93-576: The Wagner Noël Performing Arts Center (WNPAC) is a performing arts venue located between the cities of Midland, Texas and Odessa, Texas . WNPAC is owned by The University of Texas , and is built on a satellite campus of The University of Texas of the Permian Basin (UTPB). It houses an 1800-seat main concert hall and a 200-seat recital hall, and also houses the UTPB music department. 2013 USITT Architecture Merit Award This article about
186-658: A Fox affiliate; KPBT-TV , a PBS affiliate; KWWT , a MeTV affiliate; KUPB , a Univision affiliate; and KTLE-LD , a Telemundo affiliate. It also has a religious television station: KMLM-DT , an affiliate of God's Learning Channel , a worldwide institution offering pro-Israel programming. Many major motion pictures have been filmed in and around Midland, including Hangar 18 , Waltz Across Texas , Fandango , Blood Simple , Hard Country , Friday Night Lights , The Rookie , The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada , Everybody's Baby: The Rescue of Jessica McClure (which featured, as extras, many participants in
279-668: A 35-court tennis facility named the Bush Tennis Center . Midland is also home to the Midland Mad Dog Rugby Club, which competes in the Texas Rugby Union as a Division III team. According to its 2008 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, Midland's various funds had $ 57.3 million in revenues, $ 53.0 million in expenditures, $ 363.4 million in total assets, $ 133.9 million in total liabilities, and $ 75.0 million in cash and investments. Midland
372-660: A building or structure in Texas is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Midland, Texas Midland is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of Midland County with small portions extending into Martin County . The population was 132,524 as of the 2020 census . Located in the Permian Basin in West Texas , Midland is a major center for American oil and natural gas production . Midland
465-588: A collection of race cars designed by Jim Hall , a longtime Midland resident who pioneered the use of aerodynamic downforce in Formula One car design. Midland is also home to The Museum of the Southwest. The museum features a collection of paintings by various members of the Taos Society of Artists and Karl Bodmer as well as engravings by John J. and John W. Audubon. Within the same museum complex are
558-490: A depth of 12,621 feet (3,847 m). In the nearby Apache and Glass Mountains, the basement rock is made of metamorphosed sandstone and Precambrian-aged granite. The entire area is also underlain by layered mafic rocks, which are thought to be a part of Pecos Mafic Igneous Suite, and extends 220 miles (360 km) into the southern US. It has been dated to 1163 mya. Each period from the Paleozoic Era has contributed
651-767: A different formation was formed in the different parts of the Permian Reef Complex. The Cisuralian Epoch contained two ages, the Wolfcampian and the Leonardian , both of which have a geological formation in the Permian Basin named after them. The Wolfcampian Formation lies conformably on top of the Pennsylvanian Formation and is the first formation from the Permian Period. Its composition varies depending on its location in
744-552: A fifth vote, but the result was that the three rural commissioners, representing only 3% of the county's population, held a majority of the votes. The Court held that the scheme violated the Fourteenth Amendment 's Equal Protection clause . A dissenting minority held that this example of the Warren Court's policy of incorporation at the local-government level exceeded its constitutional authority. Midland
837-601: A max thickness of 660 feet (200 m). During the formation of the Atoka, uplift was still occurring in the region, leading to increased sedimentation as the surrounding highlands were eroded. The increased sedimentation led to the formation of medium- to coarse-grained sandstone. In the Atoka Formation, the first reef structures that formed in the Delaware Basin are visible. The Strawn Formation formed after
930-599: A maximum thickness of 1,150 feet (350 m) but thins out significantly as it approaches the basin margins due to transgressive onlap . The Brushy Canyon Formation also contains small reef patches, ripple marks , and crossed bedded strata , that indicate that the Delaware Basin had a shallow water environment at this time. The next unit of the Delaware Mountain Group is the Cherry Canyon , which had multiple different sub-units and extended into
1023-701: A new water system. Midland was changed significantly by the discovery of oil in the Permian Basin in 1923 when the Santa Rita No. 1 well began producing in Reagan County , followed shortly by the Yates Oil Field in Iraan . Midland became the West Texas oil fields' administrative center. During World War II , it had the nation's largest bombardier training base. A second boom began after
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#17327983452081116-463: A rapid enough pace to keep up with rising sea levels . The Capitan Reef also found a stable foundation on the reef debris and talus that rested on its slopes, and this foundation allowed the reef to grow outward. In some locations, nutrients and minerals were so abundant that the Capitan Reef grew out almost 50 km from the starting point. The third stage of the Capitan Reef is the death of
1209-702: A source of water, and the Delaware Basin was located near a marginal sea. Thanks to the Hovey Channel, this sea transported water into the Delaware Basin. Global temperatures during this time were warm, as the world climate was changing from icehouse to greenhouse. This rise in global temperatures also led to the melting of ice masses located towards the South Pole, which then led to a rise in sea levels. The Permian Period has been split up into main Epochs , each of which has separate subdivision. In each sub epoch,
1302-859: A specific lithology to the Tobosa Basin, accumulating into almost 6,600 feet (2,000 m) of sediment at the start of the Pennsylvanian Period (323.2–298.9 mya). The Montoya Group is the youngest rock formation in the Tobosa Basin and was formed in the Ordovician Period (485.4–443.8 mya), and sit directly on the igneous and metamorphic basement rocks. The rocks from the Montoya Group are described as light to medium grey, fine to medium grained crystalline calcareous dolomite . These rocks were sometimes inter-bedded with shale , dark grey limestone, and, less commonly, chert .
1395-547: A thickness of 1,480 feet (450 m) in some places. Karstification of the Fusselman Formation shows that a drop in sea level occurred, but sea levels rose again during a transgressive event, which lead to the creation of the Wristen Formation. Sea levels would then drop again, which led to major exposure, erosion, and karstification of these formations. The Thirtyone Formation was developed during
1488-405: A time of major Permian Basin oil and gas discoveries. The surge in energy prices in the mid-1980s sparked a building boom downtown. For many years, the 22-story Wilco Building in downtown was the tallest building between Fort Worth and Phoenix . Today, the tallest is the 24-story Bank of America Building , at 332 feet (101 m). Four buildings over 500 feet (150 m) tall were planned in
1581-876: Is MC's president. Midland is home to the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Permian Basin Campus 's physician assistant program, on the MC campus. The entry-level graduate program awards a Master of Physician Assistant Studies following 27 months of intensive academic and clinical training. Twice each year, the Davidson Distinguished Lectures Series at Midland College presents free public lectures by "nationally known speakers whose academic accomplishments, civic leadership, and/or public achievements interest, enrich, and enlighten Midland students and citizens." The series
1674-508: Is also home to four charter schools: Richard Milburn Academy, Premier High School , Texas Leadership Charter Academy, and Midland Academy Charter School. Midland is served by the Midland Reporter-Telegram . Midland is served by nine local television stations: KMID , an ABC affiliate; KWES-TV , an NBC affiliate; KOSA , a CBS affiliate and a MyNetworkTV affiliate on their digital cable TV station; KPEJ-TV ,
1767-859: Is called the Bone Spring Limestone , which reaches a max thickness of 2,000 feet (600 m) and lies directly below the Capitan Reef Complex . The Bone Spring limestone can be divided into two formations: the Victorio Peak Member, which consists of massive beds of limestone measuring up to 98 feet (30 m); and the Cutoff Shale Member, which is formed from black, platy, siliceous shale and shaley sandstone. The Bone Spring Limestone consists of several fossils, such as bryozoans, crinoids, and spirifers , but lack algae and sponges that are plentiful in
1860-412: Is divided into generalized facies belts differentiated by the depositional environment in which they formed, influenced by sea level, climate , salinity , and access to the sea. Lowering sea level exposes the peritidal and potentially, the shelf margin regions, allowing linear channel sandstones to cut into the shelf, extending beyond the shelf margin atop the slope carbonates, fanning outward toward
1953-609: Is home to the McCormick Gallery, inside the Allison Fine Arts Building on the main campus. Throughout the year, exhibits at the McCormick feature works of MC students and faculty, visiting artists, and juried exhibits. The Arts Council of Midland serves as the promotional and public relations vehicle to promote the arts and stimulate community participation and support. The McCormick is also home to
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#17327983452082046-427: Is home to three public high schools: Midland High School , Legacy High School and Early College High School (ECHS) at Midland College, all of which are part of MISD. Another school district just outside Midland, Greenwood Independent School District , serves approximately 3,000 students and operates Greenwood High School , James R. Brooks Middle School, Greenwood Intermediate, and Greenwood Elementary. In July 2020
2139-401: Is important to keep in mind that tectonics played a major part. During this period, the supercontinent of Pangaea , which lasted from 335 to 175 mya, started undergoing breakup. Pangea was clustered together near the equator and surrounded by the superocean Panthalassa, with the Permian Basin located on its western edge within 5–10 degrees of the equator. Any reef building environment would need
2232-562: Is improbable since the debris came from the reef, which was not dolomitic. The Bell Canyon Formation is the next unit in the Delaware Mountain Group, and it is the age equivalent unit to the Capitan Reef Formation which formed on the shelf. The Bell Canyon Formation consists of "un-fossiliferous, dark-gray to black, platy, fine-grained limestone". All the Cherry Canyon Formation and the bottom part of
2325-503: Is in the Permian Basin in the West Texas plains. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has an area of 71.5 square miles (185.2 km ), of which 71.3 square miles (184.7 km ) is land and 0.2 square mile (0.5 km ) (0.28%) is water. Midland has a desert climate ( Köppen BSh or BSk ) with hot summers and cool to mild winters. It occasionally has cold waves during
2418-707: Is more consistent and is characterised as a thick bedded dolomite which integrates into the San Andres Formation as it moves toward the shelf. The middle unit of the Cherry Canyon Formation is the South Wells Member, which is composed of sandstone and integrates itself into the Goat Seep Reef as it moves towards the basin shelf. The upper unit is the Manzanita Member, which consists of dolomite, and gets pinched out underneath
2511-792: Is named after the Permian geologic period, the final period of the Paleozoic era, as it contains some of the world's thickest deposits of rocks from the period. The Permian Basin comprises several component basins, including the Midland Basin, which is the largest; Delaware Basin , the second largest; and Marfa Basin, the smallest. The Permian Basin covers more than 86,000 square miles (220,000 km ), and extends across an area approximately 250 miles (400 km) wide and 300 miles (480 km) long. The Texas cities of Midland , Odessa and San Angelo serve as headquarters for some of
2604-707: Is represented in the US Senate by John Cornyn and Ted Cruz and in the US House of Representatives by August Pfluger . Midland residents are represented in the Texas Senate by Republican Kevin Sparks , District 31. Midland has been represented in the Texas House of Representatives by Republican Tom Craddick , the former Speaker from District 82, since 1969. Craddick is the longest serving representative in
2697-919: Is the AA affiliate of the Athletics . The Rockhounds have played their home games in Momentum Bank Ballpark since 2002. West Texas United Sockers is an American soccer team founded in 2008. The team is a member of the United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Mid South Division of the Southern Conference. The team plays its home games at
2790-416: Is the establishment of the reef and its rapid growth. Due to the slower rates of subsidence of this time, the reef was able to build itself up quickly. Once the reef reached sea level, it began to grow horizontally, since it could not grow vertically anymore. The reef environment during the first stage of development was described as warm (around 68 °F (20 °C)), shallow, high energy, clear water that
2883-422: Is the home of Midland College (MC), which offers over 50 programs of study for associate degrees and certificates to more than 6,000 students who enroll each semester. MC offers programs in health sciences, information technology, and aviation, including a professional pilot training program. MC is one of only three community colleges in Texas approved to offer a bachelor's degree in applied technology. Steve Thomas
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2976-507: Is the principal city of the Midland, Texas metropolitan statistical area , which includes all of Midland County, the population of which was 169,983 in the 2020 U.S. Census. The metropolitan area is part of the larger Midland–Odessa combined statistical area , which had a population of 340,391 in the 2020 census. Residents of Midland are referred to as 'Midlanders'. Midland was founded as the midway point between Fort Worth and El Paso on
3069-711: Is thought to indicate the dehydration and rehydration process of the gypsum and anhydrites. There is also evidence of evaporite calcitization . The reef system was buried until it was exposed in the Mesozoic Era as a result of tectonic activity by the Laramide Orogeny . The deep water shale and carbonate reefs of the Delaware and Midland Basins and the Central Basin Platform would become lucrative hydrocarbon reservoirs. The Permian basin
3162-589: The Atoka Formation . The Morrow is an important reservoir consisting of clastic sediments , sandstones and shales, deposited in a deltaic environment. The Pennsylvanian Period also led to the development of other geologic formations, although none had the importance of the Morrow Formation. The Atoka Formation lies conformably on top of the Morrow Formation, and is characterized by its fossil-rich limestone inter-bedded with shale, reaching
3255-498: The Capitan Formation as it moves into the basin margins. All four members of the Cherry Canyon Formation have undergone dolomitization near the basin margins. This is evident since the calcite / aragonite bioclastic debris that existed as a part of this formation has been preserved as molds in dolomite. It has been suggested by some authors that the clasts and debris might have been dolomitic upon deposition, but that
3348-604: The Delaware Mountain Group , which can be further subdivided into rock divisions based on location in the Permian Reef Complex. The first formation that makes up the Delaware Mountain Group is the Brushy Canyon Formation , and it lies in the Delaware Basin. The Brushy Canyon Formation is made up of thin interbedded layers of alternating fine grained and massive quartz sandstone, as well as shaley brown to black sandstone. This formation reaches
3441-553: The Devonian Period . This formation is characterized by its limestone, chert, and shale beds, some of which had a peak thickness of 980 feet (300 m). this formation had many different types of limestone, including light-colored siliceous, chert -dominated, crinoid -rich, and sandy limestone. The Thirtyone Formation is very similar to the formation of the Mississippian Period, which is likely because there
3534-571: The Fusselman Formation , is mostly made up of light grey, medium to coarse grained dolomite. The thickness of this formation varies from 49 to 164 feet (15 to 50 m), and parts of the Fusselman Formation were also subject to karstification , which indicates a drop in sea level. The second rock group that formed during the Silurian Period is called the Wristen Formation, which is mud, shale, and dolomite rich rock that reaches
3627-920: The Grande Communications Stadium . Midland is home to the West Texas Drillers (Adult Tackle Football) of the Minor Professional Football League. They were established in 2009. They play their home games at Grande Communications Stadium. Midland College is a member of the Western Junior College Athletic Conference , and fields teams in baseball, men's basketball, women's basketball, men's golf, softball and volleyball. Midland College has won 20 national championships in sports since 1975, as well as produced 192 All-Americans. Plans have been made to develop
3720-649: The Llano Estacado and near the center of the Permian Basin oil fields, Midland's economy has long been focused on petroleum exploration and extraction. Providing more information about this industry is the Permian Basin Petroleum Museum , on the outskirts of town near Interstate 20. The museum houses numerous displays on the history, science, and technology of oil and gas development. The Permian Basin Petroleum Museum houses
3813-525: The Ouachita–Marathon thrust belt separated by the Central Basin Platform. The basin contains sediment dating to Pennsylvanian , Wolfcampian ( Neal Ranch and Lenox Hills Formations ), Leonardian ( Avalon Shale ), and early Guadalupian times. The eastward-dipping Delaware basin is subdivided into several formations (figure 2) and contains about 25,000 feet (7,600 m) of laminated siltstone and sandstone . Aside from clastic sediment,
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3906-503: The Precambrian supercontinent and the formation of the modern Permian Basin geometry, shallow marine sedimentation onto the ancestral Tobosa Basin characterized the passive margin , shallow marine environment. The Tobosa Basin also contains basement rock that dates back to 1330 million years ago (mya), and that is still visible in the present-day Guadalupe Mountains . The basement rock contains biotite-quartz granite, discovered at
3999-733: The Texas and Pacific Railroad in 1881. The city has many connections to the Bush family ; it was the onetime home of former Presidents George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush and the hometown of former First Lady Laura Bush . The George W. Bush Childhood Home is located in Midland. Midland was established in June 1881 as Midway Station, on the Texas and Pacific Railway . Its name came from its central location between Fort Worth and El Paso, but because there were already other towns in Texas named Midway,
4092-506: The 1980s, including one designed by architect I.M. Pei . The great oil bust of the mid-1980s killed any plans for future skyscrapers. A private development group was planning to build Energy Tower at City Center, which was proposed to be 870 feet tall, with 59 floors (six floors underground and 53 above). If it had been built, it would have been Texas's sixth-tallest building. As of the 2020 United States census , there were 132,524 people, 47,682 households, and 32,632 families residing in
4185-589: The Atoka, also during the Pennsylvanian Period, and reached a max thickness of 660 feet (200 m). In this formation, there was a significant increase in reef mounds . The Strawn Formation is primarily made up of massive limestone, along with "fine to medium-grained sandstone, dark to light-grey shale, and occasional reddish-brown, greenish-gray, bituminous shale". A great number of different fossil types were preserved in this formation, including brachiopods , foraminifera , bryozoans , corals , and crinoids. The Pennsylvanian Period also includes two other formations,
4278-417: The Basin, with the northernmost part being more rich in shale. The thickness of this formation also varies, reaching a maximum of 1,600 feet (500 m). The Wolfcampian is made up primarily of grey to brown shale and fine-grained, chert-dominated, brown limestone. There are also interbedded layers of fine-grained sandstone found within the formation. The primary formation that remains from the Leonardian Age
4371-421: The Bell Canyon Formation have thin interbeds of dark-colored bioclastic limestone and fine-grained sandstone. As these formations move towards the basin margins, the sandstone wedges out and the limestone thickens into massive, meters thick beds, containing reef talus . The Goat Seep Reef Formation lies on the shelf margin and integrates with the Getaway Formation in the basin and the San Andres Formation towards
4464-400: The Canyon and Cisco Formations, which are significant due to the major oil reservoirs discovered in them. The Permian Period was a time of major reef building to transform the Permian Reef Complex into a major reef system, with Permian-aged rock formations making up 95% of the present-day outcrops in the Permian Basin. When considering any type of reef building that occurred in the Permian, it
4557-505: The Capitan Reef being one of the most famous examples. In the Guadalupian, reefs were abundant globally, and grew in places such as the Delaware Basin, the Zechstein Basin in Eastern Europe, along the Tethys Ocean , and in cool water shelves in the Panthalassa Ocean . The end of this golden age for reef building occurred due to the "end-Guadalupian reef crisis", which involved global drops in sea levels and regional salinity fluctuations. The movement and collision of micro-continents during
4650-444: The Central Basin Platform, which is encircled by faults, and the Midland and Delaware Basins on either side. Mississippian sediments are absent either due to erosion or nondeposition. Marine shales were deposited in the center of the Delaware, Midland and Val Verde basins, while the basins' periphery saw the deposition of shallow marine, carbonate shelf and limestone sediments. The Early Pennsylvanian Morrow Formation underlies
4743-414: The Children's Museum and the Marian W. Blakemore Planetarium. The Museum of the Southwest is in the Turner Mansion, the historic 1934 home of Fred and Juliette Turner. On display at the Midland County Historical Museum are reproductions of the "Midland Man", the skeleton of a Clovis female found near the city in 1953. Analysis of the remains by Curtis R. McKinney using uranium-thorium analysis showed that
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#17327983452084836-404: The Cole Theatre, and the annual fundraiser Summer Mummers in the Yucca Theatre. MCT is a member of the American Association of Community Theatre, and hosted the 2006 AACT International Theatrefest. Twice each year, the Phyllis and Bob Cowan Performing Arts Series at Midland College presents free cultural and artistic performances. The series was endowed in 1999. Sitting on the southern edge of
4929-437: The Delaware Basin and the surrounding shelf environments. The Cherry Canyon Formation can be subdivided into four sub-units, each of which will be discussed briefly. The Lower Getaway member is a limestone that has different characteristics based on its location in the Delaware Basin, and contains patch reefs close to the basin margin. These reefs are often found on limestone conglomerate and breccias . The Upper Getaway Member
5022-424: The Delaware and Midland Basins that grade up-dip into siltstones and evaporites . The Eastern and Northwestern Shelves are subdivided into the San Andres , Grayburg , Queen , Seven Rivers , Yates , and Tansill Formations . The San Simon Channel is a narrow syncline that separated the Central Basin Platform from the Northwestern Shelf during Leonardian and Guadalupian times. The Sheffield Channel separates
5115-430: The Delaware basin also contains carbonate deposits of the Delaware Mountain Group , originating from the Guadalupian times when the Hovey Channel allowed access from the sea into the basin. The westward-dipping Midland Basin is subdivided into several formations (figure 4) and is composed of laminated siltstone and sandstone. The Midland Basin was filled by a large subaqueous delta that deposited clastic sediment into
5208-408: The Guadalupian, the Permian Basin had adequate water circulation with fresh water coming in from the Hovey Channel. Evaporite growth along the bottom portions of the basin showed that the water column was most likely stratified and euxinic , meaning the water was both anoxic and sulfidic . The passageways between the Delaware and Midland Basins were restricted due to tectonic changes, and this caused
5301-431: The High Sky. In 1967, the U.S. Supreme Court heard the case Avery v. Midland County . Midland mayor Hank Avery had sued Midland County, challenging the electoral-districting scheme in effect for elections to the County Commissioner's Court. The county districts geographically quartered the county, but Midland, in the northwestern quarter, had 97% of the county's population. A judge, elected on an at-large basis, provided
5394-568: The Midland Basin, consisting of 1,804 feet (550 m) of limestone accumulated in the Pennsylvanian and 1,099 feet (335 m) in the Permian , with 15 significant petroleum reservoirs from 6,099 feet (1,859 m) to 9,902 feet (3,018 m) in depth. The reef complex consists of Upper Pennsylvanian Strawn, Canyon and Cisco limestones, overlain by Lower Permian Wolfcamp sandstones and shales of terrigenous origin prograding northeast to southwest. The first production well, Seabird Oil Company of Delaware No. 1-B J. C. Caldwell,
5487-640: The Midland Independent School District voted to change the name of the former Robert E. Lee High School to Legacy High School in the wake of the George Floyd protests . ECHS welcomed its first freshman class on August 24, 2009. It aims to award students their associate degrees from Midland College by the time they receive their high school diplomas. The portion in Martin County is in the Stanton Independent School District . Midland has many private schools, including Hillcrest School, Hillander, Midland Classical Academy, Midland Christian School, Midland Montessori, St. Ann's School, and Trinity School of Midland. It
5580-430: The Montoya Group sequence is made up of carbonate limestone and dolomite which is described as dense, impermeable, and non-porous, and is more commonly found in the Glass Mountains outcrop, with thickness varying from 151 to 509 feet (46 to 155 m). During the Silurian Period, the Tobosa Basin experienced dramatic changes in sea level which led to the formation of multiple rock groups. The first of these groups, called
5673-522: The Shelf. This formation is described as 1,150 feet (350 m) thick, one mile (1,600 m) long, and made up entirely of massive dolomite. In the bottom half of the formation, the dolomite is stratified into massive beds. This formation also contains molds of organisms destroyed by the dolomitization process. The Guadalupian Epoch is one of the most successful in history in terms of reef building, since most Permian reefs reached their maximum in size, diversity, extent, and abundance during this Epoch, with
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#17327983452085766-413: The Studio 3600 Series, established in 2006 to "spotlight selected art students and provide them the opportunity to exhibit key works that identify the style they have crafted over a period of time." The Midland-Odessa Symphony and Chorale (MOSC) has performed in the Permian Basin for over 45 years, and is the region's largest orchestral organization, presenting both Pops and Masterworks concerts throughout
5859-429: The Tobosa Basin being divided into three sections: the Delaware Basin, the Midland Basin, and the Central Basin Platform. The end of the Mississippian Period also led to the beginning of the formation of the modern Permian Reef Complex. The legacy of the early to mid Paleozoic is almost 6,600 feet (2,000 m) of sediments that were accumulated due to almost uninterrupted sedimentation. The Pennsylvanian Period marked
5952-416: The actual rescue and its coverage), and others. Permian Basin (North America) The Permian Basin is a large sedimentary basin in the southwestern part of the United States . It is the highest producing oil field in the United States, producing an average of 4.2 million barrels of crude oil per day in 2019. This sedimentary basin is located in western Texas and southeastern New Mexico . It
6045-791: The basin. Aside from clastic sediment, the Midland Basin also contains carbonate deposits originating from the Guadalupian times when the Hovey Channel allowed access from the sea into the basin. The Central Basin Platform (CBP) is a tectonically uplifted basement block capped by a carbonate platform . The CBP separates the Delaware and Midland Basins and is subdivided into several formations, from oldest to youngest Neal Ranch , Lennox Hills , Abo , Yeso , Glorieta , San Andres , Grayburg , Queen , Seven Rivers , Yates , and Tansill Formations (Figure 5). The sequence mainly comprises carbonate reef deposits and shallow marine clastic sediments. The Eastern and Northwestern Shelves are composed of shelf edge reefs and shelf carbonates flanking
6138-446: The beginning of geological processes that would shape the Permian Basin into what we see today. Rifting events during the Cambrian Period (early Paleozoic) left fault zones in the region. These fault zones acted as planes of weakness for faulting that was later initiated by the Ouachita Orogeny . These fault zones caused the Tobosa Basin to be transformed, due to tectonic activity, into the Permian Reef Complex, which comprises three parts:
6231-425: The bones are 11,600 ± 800 years old. Presenting his findings at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America in 1992, McKinney said, "[T]he Midland Woman was related to the earliest ancestors of every Indian who lives today, and she is very likely the only representative of those who created the Clovis cultures." Midland is home to the Midland RockHounds , a Texas League minor league baseball team. It
6324-425: The break up of Pangea also caused the destruction of many Guadalupian Reefs. Even with the number of reefs from that epoch that have been destroyed, there are over 100 Guadalupian reefs that remain in the world, the most from any Permian epoch. The growth of the Capitan Reef, which is referred to as a "massive member" due to it being formed from massive limestone, can be described in three stages. The first stage
6417-416: The city changed its name to Midland in January 1884 when it was granted its first post office. Midland became the county seat of Midland County in March 1885, when that county was first organized and separated from Tom Green County . By 1890, it had become one of the state's most important cattle shipping centers. The city was incorporated in 1906, and by 1910 established its first fire department, along with
6510-411: The city has also become a regional telecommunications and distribution center. By August 2006, a busy period of crude oil production had caused a significant workforce deficit. According to the Midland Chamber of Commerce, at that time there were almost 2,000 more jobs available in the Permian Basin than there were workers to fill them. In 1959, John Howard Griffin wrote a history of Midland, Land of
6603-578: The city. The population density was 1,558.9 inhabitants per square mile (601.9/km ). There were 47,562 housing units at an average density of 667.1 per square mile (257.6/km ). Of the 47,682 households, 37.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.4% were opposite-sex married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.3% were made up of same-sex relationships, non-family habitations, or other habitation arrangements. About 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.2% had someone living alone who
6696-423: The end of the Permian Period, the supercontinent of Pangaea was beginning its break up, which drastically changed the conditions that were previously favourable for reef growth. Change in tectonics limited the exchange of sea water in the Hovey Channel, which then led to a salinity increase in the Permian Basin. The reef could not survive this drastic change in water salinity , and was therefore destroyed. Up until
6789-857: The history of the Texas House and the longest serving incumbent state legislator in the United States. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice operates the headquarters of Parole Division Region V in Midland; the Midland District Parole Office is in the Region V headquarters. The United States Postal Service operates the Midland Main Post Office on the grounds of Midland International Air and Space Port . The other four post offices are Claydesta, Downtown Midland, Graves, and Village. Midland
6882-508: The most prominent sponges that made up the Capitan Reef was the sponge family Guadalupiidae , a sponge that first appeared on Glass Mountains in the mid Permian and had spread into the Delaware Basin by the late Permian. There were more environmental changes to mark the second stage of the formation of the Capitan Reef. This period of growth was marked by eustatic changes in global sea levels, due to frequent glaciations . The reef experienced major growth vertically at this stage and grew at
6975-458: The oil production activities in the basin. The Permian Basin is also a major source of potassium salts ( potash ). Potash mines are located in Lea and Eddy counties , New Mexico, and are operated by the room and pillar method. Halite (rock salt) is produced as a byproduct of potash mining. The Delaware Basin is the larger of the two major lobes of the Permian Basin within the foreland of
7068-401: The poverty line, including 16.4% of those under age 18 and 8.0% of those age 65 or over. In 2014, Forbes magazine ranked Midland the second fastest-growing small city in the United States. In 2014, Midland had the lowest unemployment rate in the United States, 2.3%. According to the city's latest Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the city's top ten employers are: Midland College
7161-465: The reef system. Ocean currents in the Permian played a huge role in setting up the climate of the region and for aiding in the growth and death of the Capitan Reef. The climate of the basin region was hot and arid , which is shown in the evaporite deposits that can be found in the back reef region. The end in growth and accumulation of the Permian Reef Complex was influenced by tectonics . During
7254-548: The rest of the Permian Reef Complex. Rocks from the Bone Spring Limestone are predominantly found in the Delaware Basin, but the Victorio Peak Member extends into the shelf margin area. The Guadalupian Epoch was named after the Guadalupe Mountains , since this epoch in the Permian is when reef building was at its most efficient. Lasting from approximately 272–260 mya, this epoch was dominated by
7347-617: The salinity of the water to rise. The growing temperatures in the late Permian combined with the increase in salinity caused the extinction of the Capitan Reef, as well as the formation of evaporites with the basin. The layers of evaporites that formed as a result of increased salinity is called the Castile Formation . This formation consists of alternating layers of gypsum / anhydrite and limestone, as well as massive beds of gypsum/anhydrite, salt , and some limestone. The unit measures almost 4,300 feet (1,300 m) in total and
7440-445: The shale beds are "grey to black, hard, platy, pyritic, organic, and very siliceous". The Mississippian Limestone ranges from 49 to 171 feet (15 to 52 m) in thickness, while generally being thinner towards the southern part of the Tobosa Basin. The Barnett Shale is the second formation to have developed during the Mississippian Period. It consists mainly of silty brown shale and fine-grained sandstone and siltstone. This Formation
7533-521: The southern margin of the Midland Basin from the southern shelf and the Ouachita–Marathon thrust-belt during Leonardian and Guadalupian times. The Hovey Channel is a topographical low located on the southern edge of the Delaware Basin, allowing access to the Panthalassa sea during Guadalupian times. The Hovey Channel was originally an anticline which formed during Precambrian faulting, and
7626-479: The war, with the discovery and development of the Spraberry Trend , still the country's third-largest oil field by total reserves. Yet another boom period took place during the 1970s, with the high oil prices associated with the oil and energy crises. Today, the Permian Basin produces one fifth of the nation's total petroleum and natural gas output. Midland's economy still relies heavily on petroleum, but
7719-501: The winter, but rarely sees extended periods of below-freezing cold. Midland receives approximately 13.5 inches (340 mm) of precipitation per year, much of which falls in the summer. Highs exceed 90 °F (32 °C) on 115 days per year and 100 °F (38 °C) on 24 days while lows fall to 32 °F (0 °C) or below on 58 days. Nicknamed "The Tall City", Midland has long been known for its downtown skyline. Most of downtown Midland's major office buildings were built during
7812-575: The year. The MOSC also is home to three resident chamber ensembles, the Lone Star Brass, Permian Basin String Quartet and West Texas Winds. These ensembles are made up of principal musicians in the orchestra. The Midland Community Theatre (MCT) originated in 1946 with musicals, comedies, dramas, mysteries, children's theatre and melodramas. MCT produces 15 shows each year in three performance spaces—Davis Theatre I and Mabee Theatre II, in
7905-400: Was $ 90,448, with a per capita income of $ 47,870. 10.5% of the population was below the poverty line . In 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $ 39,320, and for a family was $ 48,290. Males had a median income of $ 37,566 versus $ 24,794 for females. The per capita income for the city in 2007 was $ 52,294. In 2000, about 10.1% of families and 12.9% of the population were below
7998-461: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.19. In the city, the population was distributed as 29.9% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.7 males. The median household income in 2020
8091-477: Was completed in 1948. The Permian Basin is the thickest deposit of Permian aged rocks on Earth which were rapidly deposited during the collision of North America and Gondwana ( South America and Africa ) between the late Mississippian through the Permian. The Permian Basin also includes formations that date back to the Ordovician Period , 445 million years ago ( mya ). Prior to the breakup of
8184-474: Was endowed in 1996, and has brought a diverse selection of speakers to Midland, including Ken Burns , Richard Leakey , Bill Moyers , Mark Russell , Sandra Day O'Connor , Richard Rodriguez , Shelby Foote , Anna Deavere Smith , Bill Nye , John Updike and Neil deGrasse Tyson . Midland Independent School District serves the portion in Midland County, as in the vast majority of Midland. Midland
8277-596: Was formed during the Lopingian Epoch . The individual layers ( laminae ) of gypsum/anhydrite are between 0.039 inches (1 mm) and 3.9 inches (10 cm) in thickness, which is thought to correlate with the basin salinity on a year by year basis. The Capitan Reef had been altered diagenetically early on in its history, especially after the deposition of the Castile Formation. There is evidence of fabric alteration throughout this formation, which
8370-521: Was free from debris and which had a normal salinity level of 27 to 40 ppt (parts per thousand). The basin water provided plenty of nutrients, since there was continuous upwelling of water that mixed newly brought marine water with anoxic water from the basin floor. The makeup of the reef is described as being built primarily from erect sponges, which have large, rigid skeletons, and abundant red algae , microbial micrite , and inorganic cement . The microbial micrite worked to trap sediment . One of
8463-411: Was little to no change in the environment during this time. The Mississippian Limestone is the main formation to develop during this Period. This formation, similar to the previously mentioned Thirtyone Formation, is composed primarily of limestone and shale. The limestone beds are described as being "brown to dark brown, micro-crystalline to very finely crystalline, commonly sandy, and dolomitic", while
8556-567: Was much thicker than the Mississippian Limestone, ranging from 200 to 460 feet (60 to 140 m). The increased thickness can be explained by increased sedimentation in the area, which was likely caused by tectonic activity in the region. The Ouachita Orogeny occurred during the Late Mississippian, leading to tectonic activity in the region. The subsequent folding and faulting caused by this Orogeny led to
8649-550: Was the main source of sea water for the Delaware Basin. The closing of the Hovey Channel towards the end of the Permian Period eventually caused the death of the Permian Reef, as without water being brought in through the Channel, salinity levels rose drastically in the Delaware Basin and the reef could not survive. The Horseshoe Atoll is a westward-tilting arcuate chain of reef mounds 175 miles (282 km) long located in
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