GYPSUM    IN    NORTHWESTERN    NEW    MEXICO.  265 
where,  the  strike  abruptly  changing  to  a  nearly  east-west  direction, 
the  line  of  outcrop  crosses  the  Cabezon- Albuquerque  wagon  road  and 
then  courses  southwestward  for  an  unknown  distance.  Where  the 
gypsum  outcrop  crosses  the  wagon  road  the  bed  dips  gently  west- 
northwest.  At  this  point  it  is  covered  by  a  frhin  bed  of  shale  and 
could  probably  be  exposed  over  a  considerable  area  by  stripping.  *It 
is  here,  apparently,  that  Simpson  a  observed  gypsum  and  salt  deposits. 
Salt  was  not  seen  by  the  writer,  but  it  is  undoubtedly  present  in  the 
vicinity  in  some  quantity,  for  the  Rio  Salado,  whose  head  tributaries 
drain  the  area,  is  exceedingly  salty.  The  section  exposed  at  this  point 
is  in  all  respects  similar  to  that  measured  at  the  locality  just  described. 
Here  the  yellow;  unconsolidated  sand  bed,  50  feet  thick,  underlies  the 
gypsum. 
RESUME. 
As  has  been  already  noted  above,  the  deposits  are  practically  inex- 
haustible and  are  accessible  by  wagon  road,  but  railroad  facilities 
are  lacking.  The  nearest  railroad  station  is  Bernalillo,  on  the  Atchi- 
son, Topeka  and  Santa  Fe  Railroad.  This  place  is  25  miles  distant 
from  the  gypsum  deposit  last  described — so  far  that  a  wagon  haul 
is  quite  out  of  the  question  under  present  conditions.  It  is  not 
thought  likely  that  the  deposits  will  be  worked  on  a  commercial 
scale  until  the  gypsum  beds  of  the  territory  that  are  situated  nearer 
railroad  lines  have  been  practically  exhausted  or  until  the  demand 
for  gypsum  products  greatly  increases.  It  is  not  at  all  improbable, 
however,  that  a  railroad  line  will  soon  be  built  into  the  area,  the 
promoters  having  in  view  primarily  the  development  of  the  coal  and 
copper  resources  of  the  region,  a  description  of  which  has  been  given 
in  other  Survey  publications.6  The  presence  of  the  coal  beds  will 
do  much  to  promote  the  development  of  the  gypsum  industry  in 
this  region,  for  the  gypsum  may  be  burned  on  the  ground  cheaply. 
The  analysis  given  above  shows  that  the  gypsum  is  of  exceptional 
purity  where  the  sample  was  taken.  Throughout  its  occurrence  its 
physical  characteristics  are  similar,  and  in  so  far  as  one  may  be 
guided  by  appearance  it  is  everywhere  of  similar  purity.  The  gyp- 
sum is  suitable  for  any  purpose  to  which  gypsum  is  adapted. 
a  Loc.  cit. 
bSchrader,  F.  C,  The  Durango-Gallup  coal  field  of  Colorado  and  New  Mexico:  Bull.  U.  S.  Geol. 
Survey  No.  285,  1905,  pp.  250-251.  Lindgren,  W.,  and  Graton,  L.  C,  A  reconnaissance  of  the  mineral 
deposits  of  New  Mexico:  Bull.  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey  No.  285,  1905,  p.  86.  Lindgren,  W.,  Graton,  L.  C, 
Gordon,  C  H.;  and  Schrader,  F.  C,  Reconnaissance  of  the  mineral  deposits  of  New  Mexico:  Prof. 
Paper  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey,  in  preparation. 
