R. T. HILL — THE TEXAS-NEW MEXICAN REGION. 97 



;il certain stages it was no doubt continuous with that of the latter valley. The river, 

 which leaves the consolidated mountain ruck at Fort Selden has cut deep into 

 this plain, and much of its waters are imbibed by the porous formation until it 

 again enters the mountain rock near El Paso. 



The Jornado del Muerto Basin. — The northern end of the Mesilla basin or plain is 

 terminated by a group of stratified and volcanic hills, which extend westward from 

 the Organs, via Donna Anna and Fort Selden, cutting off the Mesilla basin from 

 that of the Jornado del Muerto, which begins north of this barrier and extends 

 northward for a hundred miles. This is perhaps the most noted of the basin plains, 

 having been long celebrated for its absolute lack of surface water, and lying directly 

 in the track of the ancient Santa Fe-El Paso trail. 



The Jornado occupies the country north of the Donna Anna hills from Fort Selden 

 northward. On the east its limits are the San Andres and Sierra ( >scura, the north- 

 ward continuation of the ( >rgan range. On the west it is bounded by the Sierra de 

 Los ( "a hallos and Fra Christobal, the southern continuation of the Sandia range. 

 The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe railway enters it at Socorro, and continues upon 

 it northward to Lava station. 



This basin was partially described by Dr. G. G. Shumard* as follows: "Wher- 

 ever examined the surface formation was found to consist of detritus of rocks 

 in all respects the same as those composing the neighboring mountains from 

 which it was doubtless mainly derived. The precise thickness of this deposit 

 could not be very accurately determined, as only a few natural sections were ob- 

 served, and these only near the base of the mountains. In two localities its ob- 

 served thickness was nearly five hundred feet." 



The Eagle Flats Basin. — Another and extensive formation lies between the 

 parallel mountain ranges of the Quitman-Muerto series [which is a continuation of 

 the Hueco series) and the Diablo-Davis series. This basin is of irregular area and 

 lias two principal arms or members, the southwestern of which is traversed through- 

 out its greatest length by the Southern Pacific railroad from Sierra Blanca to Marfa, 

 and is known as the Eagle flats. This is a very narrow basin, seldom exceeding 

 twenty-live miles in width, and like the others is surrounded on all sides by moun- 

 tain blocks, against which may he clearly discerned the terrace structure of the 

 ancient lake shores. The soil is the same pink-tinted gravelly loam of all the 

 mountain basins. 



From Sierra Blanca this basin sends another arm eastward and northward up the 

 eastern side of the Hueco series and west of the Carizzo and Diablo mountains 

 toward the Wind mountains for an unknown distance. In this portion of the basin 

 there are several salt lakes of small area and extent. The Texas Pacific crosses this 

 portion of the area, east of Van I hnn, through a mountain gap. 



Valley of flu Salt Lake Basin. -Another vast basin extends along the meridian of 

 HU" from the southern end of the Guadalupe, north of Wildhorse station on the 

 Texas Pacific. The basin is aboul thirty-live miles from northwest to southeasl and 



half as wide, and is marked by numerous salt lakes. It is surrounded on the uv-t 



by the mi unit a in b locks of the sierra Diablo, on the north by the Guadalupes, and 

 on the east and south by low unnamed mountain blocks. From descriptions, this 



*'l'li, i, ,i structure ol the "Jornado del Muerto,'" New Mexico, being an abstract from the 



ological reporl of tin expedition under Capl John Popi . I — . Top. Engrs., for boring artesian 



wells along the Hi f the32d parallel; by Dr. G. G. Shumard, M. D., geologist of th( expedition: 



Transactions ol the Academy of Science of St. Louis, vol, i. I85G -'60, p. ■'. n . 



XIII Bun,. G koi 3oi \ w \ 891 



