Geologic and Hydrologic Features of the San Bernardino Area California
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Geologic and Hydrologic Features of the San Bernardino Area California With Special Reference to Underflow Across the San Jacinto Fault By L. C. DUTCHER and A. A. GARRETT GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 1419 Prepared in cooperation with the San Bernardino County Flood Control District UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON -. 1963 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR STEWART L. UDALL, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Thomas B. Nolan, Director For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20402 CONTENTS Page Abstract- ___-___--_--________-___-_----________-_-___________-_-._ 1 Introduction,.._---__-_____--___-__-_-_-_-__--___--_-__-----_---__ 3 Purpose and scope of the investigation and report-________________ 3 Location and general features of the area.________________________ 4 Climate. _____________________________________________________ 4 Previous investigations.___-___-__-______-__-___-_-____-________ 6 Development of ground water___________________________________ 9 Acknowledgments- ____________________________________________ 10 Location of water wells___-_____________________________________ 11 Water levels in wells.__________________________________________ 12 Well-numbering system._______________________________________ 12 Geology.______-_____-________-_-_--_____-__--__-______-__-__--__- 14 Landfornis.--------------- __-__-_-____----.---___-__.---_----_ 15 Bordering mountains....-------_-_-_-----_----_-__-_--- ___ 15 San Bernardino Mountains-____________________________ 15 San Gabriel Mountains.-------------------------------- 15 Mountains and hills south of the area -------------------- 16 Interior features._______-_-____________--_---_-_._______-__ 17 Bedrock hills_-__.__-____.-__.___-____-_-.__-___-_-_- 17 San Bernardino Valley_________________________________ 17 Sandhills. _.._._----------_-_-_------------_----_----- 18 River channels and stream washes.______________________ 18 Fontana plain.........______-____-.___-__-________---- 19 Mesas and benches.______________--__-__-____-__-_--_. 19 Features along the San Jacinto fault.____________________ 20 Age, distribution, and character of the stratigraphic units___________ 20 General features__________________________________________ 20 Unconsolidated deposits.___________________________________ 21 Dune sand (Recent) ___-_-_-_-_______---_--__________-_ 21 River-channel deposits (Recent)_-___-_-_-_-_-__-__-__-__ 24 Younger alluvium (Recent)_____________________________ 25 Areal extent and thickness._________________________ 25 Lithology and stratigraphy-________________________ 27 Older alluvium (late Pleistocene) ________________________ 29 Areal extent_______________________________________ 29 Stratigraphy and lithology___-____--__-------------- 29 Thickness ________________________________________ 30 Tertiary to Quaternary continental deposits (late Pliocene and early Pleistocene).------_________________________ 31 Consolidated rocks_______--------____-_-----_-_______----_- 33 Tertiary continental rocks (Pliocene?)____________________ 33 Basement complex (pre-Tertiary)____-_-______-__-______- 34 in IV CONTENTS Geology Continued Page Geologic structure__-_--__-____-______----___--_____-_-____-___ 35 Major faults marginal to the area_-__-_____________---_-_-_-- 35 San Andreas fault_______-_________________-_____-___~_ 35 Cucamonga fault system_______________________________ 36 Faults within the area______________________________________ 36 San Jacinto fault-_____________________________________ 37 Rialto-Colton barrier___________________________________ 38 Loma Linda fault-____________________________________ 40 Other faults.________________________________________ 41 Fault K_.________________________________________ 42 Fault L__.---____-_-___.._____--__.____-______.__ 42 Probable physical nature of the faults as barriers to ground water __________________________________________________ 43 Geologic history.______________________________________________ 45 Regional history___________________________________________ 45 History of the ground-water basins. _________________________ 47 Surface-water features..___________________________________________ 49 Ground-water hydrology.--________________________________________ 51 Hydrologic properties of the water-bearing deposits._______________ 51 Older alluvium__ ______________________ ___-_-____---_____-_ 51 Younger alluvium_________________________________________ 55 Hydrologic properties of the fault barriers________________________ 56 Bunker Hill basin_____________________________________________ 57 Limits of the basin.-_____.___._---____._______---___-.__.. 57 Source of ground water.____________________________________ 58 Nature of water-level fluctuations___-____-_-_-___--________- 59 Movement of ground water.________________________________ 61 Zonation within the pressure area.___________________________ 63 Barrier effect of the San Jacinto fault-_______________________ 65 East Riverside Mesa to Warm Creek Bluff_____----------- 65 Warm Creek Bluff to Lytle basin_-___-____--_--_ ________ 67 Areas of ground-water outflow. _-_--_------__------__------- 68 Lytle basin.________________________-_______-____--_---_-___- 70 Limits of the basin__-____________-___________---_-__-----_ 70 Source of water and direction of movement- _______--_-____-_- 71 Bordering hydrologic barriers______________-_____----___--_- 73 Separation from Bunker Hill basin____ _____._______._--_- 73 Separation from Rialto-Colton basin_____________________ 76 Interior hydrologic barriers_______________--___-___--------- 77 Barrier F between upper and lower Lytle basins-_________ 77 Barriers in upper Lytle basin__________________________ 78 Barriers C and D_ __-__________-______-_-_---_----- 79 Barriers A and B.--------------------------------- 80 Rialto-Colton basin________________._________________---_------ 82 Limits of the basin__-___-__--_.________-__--__--_--_------ 82 Bordering hydrologic barriers__-_-_-_---_-_----------------- 82 Separation from Chino basin___________________________ 83 Separation across barrier J______________________________ 84 Interior barrier H_____._---__-__-____-___-__--__--___- 85 Source of water and direction of movement____-________----_- 86 Recharge from Lytle Creek________-_-___________------- 86 Recharge from Bunker Hill basin________________________ 88 CONTENTS V Ground-water hydrology Continued Page Chemical character of waters as related to outflow.________________ 90 Differences in character of surface waters in Bunker Hill basin __ 91 Chemical character of outflow waters at the San Jacinto fault. _ _ 95 Quantitative aspects of ground-water outflow_________________________ 100 Outflow from Bunker Hill basin_________________________________ 100 Transmissibility and permeability ___________________________ 102 Cross-sectional area of the younger alluvium._________________ 103 Average thickness of saturated younger alluvium______________ 103 Estimates of subsurface outflow- -___-_--__-_----___-__-_-___ 104 Underflow north of barrier J___------_____-__-___-_-____________ 107 Comments regarding outflow from Rialto-Colton basin _____________ 109 References cited-_-____-_-_-__-______--_____--___-__-___._-________ 109 Index.,__________________________________________________________ 113 ILLUSTRATIONS [Plates are in separate volume] PLATE 1. Geologic map of the San Bernardino area and sections along the San Jacinto fault. 2. Generalized geologic map of the south coastal basin and generalized section along the Santa Ana River. 3. Cumulative departure graph of precipitation. 4. Map of the San Bernardino area, California, showing types of deposits, wells, and water-level contours for February-March 1951. 5. Map of the San Bernardino area, California, showing types of deposits, wells, and water-level contours for March 1945. 6. Map of the San Bernardino area, California, showing types of deposits, wells, and water-level contours for March 1936. 7. Geologic sections A-A' through K-K''. 8. Water-level profiles along section D-E-D'. 9. Hydrographs of six wells in the intake area of Bunker Hill basin. 10. Hydrographs of six wells in the confined area of Bunker Hill basin and four wells in southern Rialto-Colton basin. 11. Hydrographs of wells in northern Bunker Hill and lower Lytle basins. 12. Hydrographs of wells in Bunker Hill basin near Colton. 13. Hydrographs of selected wells along Lytle Creek. 14. Hydrographs of selected wells in upper Lytle basin. 15. Hydrographs of selected wells in lower Lytle basin. 16. Hydrograph of a well in upper Lytle basin. 17. Hydrographs of wells in the outflow area of Rialto-Colton basin, eastern Chino basin, and the area north of Chino basin. 18. Hydrographs of wells in the Lytle Creek area and Rialto-Colton basin. 19. Map showing water-level contours on the shallow water-bearing zone, and water-level profiles along section U U'. VI CONTENTS Page FIGURE 1. Water-level profiles across barriers C and D_-_-_-__________ 79 2. Analyses of surface water from nine streams ________________ 92 3. Analyses of surface water from streams in Bunker Hill basin_ _ _ 94 4. Chemical character of native water from eight wells__________ 96 5. Chemical character of native water from five wells______.__-. 97 6. Chemical character of native water from eight wells in the southern part of Bunker Hill basin. _____________________ 98 7. Chemical character of native water from nine wells east and southeast of Colton____________________________________