ABSTRACT
This tour takes us across Texas from Austin to El Paso and then we explore southeastern New Mexico before we end in Las Cruces. We visit the Balcones Fault, Canyon Lake Gorge, Pedernales State Park, Enchanted Rock State Park, Devils Sinkhole State Natural Area, the Marathon Fold-thrust Belt, Big Bend National Park, El Solitario in Big Bend Ranch State Park, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Guadalupe Mountains National Park, White Sands National Monument, Organ Mountains National Monument, and Prehistoric Pathways National Monument. Geographically, we move from the Gulf Coastal plain to the Edwards Plateau, cross the Marathon Uplift, traverse the Permian Basin, and end in the Basin-and-Range Province at the Rio Grande Rift. Along the way, we discuss oil and gas resources of the Gulf Coast Basin and Permian/Delaware Basin, examine the geology of the uplifts and basins, and review local history.
