The Navajo Country

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR FRANKLIN K. LANE, Secretary UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY GEORGE OTIS SMITH, Director WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 380 THE NAVAJO COUNTRY DGRAPHIC AND HYDROGRAPHIC RECONNAISSANCE OF ! PARTS OF ARIZONA, NEW MEXICO, AND UTAH BY HERBERT E. GREGORY WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1916 DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR FRANKLIN K. LANE, Secretary UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY GEORGE OTIS SMITH, Director Water-Supply Paper 380 THE NAVAJO COUNTRY - A GEOGRAPHIC AND HYDROGRAPHIC RECONNAISSANCE OF PARTS OF ARIZONA, NEW MEXICO, AND UTAH BY HERBERT E. GREGORY Water Resources Branch, Geological Stuvey, Box 31 06, Capitol Station Oklahoma Ciiy, Okk WASHINGTON .GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1916 ADDITIONAL COPIES OP THIS PUBLICATION MAY BE PROCURED PBOM THE SUPERINTENDENT OP DOCUMENTS GOVERNMENT FEINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON, *D. C. AT 80 CENTS PER COPY . CONTENTS. INTBODTJCTTON_____ - ' 9 A personal word '- 9 History and scope of investigation_ 9 ^Acknowledgments . - j. 10 Suggestions to travelers ___ . i IT PART I. Geography___^__ ____ 13 Location and extent of the reservations _ 13 Note on the map ___ _ _ 14 Historical sketch _______ i 15 Topographic outline _ 21 Geographic provinces I <. 22 Basis of subdivision. __i _ 22 Button Plateau i. _ 23 Chaco Plateau__________ _ - _____ 24 Chuska Valley ___________ 24 Manuelito Plateau 26 Chuska Mountains_________ ____ _ 27 Nomenclature - _ 27 Eastern edge ____ _ 1_ 28 Western edge___"________ ________ __ 26 The mountain top _ ____ 29 Carrizo Mountain__________ __________ 30 Gothic Mesas____________ _________ 31 San Juan Valley________ 31 Black Creek Valley___________________________ 32 Defiance Plateau.___________ _______ 34 Chinle and Pueblo Colorado valleys ___________ 36 Hopi Buttes______________ _ __________ 37 Tusayan Washes _ __ 38 Moenkopi Plateau _ 39 Black Mesa___ __ ____ ____ 40 Kaibito Plateau ____________ _____________ 41 Painted Desert _ _ 42 Shato Plateau ______________________________ 43 Rainbow Plateau__________ ______________ 44 Navajo Mountain __ . : ______ 45 Segi Mesas__________._________________'____ 47 Monument Valley _________ "_______________ 48 Climate__________________ _____'________ 49 General conditions __ ___ ____________ 49 Precipitation _____________ T _______________ 50 Records-,_____________ _ _____________ 50 Geographic distribution ___ _____i_______ 59 Variation from year to year_ _ _____________ 60 Seasonal distribution _______ _____________ 61 Character of rainstorms_____________________ 63 Temperature _______ ___ _____________ 63 Wind______________________________________ , 67 3 4 CONTENTS. i PART I. Geography Cpntinued. Page. Soil-_________________i__l__________________ 68 Flora _ _____________________________ 71 General relations ________________________:___ . 71 Forests ______________________;._________ 74 Fauna _______________________________________ 74 Mineral wealth________________________________ 75 Population and industries__________________________ - 76 Geologic sketch _______________________________ 77 Literature ______________:_________________-__ 78 Stratigraphy ________________________________ 78 Pre-Cambrian (?) __________________________ '78 Pennsylvanian ____________________________ 78 Permian (?)______________________________ 78 Triassic ___________________'____________ 79 Jurassic ____________________________:____ 79 Jurassic (?)______________________________ 79 Cretaceous _____________________________ 80 Tertiary ________________________________ 80 Quaternary ______________________________ 80 Structure __________________________________ 80 Geologic history_______________________________ 82 PART II. Surface waters____________ ________________ . 85 Streams _______________________________ ______ 85 Master streams of the region______________________ 85 Through-flowing streams_________________________ 87 Intermittent streams ___________________________ 87 Moenkopi Creek____^______________________ 87 Black Creek _______________________T____ 88 Pueblo Colorado Wash________________________ 89 Chinle drainage system______________________ 89 Streams tributary to Chuska Valley- _____ _______ 91 Additional streams_______ ____ __-_______ 92 Drainage obstructed by dunes_________ _______ 92 Ephemeral streams______ _____ _ _ _ _ 92 Summary table of streams_____________________ 93 Factors influencing stream flow_____-__________ 95 Precipitation _________ __ _ 95 Amount _____________ 95 Distribution in time__:______ _ _ - 96 Variation throughout the year____________ ____ 96 Variation from year to year_ - 97 Violent showers of short duration_______ _ _ 97 Evaporation _ _ 97 Soil ______________________' _ __ - 98 Vegetation __________ 99 Erosion of the valley fill_________________-_____ 100 Work of the wind_____________ _ ,. 100 Fluctuation in stream volume______-u___ '. 101 Utilization of streams_______________-_____ 102 Nature of the problems to be studied _ 102 Flood irrigation ____,__:_______ _ 103 Irrigation by diversion ___ 105 Area irrigated _________ _ 105 Projects developed by white men____ ^105 Projects awaiting development____-_ 106 CONTENTS. ' 5 PAET II. Surface waters Continued. Utilization of streams Continued. Page. Irrigation by storage__________________________ 107 General conditions ________________________ 107 Government projects'_______________________ 109 Red Lake ___________________________ 109 Reservoir Canyon______________________ 109 Wheatfields reservoir____________________ 109 Ganado reservoir_:_^___________________ 110 Projects awaiting development__________________. Ill Leupp reservoir_________________________ x 111 Additional prospects_________________________ 112 Quartzite Canyon________________________ 112 Buell Park____________________________ 112 Lokasakad ______________________:_____ 112 Marsh Pass region_______________________ 112 Segihatsosi __________________________ 112 Miscellaneous __________________________ 113 Storage of surface water for stock________________.___ 113 Essential conditions ____________________________ 113 Small reservoirs or tanks______________________ 114 Sites ___________________________________ 114 Dams ___________________________________ 114 . Wasteways _____________________________ 116 Water power_________________________________ 116 Lakes ____________________________i__________ 116 Lakes of the Chuska Mountains____________________ 116 Tolani lakes________________________________ 117 Lakes formed by drifting sand_____________________ 117 Ephemeral lakes______________________________ 118 Other lakes_________________________________ 118 Utilization of lakes____________________________ 118 Water holes in the washes_________________________ 119 Direct utilization of rainfall_________________________ 119 General conditions____________________________ 119 . Water catches________________________________ 120 PAET III. Ground water______________________________ 123 Source of the ground water__________________________ 123 Ground-water reservoir _ , 124 Nature of the reservoir_______ __ ____ _ 124 Capacity of the reservoir______ ____ __ __ 125 Variation in porosity____ _ _ ____ __,._ 125 Bedrock _____________ ____-___________ 125 ' Unconsolidated deposits___ ___ ___ ___ 126 Method of filling the ground-water reservoir______________ 126 Directly from the rainfall________ .___^ __ 126 Percolation from stream channels__ _ _ 127 Percolation from flood waters____________ ___ 127 Depletion of the reservoir ___ _ 127 Processes of depletion ___ _ 127 Evaporation from the ground__________ ^ 129 Evaporation of springs and seeps__ _ 129 The water table_________________ _ 129 Quality of ground water__________ _ 131 Artesian water _ _ _ 131 6 v CONTENTS. PABT III. Ground water Continued. Page. Springs _____________________________^_____ 132 Distribution and character_______________ _ 132. Springs in unconsolidated deposits ___ _ :.__ 133 General relations________.-_____ _ 133 Methods of improvement__________ ____ 134 Springs between alluvium and bedrock___ 136 General relations______________ _-_-_ 136 Method of development___________ 136 Springs between rock strata_________ 137 ( General relations______________ - __ 137 Springs of the Hopi Buttes province__ _ 139 Springs of Chuska Mountain____ __________ 140 Methods of improvement__________ ____ 141 Springs within a stratum____ _____ _______ 142 Fault springs ________________________:_______ 143 Springs of the Tuba district______________________ 143 General relations______________ ___ 144 Origin of the springs____-_______________________ _ 144 Methods of improvement_________________ _ 146 Spring records ___________________________:___ __ 147 Wells________________________________________ 159 General conditions_____________________________ 159 Wells in unconsolidated sediments___________________ 160 Character of the sediments____________________ 160 Location of wells__________________________ 161 Wells along the axes of the washes____________ 161 Wells on^lluvial mesas or bench lands__________ 162 Wells in'high valleys______________________ 163 Wells in the Tusayan washes__________________ 164 Construction of wells________________________ 166 The problems__________________________ 166 Dug wells____________________________ 167 Driven wells __________________.________ 170 Drilled wells __________________________ 171 Wells in bedrock______________________L_________ 173 Artesian wells________________________________ 176 Essential conditions__________________________ 176 Wells in unconsolidat,ed deposits___________,____ 177 Wells in bedrock____________________________

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