The Lower Permian (Leonardian) Yeso Formation in New Mexico consists of up to 300 m of interbedded eolian, sabkha, lagoonal, and shallow-marine siliclastic and carbonate rocks deposited by transgressive and overlying regressive successions. Environments change from predominantly eolian in the north to more mixed marine and eolian throughout the state, while lagoonal and marine facies become increasingly important southward, with numerous gypsum beds in the east-central part of the state. A middle Limestone Member is present throughout most of the state, and marks the time of maximum transgression.
Much of the Yeso Formation is arranged into 2 to 10 m-thick parasequences composed of mixed marine and nonmarine sediments. Eolian beds are characterized by orange, very fine-grained sandstones that display climbing wind ripples deposited either on a sand sheet or on the landward side of a sabkha shoreline. Intertidal and supratidal dolomites are characterized by fenestral fabric, desiccation cracks, and stromatolites, although some dolomites lack these features and may be lagoonal in origin. Gypsum beds consist of cm-scale white and grey or black laminae, and were deposited in hypersaline lagoons, whereas normal-marine conditions are represented by fossiliferous limestones. The large number of parasequences suggest relative sea-level changes on the order of 104 to 105 years.
2000 AAPG Annual Meeting
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