SACMMENTO VALLEY, CALIFORNIA If ., - *J by ,3 00 Cff" 9 KIRK BRYAN S
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR HUBERT WORK, Secretary UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY GEORGE OTIS SMITH, Director WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 495 GEOLOGY AND GROUND-WATER RESOURCES OP SACMMENTO VALLEY, CALIFORNIA if ., - *j BY ,3 00 cff" 9 KIRK BRYAN S ,«f Prepared In cooperation with the Department of Engineering W of the State of California O WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1923 DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR HUBERT WORK, Secretary UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY GEORGE OTIS SMITH, Director Water-Supply Paper 495 GEOLOGY AND GROUND-WATER RESOURCES OF SACRAMENTO VALLEY, CALIFORNIA KIRK BRTAN Prepared in cooperation with the Department of Engineering of the State of California WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1923 ADDITIONAL COPIES OF THIS PUBLICATION MAT BE PROCURED FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT OF DOCUMENTS GOVERNMENT FEINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON, D. C. AT 60 CENTS A COPY PURCHASER AGREES NOT TO RESELL OB DISTRIBUTE THIS COPT FOB PBOFIT. PUB. BBS. 57, APPBOVED MAT 11, 1922 CONTENTS. Page Introduction.............................................................. 1 Agricultural and industrial development of the Great Valley of California. 1 Irrigation and agriculture in Sacramento Valley.......................... 2 Purpose and methods of ground-water survey............................ 6 Acknowledgments...................................................... 7 Physiography-.............................................................. 7 General features....................................................... 7 Mountain regions tributary to Sacramento Valley......................... 11 Contiguous northern region........................................ 11 Sierra Nevada.................................................... 11 Coast Ranges..................................................... 12 Features of the border zone............................................. 12 Foothills of the Cascade Range...................................... 12 Foothills of the Sierra Nevada....................................... 13 Foothills of the Coast Ranges....................................... 14 Marysville Buttes..... ~............................................... 15 Red lands............................................................ 15 Character and definition........................................... 15 Origin............................................................ 15 Northern section................................................... 17 Southern section................................................... 17 East side..................................................... 17 West side..................................................... 18 Erosion in the red lands........................................... 20 Terraces............................................................ 21 Character and interpretation.................................... 21 Diastrophie hypothesis.......................................... 22 Climatic hypothesis........................................... 22 Low plains........................................................... 26 Relation of topographic form to the regimen of streams.............. 26 Simple alluvial fans............................................... 26 Stony Creek fan................................................ 27 Chico fan...................................................... 27 Coalescing fans..................................................... 28 Channel ridges..................................................... 23 Valley flood plains................................................ 30 River lands........................................................... 31 Principles of river deposition....................................... 31 Levee formation.................................................. 33 Sacramento River.................................................. 34 Red Bluff to Hamilton..!...................................... 34 Hamilton to Colusa............................................. 35 Colusa to Vernon.............................................. 35 Vernon to Clarksburg.......................................... 36 Feather River.................................................... 37 Oroville to Haselbuscb.......................................... 37 Haselbusch to Marysville....................................... 37 . m IV . CONTENTS. Physiography Continued. pag-». Flood basins.......................................................... 39 General features...................... T ........................... f9 Butte Basin...................................................... 39 Colusa Basin...................................................... 40 Sutter Basin...................................................... 41 American Basin.................................................. 42 Yolo Basin....................................................... 42 Maryeville Basin.................................................. 43 Sacramento Basin................................................. 43 Island country......................................................... 44 Climate.................................................................. 45 Temperature........................................................... 45 Precipitation......................................................... 45 Surface waters............................................................ 52 Sacramento Biver.............................................^........ 52 Pit River............................................................. 53 Cottonwood Creek..................................................... f 5 Stony Creek.......................................................... 55 Cache Creek........................................................... 56 Feather Biver........................................................ 58 Yuba River........................................................... f> Indian Creek.......................................................... 63 Bear Biver............................................................ 62 American Biver........................................................ 63 Putah Creek.......................................................... 64 Stream-flow date...................................................... 65 Geology.................................................................. 68 General features....................................................... 68 Crystalline rocks....................................................... 69 Cretace'ous formations................................................. 70 Tertiary formations..................................................... 71 lone formation..................................................... 71 Tertiary volcanic rocks............................................ 71 Andesite breccias and basalt.................................... 72 Tuscan tuff................................................... 72 Tuff beds of the west side....................................... 73 Tuff beds of the Marysville Buttes............................. 74 Older alluvium........................................................ 74 General features................................................. 74 Southeastern division.............................................. 75 Northeastern division.............................................. 75 Northwestern division............................................. 76 Southwestern division...................................... ....... 76 Younger alluvium...................................................... 77 Structure.............................................................. 78 Water-bearing formations.................................................. 80 Water table............................................................... 82 Form and position..................................................... 82 Fluctuations........................................................... 83 Intakeand discharge of ground waters...................................... 84 Intake............................................................... 84 Discharge............................................................. 85 Alkali resulting from discharge.......................................... 85 Quantity of ground water.................................................. 86 Page. Artesian conditions......................................................... 91 Slowing wells due to hydrostatic pressure................................ 91 Flowing wells due to gas pressure....................................... 93 Quality of water, by W. D. ColUns......................................... 94 Sources of data...............................................a..*...... 94 Methods of analysis.................................................... 94 Interpretation of analyses.............................................. 94 Computations.................................._............ ............ 95 ; Analyses.......................................................... 95 Assays...............................................l»...r....... 96 Classification.......................................................... 97 Mineral content..................................................... 97 Domestic use...................................................... 97 Boiler use (scale and foaming)..................................... 97 Irrigation........................................................