Introduction
Travcrtine rs composed primarily of calcium carbonate'(CaCO.) as calcite and less
commonly as aragonite' In broad terms, travcrtine is calcrum carbonate deposite'd in a
s p r i n g s v s t t ' mt h . r tt ' r n i t se i t h e r w a r m o r t t r l d
c.rrbonate-ch;rrgedwater and de'positstravertine at or near thc' surface. Travertine is
tvpically related to faults and to nearbv limestone sourc(. rocks.
Commercial trave-rtineis hard, dense to
vuggy, finelv crystalline, compact, massive
Commercial
travertine
in NewMexico
DvGeorqe
S . u;trnard Jarnesl/ Barker
\ e w M tr i ; I b u r e a0ut M r n e as n dl V r n r r aRle s o u r ; eSsi t c o r r oNrv8i801
"?".
.*] '',, E\d r\ FX.
[t
i.:.
ir*d
*tt-
t
'\hls{H
--*
F I C U R F . I S c l r t ' h c r a z] d { q u a r r v a t N e w M e r r c o l r a v e r t i n e q u a r n e s w , r ' s to f l J e l e n ,N e w M e x i c o D i a m o n d - i m p r e g n a t e d b e l t s a w i n o p e r a t i o n c u t t i n g
c h a n n t ' l a s d r ' . ' 1 .a : l ( l f t W i r e ! i a w ' a t r F p e r r i g h t r s " p u l l i n g t h t . f l o o r " o n b l o c k p r e v i o u s l y c u t b y b e l t s a w I ' h o t r r g r a p h c o u r t t s y o f R o c k v
]r':-inch
Mount;rrn Strrrrt'
( C o r t t e n t so n p a g c5 d )
to concretionaryIimestonethat takes a polish. Impurities in travertine impart colors
_rangingfrom white to pink, tan, yellow
brown, or dark brown. If variableimpurities
causecolor banding in layeredtravertine, the
stone is sometimes called tufa, calcareous
sinter,marble,Metcan onyx, or onyx marble
(Sandersand Friedman, igOZ);true onyx is
banded silica (SiOr).Travertine,as quairied
and marketed by New Mexico Travertine
(NMT), includesall forms of calcite,aragonite, travertine, Mexican onyx, carbonate
breccia,and altered limestonebedrockwith
oxidized iron on stylolitic surfaces.Mexican
onyx will be called onyx below when used
in textural descriptions.
NMT produces commercial varieties of
stone including Temple Creme (white to
creamy-whitetravertine),Scheherazade
(palecream to pink travertine with onlx), Desert
Creme (yellow to brown travertinewith minor onyx and lilac-or pinkish-graysections),
Vista Grande (dark-reddish-b6wn to cream
accordingto ASTM C-119 (Szypula,1988).
Dimension stone, i.e., blocks, slabs, or
Alsoin thisissue
1988 Mineraland mineralfuel productionactivities
sheets of stone cut and finished to specific
dimensions for structural, ornamental, or
monumental uses, has becomepopular for
walls, fireplaces, patio floors, and as flagstones,especiallywhere decorativeaccents
and special architectural effects are desired
(Austin et al., 1990).Some segmentsof the
architectural market favor lightly colored
travertine with a relativelyeven, muted texture. Variegated and brightly colored travertine often is consideredless adaptableas
preferred color combinations change over
time. Other architects prefer the more vivid
colors and textures, particularly for interiors
of large buildings.
Travertine in New Mexico
NMT is one of three dimension-stone operations producing travertine in the United
States;the other two are in Idaho and Montana. NMT quarriesabout 400short tons (st)
of stoneper month from extensive,well-bedded, laminar lensesof travertine(Fig. 1) just
east of Mesa Lucero in the easternfoothills
of MesaAparejo. The travertinequarriesare
25 mi west of Belen (Fig. 2) in secs.12 and
13,TsN, R3W on U. S. Bureauof Land Managementand private lands.
Travertine is widespread in New Mexico
(Kottlowski, 1965).About 50 discretedeposits are known (Barker,1986,1988)with many
additional ones occurring in the extensiv-e
limestoneterrainsof New Mexico.The nearest large deposit, on trend with the Mesa
Aparejo travertine, is a few miles north of
the NMT quarrieson the LagunaIndian Reservation at Mesa Lucero. Other large occurrences (Fig. 2) are west of Sierra Ladrones
(Barker, 1983)and at Mesa del Oro (ficha,
1956,1958).Minor production of travertine
p. 59
Service/News
Upcomingmeetings
NMBMMRMineralMuseum
notes
Mineralsymposium
slide
competition
p.65
p. 66
p.72
p.74
p.75
Goming
soon
Monero coal field
1989 discoverwells
Lava Creek B tephra
August 1990
Mesa
del Oro
\\\'
p.75
p.76
Staff notes
To Santa Fe
6i
^:l
!i
p.75
Nalr Mexico Geology
General geology of Mesa Aparejo
Limestone of the Pennsylvanian Madera
Formation in the subsurface to the west is
probably the primary sourcerock for the carbonate-rich water that formed the Quaternary travertine at the edge of Mesa Aparejo
(Gray Mesa). The lower 800 ft of the Madera
Formation are well exposedjust west of the
NMT travertine quarries (Kelley and Wood,
1946;Titus, 7963;Cooper, 1964)and probably
represent the Gray Mesa Member of the Madera (Kelleyand Wood, 19r[6;Kuesand others,
1982).Other bedrock units nearby include
PennsylvanianSandia Formation, Permian
Abo and YesoFormations, and Precambrian
granite and schist.Kelley and Wood (1945),
summarized by Titus (1953), showed the
structuraland shatigraphicrelationships(Fig.
3) of MesaAparejo (Gray Mesa).Hammond
(1982)summarized regional stratigraphy and
structure south of Mesa Aparejo; Slack and
Campbell (1976)summarized structure to the
north. Cooper (1964) was concerned primarily with the travertine.
Alarge northeast-trendingfault mostly west
of the travertine (Fig. 4), mapped as a normal
fault dipping 70oeastward by Cooper $9e),
New A4exfic@
GEOLOGV
o SGienGe
andService
NMGS spring meeting
abstracts
CimarronCanyonStatePark
Mineralsof NewMexice-a
photogallery
also occurred during the 1970'sin south-central New Mexico about eight miles northwest
of Radium Springs in sec.23, T21S,R2W.
':<
..'T.r
t,'t'
/
/
lRocky
Mountarn
-fd.stone
Volume 12, No. 3, August 199O
Editor:Carol A Hjellming
RebeccaTitus
Drafting assistance;
Published
quarterlyby
New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources
a division of New Mexico lrstihrte of Mining & llrchnology
BOARD OF REGENTS
Ex Officio
Carrey Canuthers, Gouernorof Nru Mexico
Alan Morgan, Suryrinfendentof PublicInstruction
Appoinred
Steve Tones, Pr6., 1967-1991, Albuquerque
Carol A. Rymer, M.D., SeclTrss.,1 9-1995,Albuquerque
Robert O Anderson, 1987-193, Roswll
Lenton Malry, 1985-191, Ahuquerque
Lt Gen Lrc Marquez, l9f39-1995,Albuquerque
New Mexico Institute of Minint & Technology
Prqidnt
Laurence H Lattman
New Mexico Bureau of Mines & Mineral Resources
Directoland StateCeolosist
Frank E Kottlowski
Assxiqte Directol
JamesM Robeitson
Subsgriptions:
lssued quarterl, February, May, August,
November; subsription price $6 00/calendaryear
EditotialMttq: Articles submitted for publication should
be in the editor'shandsa minimum of five (5) months
before date of publication (February,May, Autust, or
November) and should be no longer than 20 typewritten, double-spacedpages All scientfic papen will be
reviewed by at leasttwo people in the appropriate field
of study Addressinquiries to CarolA Hjellming, Editor
of Nn MexicoGmlogy,New Mexico Bureauof Mines &
Mineral Resources,Strorc, NM 87801
Publishedas public domln, thar4ore rcprdrciblc without pqmission Sourcecredit rcquested
Circulation:1,ffi
Prin,eri University of New Mexico Printing Plant
is the Comanche thrust fault of Kelley and
Wood (1946),which dips shallowly to steeply
westward. The dip of the fault varies considerably in the vicinity of Mesa Aparejo.
Cooper's interpretation seems correct because it is based on drill-hole data. on observation of the fault plane in outcrop at the
travertine quarries, and is consistentwith
the downdropped Paleozoicsectionjust east
of the fault.
With respectto rocks to the west, the Madera and other bedrock units east of Mesa
Aparejo have dropped severalthousand feet
into the Albuquerque-Belen Basin portion of
Mesa
Aparejo
( G r a yM e s a )
[3
F UNITS
D E S C R I P T I ON
Oal
lPmg
the Rio Grande rift. Sandstone, conglomerate, and mudstone of the Tertiary Santa Fe
Group now overlie downfaulted older bedrocks units and lap onto Mesa Aparejo. The
Comanche fault and associatedminor faults
acted as conduits and continue to influence
Oal
Alluvium (Quoternoryl-volley fill; sondywoshes
Op
Pediment grovel (Quoternory)-severol levelswiih somecolicheinlerbeds
Ot
bonded,
of colciumcorbonote;
Troverfine (Quoternory)-spring deposits
lominoted,ond frogmeniol;relotedlo oncienlspringsolong foult
Py
YesoFormotion,upper port o{ LosVollos Member (Lower Permion)
ond sholewith minorgypsum
ton-brown,frioble siltstone,sondstone,
Pa
Abo Formotion (Lower Permion) red-brown,fine- to coorse-groined
interbeds
ond sholewith minor limestone
sondslone.siltsJone.
lPma
Modero Formotion, Ahosodo Member (Upper Pennsylvonion fu
mndstone
to dork-groylimestone,shole,ond conglomerotic
IPmg
Modero Formotion,Groy Meso Member (Middle Pennsylvonion)
cherty,thick-to thin-beddedlimeslone
groy to dork-groy,predominontly
with minor sholeond sondstone
[Psu
Sondio Formotion,upper clostic member (Middle Pennsylvonion)
shole,conglomerole,
groy to block orenoceousltmestone,corbonoceous
ond sondsione
roy
Pink groniie ond ossocioted green chlorite schist (Precqmbrion)
highlyfroctured
FIGURE 3-Geologic map of Mesa Aparejo (after Kelley and Wood, 1946;Titus, 1963;Kues et al., 1982).A-A', approxirnateline of the diagrammatic
cross section for Fig. 4.
SE
Comanche
ault
FIGURE 4-Diagrammatic section acrossthe Mesa Aparejo travertine in secs.12 and,13, T5N, R3W showing the overlapping east-westrelationship
of Quaternary travertine with Permian bedrock at Precambrianinlier. SeeFig. 3 for unit descriptions. Note the normal dip of the Comanche fault
and the lateral changesin travertine variety (modified from Coopea 1964).
Nm MexicoGeology August 1990
circulationof carbonate-charged
ground water
and spring water.
Precipitation of calcium carbonate in a
spring system occurs when carbonate-rich
waters become supersaturated because of
either evaporation of water or loss of carbon
tabolism (Chafetzand Folk, 1984).Travertine
was deposited as extensive,thick, laminar
lensesat MesaAparejo. Travertinepresently
being deposited-fromsprings just'north of
Mesa Aparejo in secs.35 and 36, T5N, R3W
illustrates one way older and larger deposits
may have formed (Fig. 5).
The varieties of travertine at MesaAparejo
are distinguished by color and structure, but
the mineralogyand origin arefundamentally
the same foi- each. n"eaaingis commonly
laminated with characteristic serrations
probably representing the forward surfaceof
a micro-terraced rimstone dam that impounds a pool of spring water from which
limestone is deposited (Fig. 5). Concretionary massesof various dimensionsare largely
due to algal activity. Rod-like structures, frequently upright and clustered in tufts or
masses/may be algal or bacterialwhen microscopic,but most likely representdeposition around grass,stems, or branches.Holes
1984), are locally abundant.
:a
The highly variable color of the Mesa Aparejo travertine is a result of impurities. Pink
and red are probably primary and result from
inclusion in the travertine of red iron oxide
from nearby Permian sandstone, siltstone,
and shale. Yellow and brown are secondary
and were produced close to the surface by
percolating oxidizing waters during case
hardening and weathering of the travertine.
Onyx is translucent calcium carbonate in
which layers parallel the surfacesof infilled
voids or laminae, and is intimately associated with travertine.Most onyx, now calcite,
w a s d e p o s i t e do r i g i n a l l y a s a r a g o n i t e ,a
metastable higher-temperature form of calcium carbonate. Local coarse-grained aragonite is associatedwith spring orificesmainly
in the Apache Golden Vein portions of the
Gray Mesa Member of the Madera Formation. Becausearagonite is more soluble than
the calcite, advanced dissolution forms soft
crumbly zonesand largevoids later filled with
clay or mud (Cooper, 7964).
Travertine is quarried by NMT for slabs
(typically 4' x 8' sheets,3/q-inchthick) and
ashlar (rectangularpiecesof sawn or roughhewn stoneof non-uniform size).Travertine
fragments are marketed as rubble (roughhewn irregular blocks or boulders)and
crushed stone (broken stone in smaller sizes).
Temple Creme (Fig. 6,4'),white to creamywhite travertine, resemblesbetter grades of
Italian travertine and normallv occursin lavers lessthan 5 ft thick intercalitedwith othir
varieties. It also occursin one sizablebodv
containing 7-8 million ft' of stone (Coopei
1964).However, the highest quality reserves
are limited and the bodv
- has not vet been
quarriedeconomically.
Scheherazade(Fig. 58) is a pale-creamto
pink to gray travertine/onyx that, although
present in large quantities, is variable in
soundness or freedom from flaws (Power,
1983, p. 178). Cooper (1964)believed that
deeper levels in the deposit would yield excellentcommercialmaterial.He estimatedthat
the entire property containedabout8 million
ft' of Scheherazade,making it the most abunCommercial varieties of NMT travertine
dant travertine/onyx variety at the NMT
The six varietiesof travertineproducedby
quarrres.
NMT (Fig. 6) vary in detail within a given
Vista Grande (Fig. 6E) is formed by imlayer but are laterallv consistent for hunpregnation of Scheherazadetravertine/onyx
dieds of feet. Severaladditional varietiesof
bv secondarvcalciteand brown iron oxide.
travertine have been identified in the Mesa Cboper (1964)estimated reservesof 7.75 mrlAparejo area but have not been quarried. lion ft' but stated that large production of
Sucha wide variety of types within one trav- Vista Grande as dimension stone could not
ertine depositis very unusual.Cooper(1964) be achieved. However, Vista Grande now
conservativelyestimated that the NMT quarsuppliesmost of the rubble and cmshed stone
ries contained reservesof about 49 million
producedby NMT and only a limited amount
ft3 of associatedtypes of commercial-quality of slabsand ashlar.
travertine and altered limestone (Table 1).
Desert Gold (Fig. 5D), a yellow-gold travTravertineof all types underliesabout 1,140 ertine, has abundant onyx within the domacres and may total about 200 million short
inant travertine. Many voids must be filled
tons (st) in place (Barker,L988).
with epoxyor cementgrout during finishing.
The grout, along with case-hardeningiron
oxide, yields a pleasingappearanceand increased
strength. Cooper (1964)estimated
'i
reservesof 1.5 million ff of Desert Gold.
Desert Creme travertine (Fig. 5C), as described by Cooper (1964),commonly underlies Desert Gold and varies from pale lilac
gray through mauve to pinkish gray. Nearly
every block and slabof Cooper'sDesertCreme
containeddisseminatedblack limestoneclasts
generally less than 1 inch, but occasionally
6 inches in diameter. Cooper (1964) estimated reservesof about 4.2 million ff of Desert Creme.Travertinequarried now asDesert
Creme is higher stratigraphically than that
described by Cooper but is not equivalent to
Desert Gold. It is mainlv vellow to brown
with minor onyx and lilic- or pinkish-gray
sections;limestoneclastsare absent.
Apache Golden Vein (Fig. 6F) is a yellowto reddish-gray limestone of the Gray Mesa
Member of the Madera Formation. It forms
M9lE^-l.
Lt"senFday formation of travertine near the northern end of Mesa Aparejo (SErL sec. 35,
T6N, R3W). The spring supplying this travertine issues from the Madera Formaiion-and is about r/s
mi upstream to the west. Note hammer handle in lower left for scale.View is to the northwest.
August 1990 Nm MexicoGeology
FIGURE 6-Polished slabs of the six varieties of
commercial stone marketed bv Rockv Mountain
Stone: A, TempleCreme; B, Scheheraiade;C, Desert Creme; D, Desert Gold; E, Vista Grande; and
F, Apache Golden Vein. Each slab is 1 fP.
A
C
B
\e.--*o*-,
;ilu"
*isr;;
**.
*
D
i"'
NczoMc-ririr (;coltttq
August 199t)
as the cut is made, then is moved forward
and the wire is shortened; this processis
repeatedas often as necessaryto complete
the cut (Fig. 8). The cut may be any orientation from horizontalto vertical.Largeslabs
of rocks are also prepared by a rail-mounted
belt saw that cuts as deep as 10 ft (Fig. 1).
Until recently, most cutting of travertine was
done bv the wire saw' but now much of the
work ii done with great precision and high
output by the'belt saw.
After being broken or cut loose, 150-300st slabs are tipped over using hydraulic
wedges.The blocksfall away from the working face and onto loose debris to lessen
breakage(Fig.9). They aresplit or sawedinto
15-20-stblocks, graded, processedon site,
or loaded onto flatbed trucks by large frontend loaders or forklifts and hauled to the
dressingplant. Low-gradeblocksand waste
from the quarrying procedure are crushed
on site by severalmethods. This material is
marketed as palletized rubble (larger sized)
or as crushed stone (smallersized).
TABLE 1-New Mexico Travertine reservesby commercial name (Cooper, 1964;NMT, oral communication 1990).
Composition and
Texture
Temple Creme
travertlne
Scheherazade
Reserves
(million ff)
Remarks
7.7
Top grades mined out
travertine/onyr(
8
Most abundant type; variable soundness
Vista Grande
travertine/onyx
7.75
Case-hardened Scheherazade
Desert Gold
travertineionyx
1.5
Onyx abundan| strong
Desert Creme
travertine/onyx
4.2
Disseminated black limestone clasts
Other varieties
travertine/onyx
74.7
subtotal
Apache
Golden Vein
altered Madera
limestone
TOTAL
-t14 million ft'
Saw
Apache Golden Vein may be more
widespread off NMT property; it rs not
travertine.
5
-49 million ff
prominent but thin ledgesmid-slopeon Mesa
Aparejo. The limestone has been partly altered, perhaps during emplacement of the
travertine (Coopea 1964)downslope to the
east. Closely spacedand anastomosingstylolites of the original limestone have been
oxidized to bright golden,yellow iron oxide.
Apache Golden Vein varies from 0 to 15 ft
thick at the NMT quarries. Severalmiles to
the southwest similar limestone in the Gray
Mesa Member can be 50 ft thick. Atthough
Cooper (1954)estimated about 5 million ft'
could be recovered, he did not consider
Apache Golden Vein to have sufficient market appeal to warrant extraction.NMT has
succeededin developing this market but only
TABLE 2-Saws
Includes "Saladin Onyx," "Mescalero
Onyx," and "Sioux Breccia"
sellsApache Golden Vein as polished slabs,
a relatively low volume activity.
Quarrying procedures at NMT
Blocks of travertine are cut with a wire
saw, a belt saw or both (Table2). A Vermeer
concretesaw is used to remove caprockoverlying the travertine. During wire-saw operation, intersectingdrill holesproducea path
through which a wire impregnated with industrial diamondsis drawn. The wire is connected in a continuous moving loop and
pulled under tension as it cuts through the
travertine toward a wheel on tracks(Fig. 7).
The wire saw is moved backwardon the track
Milling proceduresat NMT
The NMT finishing plant is about two miles
west of Belenoff Exit 191of Interstate25 (Fig.
2). The Belenplant can produce 2,000to 3,000
ff of travertineslabsper day,but the variable
amount of custom work commonly lowers
output. Gradedand stockpiledquarry blocks
are trimmed square using a small wire saw,
similar to the processat the quarry. Most
blocks at the plant are cut into slabsin an
adjustableGasparigang saw that has as many
as 75 diamond-impregnatedbladesindividually adjustablefor width of cut (Table2, Fig.
10). The gang saw usually is set to produce
3/r-inch-thickslabsthat are then moved to an
automatic Gregori polishing line.
used at the New Mexico Travertine quarrv and mill west of Belen, New Mexico
Cut Dimensions
Cutting Method
Abrasive
Remarks
Quarry
Wire saw
25'deep x 40'long
cable pull
3/ro"cable drawn
through connected
drill holes
industrial
diamond
3lc" x 3la" diamond
segment every ltlz"
separated by spring
sPacers
Belt saw
lO'deep x 50'long
(rail in 10' increments)
ltlz" belt on movable
arm
industrial
diamond
Automated advance
and shutdown
(water pressure lost
or excess amPs
drawn); waterjets
around perimeter of
arm
Concrete saw
34" deep x unlimited
(tracked vehicle)
7'diameter wheel
tungsten
carbide
tips
Used to remove
caprock waste
as many as 75
reciprocating blades
industrial
diamond
Spacing of blades is
variable
rotating blade
industrial
diamond
Accurate to 0.2 mm;
can cut special
shapes
Mill
Gang saw
Bridge saw
August 1990 Nao MexicoCeology
length
wrre saw
uncut
t r a v e r tnt e
FIGURE 7-Diagrammatic
representation of wire-saw operation during a
vertical cut through connected drill holes. The cable loops from the motor
through an inclin6d drill hole behind the face, through an intersecting horizontal drill hole near the base of the face, and back to the motor. (Source:
Benetti Macchine, Italy)
FIGURE8-Wire saw,with diamond-impregnated
cable,in operationat New MexicoTravertinequarry.
Photograph courtesy of New Mexico Travertine.
FIGURE 9-Large travertine slabs are tipped over
using hydraulic wedges, then processed into blocks
or rubble. Man on skyline for scale. Photograph
courtesy of D. W. Love
Nm Merico Geology August 799O
The Gregori polishing line removes small
ridges produced by the gang saw, yielding
a smooth, highly polished, flat surface (Fig.
11).During cutting and polishing, the stone
is flushed with water, which removes clay
and mud in the voids. Beforefinal polishing,
a waterproof, appropriately colored grout is
applied, if needed, to the slab surface,filling
the voids and partially cementing the stone.
Epoxy grout has a shiny surfacein polished
travertine slabs. Cement grout-filled voids
appear dull compared to the flat portions of
FIGURE l0-Adjustable Gaspari gang saw used
to cut stone blocks into slabs.The block was about
4 ft wide before it was slabbed.
the stone, but colors of either fill are chosen
to blend well with the highly polished surfaces. Some slabs may be backed with fiberglas mesh and epoxy to strengthen them
further.
Complex angle and other cuts are made
with a computer-controlled Gregori Impala
bridge saw (Fig. 1.2)accurateto 0.2 mm. The
bridge saw is used to cut polished slabsinto
special shapes. Ashlar is made by breaking
thick travertine slabs in a hydraulic knife or
guillotine (Fig. 13). Finished slabsor blocks
FIGURE ll-Gregori
FIGURE l2-Computer-controlled Gregori Impala bridge saw used to cut
complex angles and shapes to close tolerances.
August 1990 Nm MexicoGeology
are packed or placed on pallets and shipped
to customers.
Travertine is porous and its physical properties vary more than those of denser materials (Table 3). This is particularly true of
its modulus of elasticity and coefficient of
linear expansion.Much travertineis used as
flooring; porosity is not deleterious for this
end use as shown by the much higher abrasion resistanceof porous Temple Creme
compared to Apache Golden Vein with far
fewer visible pores.
polishing line used to produce highly polished travertine slabs.
FIGURE 13-Workmen break sawed blocks into ashlar, which is placed on
pallets for shipment to customers. The blocks are unsuitable for slabbing
g^!e!fE
rytysical test data for NMT Temple Creme travertine reported by Albuquerque Testing Labs [ATL], unless noted as reported by Testwell
Craig. [TC].^\MT Apache Golden Vein [AGVj, concrete, and marble data included foi compariJon. a, North Carolina (NC), Veimont, or Georgia
marble; b,0.2 of ultimate compression;-, not available.
Temple Creme
Procedure
Compressive shength (psi)
ASTM C17O_50
Shear shength (psi)
Modulus of rupture (psi)
Modulus
4" rubes in Tinius
Olsen tester
of elasticity
Range
Mean Value
Other Materials
AGV
Concrete
Remarks
6110
3816to 7536
2500to 5000
7400 to 11,300
Tinius Olsen tester
1702
914 to 1442
ASTM C99_52
1105
92 to 1133
r200"
750to 900
718 to 3133
0.55to 1.3x 105
3 . 5 t o sx 1 0 5
7x1,ff
0.92x lff
Large voids : 3815
horizontal grain
1600b
Horizontal grain
eastern marble
(NC) 718-3133
+20% fuom
mean allowed all pass
Horizontal grain
low due to
Poroslry
Specific gravity
ASTM C97_83
Coefficient of linear
expansion
heated 8 hours
Absorption
ASTM C97_83
Abrasion
resistance
ASTM C24T
Skid resistance
ASTM E303(dry)
(wet)
Scaling resistance
ASTMC672
2.37
7.37IATLIto 2.71lTCl
1.391x 10 5 0.9686
to 1.57x 10-6
0.92
2.32
3 . 2 t o 7 . 8x 7 0 6
2.48[TCl
2.69 to 2.74
5.6x106
0.89to 0.97
sample reiected as
>15% below
mean
24.67lTCl
3e [rc]
1e[rc]
0.1%loss
11.37[TC]
50 rycles
TABLE 4-Travertine production by New Mexico Travertine. Data in short tons and by commercial
name and product.
Production by NMT
Production recordsof NMT for the last five
years (Table4) show salesof six commercial
varieties of stone and four types of product:
slabs,ashlar,rubble, and cmshed stone.Data
for Desert Gold and Desert Creme are combined. Crushed travertine production was
volatile over the five-year period. Production
trends show a general increase in all travertine varieties since start up (Fig. 14A), particularly for Vista Grande, Temple Crelm,
and Scheherazade.Vista Grande and Desert
Gold,/DesertCremewere very popular in 1982
principally as crushed stone and rubble respectively(Fig. 1aB).Productionof slabs(the
most expensivetravertine product) has risen
substantially for all varieties except Vista
Grande. Temple Creme slabs are the most
popular, but lack of high-quality reserveswill
Iimit future sales. The production of rubble
has varied widely among the five types of
stone used, but Vista Grande is most popular.
Rocky Mountain Stone Company (RMS)
markets stone for NMT. Finished travertine
is displayed at the RMS stoneyard in Albuqlerque on the Pan American Highway
(frontageroad) west of Interstate25 and south
of the fefferson exit. Some travertine is
shipped to sculptors for carving or to marble
shops and dealersprimarily for distribution
to furniture manufacturers. RMS aggressively markets their products in many parts
of the United Statesand has sold large quantities of stone in such distant statesas New
fersey and Washington. RMS travertine
products are now beginning to penehate international stone markets as well.
13
1985
1988
1989
Temple Creme
slabs
ashlar
rubble
crushed
total
5.69
0
r24.58
23.00
t53.27
84.38
0
369.60
0
453.98
247.42
312.50
r90.47
47.50
797.83
r34.t1
373.24
246.00
25.M
778.75
432.94
301.72
759.71
0
893.77
1.13
0
&.43
8.00
73.55
7.98
0
r94.48
30.00
232.46
35.39
0
M0.48
118.01
593.88
29.41,
724.U
205.A
726.92
486.67
46.96
347.23
749.05
56.80
594.04
T6.M
0
397.28
3M.45
718.17
36.64
0
302.47
730.U
7069.95
3.46
0
478.29
2280.85
2762.ffi
4.96
0
390.55
872.35
1267.86
6.26
10.15
494.92
745.77
1257.70
7t.07
&.48
75.55
25.25
r02.67
727.86
5.00
240r.40
2406.40
17.t6
308.70
379.86
60.01
210.s0
270.57
4.48
20.59
39.74
17.25
72.83
Scheherazade
slabs
ashlar
rubble
crushed
total
Vista Grande
slabs
ashlar
rubble
crushed
total
Desert Gold/Desert
Creme
slabs
rubble
total
Apache Golden Vein
slabs
TOTAL
1025.03
1904.85
6599.85
28M.34
Nm MexicoGeolo3y August 1990
3028.25
A
3000
2750
2500
O
.c 22so
AcxNowI-rpcuurvrs--We benefited significantlv from reviews by Vince Lardner of
Rocky Mountain Stone and New Mexico
Travertine, and by our colleaguesAugustus
Armstrong, Gretchen Hoffman, Frank Kottlowski, and Edward Smith. BeckyTitus photographed the blocks for Fig. 5 and Jonathan
Cheney drafted the line drawings.
Q zooo
n
,- 1750
\ts
References
r nnn
Visto Gronde
a 1250
C
r)
F 1000
^
-c
@
j
750
Temple Creme
\
Scheherozode
500
Desert Gold/Desert Creme
250
n
1
1987
1986
1988
Apoche Golden Vein
198S
B
3500
3000
O
,-P
t-
O
O IUUU
ts
a\
1500
a
C
Rubble
Crushed
Ashlor
S l ob s
o 1000
F
I
-C
500
a
---z
0
19 8 5
1
1987
1988
1
production, in short tons, for 1985-1989 by New Mexico Travertine by comFIGURE l4-Travertine
mercial name (A) and type of product (B).
The future
Vince Lardner, owner of NMT and RMS,
has an interesting oPinion about competition; he wants it. Several established travertine operationsin New Mexicowould helP
expandhis own market by making the state,
as well as his comPanies,better known to
architects for dependable grades and quantities of high-qualitystone.Lardnercautions
that such operations must be well financed,
use the latest technology,and be run by comAugust 1990 Nr.u MexicoGeologY
petent managerswho would actively Pursue
sales.Without that commitment, they would
stand little chance of success.
NMT has large reservesof quality material
near Mesa Aparejo and looks forward to many
more years bf operation. They are developing other travertine deposits in the region.
Given the abundance of travertine occurrences in New Mexico, severalof very good
quality, Lardner may get his wish for competition.
Austin, G. S., Barker,f. M., and Smith, E. W.' 7990,
Building with stone in northem New Mexico: New
Mexico-GeologicalSociety,Guidebook to 4lst field conference, in press.
Barker,J. M., i983, Preliminary investigation of the origin
of the Riley travertine, Socorro Counry New Mqico:
New Mexico Geological Society,Guidebook to 34th Field
Conference, pp. 26927 6.
Barker, J. M., 1985, Travertine: New Mexico Bureau of
Mines and Mineral Remurces, Open-file Report 229,
pp. 94-100.
Barker, J. M., 1988,Travertine quanies and deposits in
New Mexico (abs.):New Mexico Geology,v 10, no. 3,
p. 68.
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y,
constituents: Jbumal of Sedimentary Petrology, v.
pp.289-375.
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mrble along the east base of Mesa Aparejo. Valencia
County, New Mexico:Unpublished rePort to Ultra Marbles, Inc., Albuquerque,66PP.
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calcite deposits along the Lucem uplift, ValenciaCounty,
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between the Ladron Mountains and Mesa Sarca,Socorro Countv, New Mexico: Unpublished M.S. thesis,
New Mexico lnstitute of Mining and Technology,212
PP.
Jic-hi,H. L., Jr., 1955,A deposit of high-calciumline rock
in ValenciaCounty, New Mexico: New Mexico Bureau
of Mines and Mineral Resources,Circular 36, 5 pp.
Jicha,H. L., )r., 1958,Geology and mineral resourcesof
Mesa del Oro quadrangle, Socono and ValenciaCounties, New Mexico: New Mexico Bureau of Mines and
Mineral Resources,Bulletin 56,67 pp
Julia, R., 1983,Travertines:Arnerican Association of Petroleum Geologists,Memoir 33, pp. 64J2.,
Kelfev V C., and Wood, G H', 1946' Geology of the
Luiero uplift, Valencia,Socono, and Bemalillo Counties, New Mexico: U.S. GeologicalSurvey, Oil and Gas
Investigations, Preliminary Map 47, scale.1:63,360.Kottlowski, F. E., 1965, Limestone and dolomite: New
Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources,Bulletin 87, pp. 345-353.
Kues, B. S., Lucas,S. G., and Ingersoll,R. V, 1982 Lexicon of Phanerozoic stratiSraPhicnames used in the
Albuquerque area: New Mexico Geological Society,
Guidebook to 33rd field conference,pp. 125-138.
Myers, D. A.,7973, The upper PaleozoicMadera Group
in the Manzano Mountains, New Mexico: U.S. Geological Suruey, Bulletin 1372-R 13 pP
Powir, W. R., i983, Dmension and cut stone; in Lefond,
S. J. (ed.), Industrial minerals and rocks:American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers, New York, 5th edition, pp. 151-181.
Sanders,J. E., and Friedman,G. M-' 7957,Origin and
occurrence of limestones; in Chilingar, G V., Bissell,
H. J., and Fairbridge, R. W. (eds.), Carbonate rocks,
origin and classilication: Elsevier, New York, Developments in Sedimentology 9A, pp. 776-177..
Slack,P B., and Campbell,J. A., 1975,Structural geology
of the Rio Puerco fault zone and its relationship to
central New Mexico tectonics:New Mexico Geological
Society,SpecialPublication 6, pp. 46-52.
SzypulJ, A.; 1988,Self evaluation of Temple Creme and
Apache Golden Vein: unpublished report, ltstwell Craig
Laboratodes, 4 pp.
Titus, F. 8., Jr., 7963,Geology and ground-water conditions in eastern Valencia County, New Mexico: New
Mexico Bureau of Mines md Mineral Resources,Groundwater Report 7, ll3 PP.
tr