Date of Graduation

Spring 2020

Degree

Master of Science in Geospatial Sciences

Department

Geography, Geology, and Planning

Committee Chair

Gary Michelfelder

Abstract

The Mogollon Mining District and the Bearwallow Mountain 7.5-minute quadrangle are located in southwestern New Mexico, and are comprised of mid-Tertiary volcanic rocks that were the result of voluminous eruptions within the Mogollon-Datil Volcanic Field. This thesis aims to better understand the geology and structure of the Bearwallow Mountain 7.5-minute quadrangle and the Mogollon Mining District, and to analyze the use of Very Low Frequency electromagnetic techniques to delineate buried structures in volcanic terranes. I use Very Low Frequency electromagnetic methods and field mapping to evaluate the effectiveness of the method, and to better understand the geology and ore bodies in the mining district. The results indicate that the VLF-EM method is effective at identifying known and unknown structures via variations in electromagnetic responses. The profiles analyzed in this thesis indicate conductive zones along known faults, as well as conductive zones not associated with faults. These results conclude that the VLF-EM method is effective at identifying buried structures, however it is difficult to differentiate the source of the conductivity. Therefore, it could be used to identify possible exploration targets, but not mineralization.

Keywords

Mogollon Mining District, Mogollon-Datil Volcanic Field, Bursum Caldera, New Mexico Volcanic-Epithermal Deposit, VLF-EM Exploration

Subject Categories

Geology | Geophysics and Seismology | Volcanology

Copyright

© Charles Frost Hoffman

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