Rubidium-strontium and related studies of the Salado Formation, southeastern New Mexico
The Salado Formation, a member of the Ochoa Series, is a bedded salt deposit which is found in the Delaware Basin of southeastern New Mexico and west Texas. It is comprised primarily of halite and sylvite with minor amounts of sulfate minerals. Rubidium-strontium age determinations of the evaporite minerals in the Salado indicate an age of final equilibration of 214 +- 15 m.y. This age is fairly consistent with the geologic age of the formation, precluding substantial alkali-alkaline earth migration since deposition. Polyhalite and anhydrite samples from the Salado give /sup 87/Sr//sup 86/Sr values of about .7078, which are consistent with reported values for Permian seawater. The REE and trace element concentrations of the polyhalite and anhydrite samples are very low, reflecting the composition of seawater. Rubidium-strontium age determinations of the clay minerals extracted from the salt suggest a minimum age of 390 +- 77 m.y. This age probably represents the minimum age of the provenance of the clay minerals. The REE and trace element concentrations as well as the mineralogy of the clay minerals indicate a detrital origin for the clay minerals with some clay-brine interaction. Clay minerals seem generally depleted in the light REE (relative to NAS) which most likely were replaced by Ca/sup 2 +/ and Na/sup +/ from the evaporitic brines.
- Research Organization:
- Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (USA); New Mexico Univ., Albuquerque (USA). Dept. of Geology
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-76DP00789
- OSTI ID:
- 5790851
- Report Number(s):
- SAND-81-7072; ON: DE82006832
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
58 GEOSCIENCES
580300* -- Mineralogy
Petrology
& Rock Mechanics-- (-1989)
AGE ESTIMATION
ALKALINE EARTH ISOTOPES
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
CLAYS
ELECTRON CAPTURE RADIOISOTOPES
ELEMENTS
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GEOLOGY
HOURS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES
ISOTOPE DATING
ISOTOPES
MANAGEMENT
METALS
MINERALOGY
MINERALS
NEW MEXICO
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEI
RADIOACTIVE WASTE STORAGE
RADIOISOTOPES
RARE EARTHS
SALT DEPOSITS
SITE SURVEYS
SOUTHWEST REGION
STABLE ISOTOPES
STORAGE
STRONTIUM 86
STRONTIUM 87
STRONTIUM ISOTOPES
TRACE AMOUNTS
USA
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE STORAGE