Pedestal rocks in the Pliocene Puye Formation, New Mexico
Abstract
Pedestal rocks generally form in sandstone/shale terrains, with differential erosion producing a sandstone cap on a shale base. A different type of pedestal rock occurs in the late Pliocene Puye Formation in north-central New Mexico. Here, coarse conglomerate forms the base, and large, detrital boulders form the cap rocks. The formation of these pedestal rocks is dependent on the presence of a minimun amount of conglomerate in the base to provide the necessary support strength for the boulder caps.
- Publication:
-
Sedimentary Geology
- Pub Date:
- October 1986
- DOI:
- 10.1016/0037-0738(86)90038-2
- Bibcode:
- 1986SedG...49..193N