MINERAL    DEPOSITS    OF    NEW    MEXICO. 
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drainage  line  of  the  region,  the  Rio  Grande,  which  traverses  the  entire  Territory  from  north 
to  south,  lies  along  the  west  side  of  this  mountain  belt.  From  the  Colorado  line  to  a  little 
south  of  Santa  Fe  this  mountain  province  is  conspicuous  and  distinct,  comprising  the  lofty 
Mora,  Taos,  and  Santa  Fe  groups  or  ranges.  Farther  south  the  province  is  represented 
by  three  chains  of  disconnected  ranges  which  nevertheless  conform  in  trend  to  the  more 
prominent  ranges  to  the  north.  On  the  east  are  the  Jicarilla  Mountains,  the  Sierra  Blanca, 
and  the  Sacramento  and  Guadalupe  Mountains.  The  central  and  best-defined  chain  is 
made  up  of  the  Sandia,  Manzano,  Oscura,  San  Andreas,  Organ,  and  Franklin  ranges,  to 
FIG.  4.— Map  of  New  Mexico. 
which  may  be  added  the  group  of  laccolithic  mountains  known  as  the  Cerrillos,  the  Ortiz, 
San  Pedro,  and  South  mountains.  On  the  west  are  the  Ladrone,  Limitar,  Magdalena, 
Fra  Cristobal,  and  Cabalios  mountains.  These  ranges,  which  comprise  the  southern  part 
of  the  central  mountain  province,  have  few  features,  individually,  to  distinguish  them 
from  many  of  the  desert  ranges  except  in  their  position  as  parts  of  a  linear  chain  of  su<  h 
ranges.  There  exists,  apparently,  a  transition  from  the  central  mountain  province  to  the 
desert-range  province. 
East  of  the  central  mountain  belt  the  foothills  merge  into  the  broad,  gentle  slopes  which 
form  a  part  of  the  Central  Great  Plains  of  the  United  States. 
