Brewster
County; K p Kinney County; T p Terrell County; V p
Val Verde County; TPMP p Trans-Pecos magmatic
province.
Implications for Late Cretaceous Volcanism
The new biostratigraphic, structural-stratigraphic,
and geochronological data reported here provide the
first direct evidence for Cretaceous volcanism in
the Trans-Pecos region. Subduction-related mag-
matism moved from west to east across northern
Mexico and the southwestern United States during
the Cretaceous and Paleogene (Coney and Reynolds
1977; Damon et al. 1981; Cameron et al. 1983).
Upper Cretaceous andesites and related igneous
rocks in southeastern Arizona (Cooper 1971) and
southwestern New Mexico (Jones et al. 1967) mark
the onset of arc volcanism in those areas (Miller et
al. 1992). It is unlikely that subduction-related vol-
canism began in Trans-Pecos Texas at the same
time, however, because volcanic centers in west
Texas lie another 300 km inboard from the Late
Cretaceous magmatic arc (fig. 8). Laramide mag-
matism first reached Trans-Pecos Texas at about 64
Ma (Gilmer et al. 2003). Subsequent igneous activ-
ity at 48–32 Ma, which took place in a continental-
arc setting, probably marks the full development of
subduction-related magmatism in Texas, as sug-
gested by Henry and McDowell (1986; see also Da-
mon et al. 1981).
If subduction-related magmatism did not reach
Trans-Pecos Texas until 64 Ma, another explana-
tion must be sought for Late Cretaceous volcanism
in the Big Bend area of Texas. Volcanic activity was
taking place 250–300 km to the east in the Balcones
igneous province of south Texas during the Late
249
Cretaceous (fig. 8). Magmatic activity in the Bal-
cones province spanned the Cenomanian through
Maastrichtian but peaked in the Campanian
(Byerly 1991) at the same time as the basaltic vol-
canism in the Big Bend area described here. Alka-
line mafic and ultramafic magmas generated in the
upper mantle moved into the crust along reacti-
vated older structures (Barker et al. 1987; Byerly
1991). Submarine vents opened on the Cretaceous
sea floor along the trend of the buried Paleozoic
Ouachita structural belt, and some volcanoes grew
above sea level to form islands (Spencer 1969;
Young 1976; Luttrell 1977; Ewing and Caran 1982).
Griffin et al. (2005) reported U-Pb zircon ages of 86
and 77 Ma and 40Ar/39Ar amphibole ages of 77 Ma
from parts of the Balcones province. Miggins et al.
(2004) recognized two distinct phases of magmatic
activity in the southwestern Balcones province, at
82–80 Ma and 74–72 Ma, based on 40Ar/39Ar data.
Flawn et al. (1961) emphasized the relationship
between the buried frontal zone of the Late Paleo-
zoic Ouachita system and the distribution of the
mafic and ultramafic rocks of the Balcones igneous
province (Spencer 1969). The Ouachita front runs
just north of the Rio Grande from western Kinney
County to southern Brewster County (fig. 8). Mag-
matic rocks of the Balcones province are known
along the Ouachita front in Texas as far west as the
Rio Grande in Kinney County, 250 km east of the
newly discovered Cretaceous basalt volcanic rocks
in Big Bend (fig. 8; Luttrell 1977).
We speculate that Upper Cretaceous basaltic vol-
canic rocks in the Big Bend area represent a western
extension of the Balcones igneous province, based
on their proximity to the Ouachita frontal zone and
their similarity in age to the peak of magmatic ac-
tivity in the Balcones province. The style of vol-
canism was somewhat different, however, reflect-
ing phreatomagmatic interactions between basaltic
magma and unconsolidated alluvial plain sedi-
ments in the Big Bend area, as opposed to shallow-
marine Surtseyan volcanic eruptions in the main
part of the Balcones province to the east. Further
examples of Late Cretaceous magmatism should be
sought along the intervening part of the Ouachita
frontal zone. A possible western continuation of
the Balcones province also has economic implica-
tions because submarine volcanoes in the province
created important reservoirs for petroleum (Luttrell
1977; Miggins et al. 2004). If Late Cretaceous mag-
matic activity extended that far inland from the
Gulf, it would be along the trace of the Ouachita
front—either to the north in Val Verde, Terrell, or
eastern Brewster County or to the west in southern
250 J. A. BREYER ET AL.
Brewster County, which is where the volcanic ac-
tivity reported here took place (fig. 8).
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We are indebted to R. Pitcock, owner of the Ros-
illos Mountains Ranch, for allowing us access to
his property. We thank T. M. Lehman, Texas Tech
REFERENCES CITED
Barker, D. S.; Mitchell, R. H.; and McKay, D. 1987. Late
Cretaceous nephelinite to phonolite magmatism in
the Balcones province, Texas. In Morris, E. M., and
Pasteris, J. D., eds. Mantle metasomatism and alkaline
volcanism. Geol. Soc. Am. Spec. Pap. 215:293–304.
Byerly, G. R. 1991. Igneous activity. In Salvador, A., ed.
The Gulf of Mexico Basin (Geology of North America,
vol. J). Boulder, CO, Geol. Soc. Am., p. 91–108.
Cameron, M.; Cameron, K. L.; Sawlan, M.; and Gunder-
son, R. 1983. Calc-alkalic volcanism in Chihuahua,
Mexico: its regional geochemical context. In Clark,
K. F., and Goodell, P. C., eds. Geology and mineral
resources of north-central Chihuahua. Guidebook for
the 1983 field conference. El Paso, TX, El Paso Geol.
Soc., p. 94–101.
Coney, P. J., and Reynolds, S. J. 1977. Cordilleran Benioff
zones. Nature 270:403–406.
Cooper, J. R. 1971. Mesozoic stratigraphy of the Sierrita
Mountains, Pima County, Arizona. U.S. Geol. Surv.
Prof. Pap. 658-D, 42 p.
Damon, P. E.; Shafiqullah, M.; and Clark, K. F. 1981. Age
trends of igneous activity in relation to metallogenesis
in the southern Cordillera. Ariz. Geol. Soc. Dig. 14:
137–154.
Ewing, T. E., and Caran, C. S. 1982. Late Cretaceous vol-
canism in south and central Texas: stratigraphic,
structural and seismic models. Gulf Coast Assoc.
Geol. Soc. Trans. 32:137–145.
Flawn, P. T.; Goldstein, A., Jr.; King, P. B.; and Weaver,
C. E. 1961. The Ouachita system. University of Texas
at Austin—Bureau of Economic Geology Publ. 6120,
401 p.
Gilmer, A. K.; Kyle, J. R.; Connelly, J. N.; Mathur, R. D.;
and Henry, C. D. 2003. Extension of Laramide mag-
matism in southwestern North America into Trans-
Pecos Texas. Geology 31:447–450.
Griffin, W. R.; Foland, K. A.; Bergman, S. C.; and Ley-
bourne, M. I. 2005. New geochemical and geochro-
nological constraints on the Balcones igneous prov-
ince, Texas. Geol. Soc. Am. Abstr. Program 37:9.
Harlan, S. S.; Geissman, J. W.; Henry, C. D.; and Onstott,
T. C. 1995. Paleomagnetism and 40Ar/39Ar geochro-
nology of gabbro sills at Mariscal Mountain anticline,
southern Big Bend National Park, Texas: implications
for the timing of Laramide tectonism and vertical axis
rotations in the southern Cordilleran orogenic belt.
Tectonics 14:307–321.
University, for sharing his knowledge of Creta-
ceous strata in the Big Bend area with us. The
assistance and insightful discussion provided by J.
Wooden and F. Mazdab of the USGS/Stanford mi-
croprobe lab are also acknowledged. Thoughtful
reviews by D. Barker, G. Byerly, and an anony-
mous reviewer improved the quality of the manu-
script.
Heiken, G., and Wohletz, K. 1985. Volcanic ash. Berkeley,
University of California Press, 246 p.
Henry, C. D., and McDowell, F. W. 1986. Geochronology
of magmatism in the Tertiary volcanic field, Trans-
Pecos Texas. In Price, J. G.; Henry, C. D.; Parker, D.
F.; and Barker, D. S., eds. Igneous geology of Trans-
Pecos Texas. University of Texas at Austin—Bureau
of Economic Geology Guidebook 23, p. 99–122.
Henry, C. D. and Price, J. G. 1986. Early Basin and Range
development in Trans-Pecos Texas and adjacent Chi-
huahua: magmatism and orientation, timing, and
style of extension. J. Geophys. Res. 91:6213–6224.
Henry, C. D.; Price, J. G.; and James, E. W. 1991. Mid-
Cenozoic stress evolution and magmatism in the
southern Cordillera, Texas and Mexico: transition
from continental arc to intraplate extension. J. Geo-
phys. Res. 96:13,545–13,560.
Jones, W. R.; Hernon, R. M.; and Moore, S. L. 1967. Gen-
eral geology of Santa Rita Quadrangle, Grant County,
New Mexico. U.S. Geol. Surv. Prof. Pap. 555, 144 p.
Lehman, T. M. 1985. Stratigraphy, sedimentology, and
paleontology of Upper Cretaceous (Campanian-Maas-
trichtian) sedimentary rocks in Trans-Pecos Texas.
PhD thesis, University of Texas, Austin, 299 p.
———. 1986. Late Cretaceous sedimentation in Trans
Pecos Texas. In Pausé, P. H., and Spears, R. G., eds.,
Geology of the Big Bend area and Solitario Dome,
Texas. West Tex. Geol. Soc. Publ. 86-82:105–110.
———. 1989. Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) paleosols
in Trans-Pecos Texas. Geol. Soc. Am. Bull. 101:188–
203.
———. 1991. Sedimentation and tectonism in the Lar-
amide Tornillo Basin of west Texas. Sediment. Geol.
75:9–28.
Luttrell, P. E. 1977. Carbonate facies distribution and dia-
genesis associated with volcanic cones: Anacacho
Limestone (Upper Cretaceous), Elaine Field, Dimmit
County, Texas. In Bebout, D. G., and Loucks, R. G.,
eds. Cretaceous carbonates of Texas and Mexico: ap-
plications to subsurface exploration. University of
Texas at Austin—Bureau of Economic Geology Rep.
Investig. 89:260–284.
Maxwell, R. A., and Dietrich, J. W. 1965. Geologic sum-
mary of the Big Bend region. West Tex. Geol. Soc. Publ.
65-51:11–33.
Maxwell, R. A.; Lonsdale, J. T.; Hazzard, R. T.; and Wil-
son, J. A. 1967. Geology of Big Bend National Park,
Journal of Geology L AT E C R E TA C E O U S V O L C A N I S M
Brewster County, Texas. University of Texas at Aus-
tin—Bureau of Economic Geology Publ. 6711, 320 p.
McDowell, F. W.; Lehman, T. M.; and Connelly, J. N.
2004. A U-Pb age for the Late Cretaceous Alamosau-
rus vertebrate fauna of west Texas. Geol. Soc. Am.
Abstr. Program 36:6.
Miggins, D. P.; Blome, C. D.; and Smith, D. V. 2004.
Preliminary 40Ar/39Ar geochronology of igneous intru-
sions from Uvalde County, Texas: defining a more pre-
cise eruption history for the southern Balcones vol-
canic province. U.S. Geol. Surv. Open File Rep.
2004-1031, 31 p.
Miller, D. M.; Nilsen, T. H.; and Bilodeau, W. L. 1992.
Late Cretaceous to Early Eocene evolution of the U.
S. Cordillera. In Burchfiel, B. C.; Lipman, P. W.; and
Zoback, M. L., eds., The Cordilleran Orogen: conter-
minous U. S. (Geology of North America, vol. G-3).
Boulder, CO, Geol. Soc. Am., p. 205–260.
Ogg, J. G.; Agterberg, F. P.; and Gradstein, F. M. 2004.
The Cretaceous period. In Gradstein, F.; Ogg, J. G.;
251
and Smith, A. G., eds. A geologic time scale 2004.
Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, p. 344–383.
Spencer, A. B. 1969. Alkalic igneous rocks of the Balcones
Province, Texas. J. Petrol. 10:272–306.
Tera, F., and Wasserburg, G. J. 1972. U-Th-Pb systematics
in three Apollo 14 basalts and the problem of initial
Pb in lunar rocks. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 14:281–304.
Tomlinson, S. L. 1997. Late Cretaceous and Early Tertiary
turtles from the Big Bend region, Brewster County,
Texas. PhD thesis, Texas Tech University, Lubbock,
194 p.
Valentine, G. A., and Fisher, R. V. 2000. Pyroclastic
surges and blasts. In Sigurdsson, H.; Houghton, B.;
McNutt, S. R.; Rymer, H.; and Stix, J., eds. Encyclo-
pedia of volcanoes. San Diego, CA, Academic Press,
p. 571–580.
Young, K. 1976. Pilot Knob, a marine Cretaceous volcano.
In Economic geology of south central Texas: a guide-
book for the 1976 South Texas Geological Society field
trip. San Antonio, TX, S. Texas Geol. Soc., p. 86–104.