Geohydrology of the Yuma Area, Arizona and California
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Geohydrology of the Yuma Area, Arizona and California GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 486-H Geohydrology of the Yuma Area, Arizona and California By F. H. OLMSTED, O. J. LOELTZ, and BURDGE IRELAN WATER RESOURCES OF LOWER COLORADO RIVER-SALTON SEA AREA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 486-H UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1973 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR ROGERS C. B. MORTON, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY V. E. McKelvey, Director Library of Congress catalog-card No. 73-600011 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20402 - Price $11.60 Stock Number 2401-02391 CONTENTS Page Page Abstract _____ _______________________ HI Geology Continued Introduction _______________________ 6 Stratigraphy Continued Location of area ___________________ 6 Volcanic rocks (Tertiary) Continued History of water-resources development _____ 6 Basalt or basaltic andesite of unknown Yuma Valley ____________________ 6 age ______________________ H38 Yuma Mesa ____________________ 9 Age of volcanic rocks ___ _ 39 Other areas _____________________________ 9 Older marine sedimentary rocks (Tertiary). 39 Mexicali Valley __________________ 10 Bouse Formation (Pliocene) ___________ 40 Objectives of present investigation and scope of Transition zone (Pliocene) _________ _ 45 report _______________________________ 11 Conglomerate of Chocolate Mountains (Ter Methods of investigation ______________ 12 tiary and Quaternary) _____ 45 Geologic mapping __ ________________ 12 Older alluvium (Pliocene and Pleistocene) _ 45 Geophysical exploration ___________ 12 Distribution and thickness ______ _ 46 Test drilling ____________________________ 12 Age and correlation 46 Studies of formation samples __________ 13 Classification of deposits by source 47 Wireline logging ______ ____________ 14 Deposits of local origin _ ____ 47 Inventory of existing wells and well records- 14 Stream-terrace and piedmont deposits 47 Quantitative determinations of aquifer char Deposits of mixed origin __ _ 48 acteristics _____ _ _ ____ __ _ _ 15 Deposits of the old Colorado and Gila Chemical analyses of ground-water samples _ 15 Rivers ________ ___ _ 48 Measurements of ground-water temperature. 15 Younger alluvium (Quaternary) __ 53 Analog-model studies _ ____ _ __ 15 Deposits of the Colorado and Gila Rivers 53 Earlier investigations _____ _______ __ 16 Alluvial-fan deposits _ 56 Geologic studies __ _______________ 16 Wash and sheet-wash deposits 56 Hydrologic studies _ _ __ ____ 16 Windblown sand (Quaternary) __ 56 Acknowledgments ____________________ ___ 16 Structure ___ ______ 57 Well-numbering systems ______________ 17 Regional structural patterns __________ 57 Geology ____ ______ ________ __ 18 Pre-Tertiary structural features _ 57 Geomorphology ______________ _ _ 18 Basin and Range structural features (Ter Regional setting ________________ 18 tiary) ___________________ _ 58 Classification of landforms ________ ___ 19 Late Tertiary and Quaternary structural Mountains and hills _________________ 19 features __________ ___ 60 Dissected old river deposits __ _ 23 Algodones fault and related faults ________ 61 Dissected piedmont slopes _______ ___ 24 Ground-water hydrology _______ __ 63 Undissected piedmont slopes ______________ 24 The ground-water reservoir ____ ___ _ _ 63 River terraces and mesas _____ _ _ 26 Major subdivisions of the reservoir ______ 63 Sand dunes _____________________________ 28 Definition of fresh water 63 River valleys _ _______ _ 28 Poorly water-bearing rocks of Tertiary age _ 64 Stratigraphy ____ ___ _ _ 30 Nonmarine sedimentary rocks ________ 65 Classification of rocks _______________ _ 30 Older marine sedimentary rocks ____ 65 Crystalline rocks (pre-Tertiary) __________ 30 Bouse Formation ___ _ _ 65 Nonmarine sedimentary rocks (Tertiary) __ 32 Transition zone _________________ 66 Red beds __ ___ _ ________ 33 Water-bearing deposits of Pliocene to Holo- Breccia and conglomerate __ _ _____ 33 cene age 66 Kinter Formation __ _____ _ 34 Wedge zone ___ - 66 Other nonmarine sedimentary rocks _ _ 37 Coarse-gravel zone _ _ ___________ 67 Volcanic rocks (Tertiary) ____ ________ 37 Upper, fine-grained zone -________ 68 Older andesite ___ _____ _____ 37 Older alluvium, undivided _________ 69 Pyroclastic rocks of silicic to interme Origin of ground water and sources of recharge _ 70 diate composition ___ _ __ 37 Colorado River ____________________ 70 Basaltic andesite or basalt of Chocolate Gila River ______________________ 71 Mountains _______________ _ 38 Irrigation _______________________ 71 Flows and vent tuff of Laguna Moun Local precipitation ___________ 72 tains 38 Local runoff __________________ 72 ill IV CONTENTS Page Page Ground-water hydrology Continued Ground-water hydrology Continued Hydrologic characteristics of aquifers ______ H72 Temperature of ground water Continued Definition of terms __________________ 72 Variations in temperature with time H113 Transmissivity _____________________ 75 Vertical variations in temperature _ _ 116 Determinations by previous investiga Areal variations in temperature 121 tors ________________________ 75 Chemical quality of ground water 124 Determinations during present investi Chemical changes in ground water derived gation __ ________________ 75 from the recent Colorado River __ 124 Storage coefficient __________________ 78 Concentration by evapotranspiration 126 Movement of ground water _______________ 82 Softening ________ 126 Direction of movement under natural con Carbonate precipitation 127 ditions ___________________________ 84 Sulfate reduction _________________ 127 Hardening ___ ___ _ _ 128 Rate of movement under natural conditions- 87 Summary of hypothetical analyses 129 Alluvial section between Pilot Knob and Subdivision of Yuma area for description Cargo Muchacho Mountains ______ 87 of quality of water ______ _ _ 129 Limitrophe section of Colorado River __ 87 Gila Valley subarea __ _ - - --_ 129 Yuma Valley __________________ 87 Gila Siphon sector _ 132 Direction of movement in 1960 ___________ 88 East sector __ 132 Rate of movement in 1960 ___________ 91 East-central sector 133 Alluvial section between Pilot Knob and West-central sector __ _ 133 Cargo Muchacho Mountains ______ 91 West sector 133 Limitrophe section of Colorado River __ 91 Upper valley subarea __ _ _ _ 134 Yuma Valley _________________ 93 "Laguna Valley" sector __ 134 Movement after 1960 _______________ 95 North Gila sector ___ 134 Water budgets _________________ 95 Bard sector __ __ 135 "Laguna Valley" subarea _____________ 98 The Island sector ____ 135 Reservation and Bard subarea _______ 99 Winterhaven sector _ 135 The Island subarea ______________ 100 Yuma Valley subarea _____ __ _ _____ 136 North Gila Valley subarea ___________ 100 California sector 137 South Gila Valley subarea ___________ 100 East sector _______________ 137 Yuma Mesa subarea ______________ 101 Central sector ___ __ _ _ 138 Yuma Valley subarea ______________ 102 Floodway sector ____ 138 Summary of subarea budgets _______ 103 Yuma Mesa subarea _ 139 Yuma area ____-_______________ 103 Fortuna sector _______ _ 139 Ground-water discharge to the Colorado Arizona Western sector ___ _ 139 River between Imperial Dam and the Citrus sector ____ ______ _ 140 northerly international boundary _____ 105 City sector ____ __ _ _ 140 Analog-model studies __________________ 107 South sector _________ 141 Model characteristics _______________ 107 References _ _ __ -- 141 Transmissivity values ____________ 108 Appendix A. Records of wells _____ _____ _ _ 146 Storage-coefficient values _________ 109 Appendix B. Selected logs of water wells __ _ 170 Stresses applied to the modeled system ___ 109 Appendix C. Chemical analyses of ground water _ 195 Verification studies _______________ 113 Appendix D. Selected pumping tests _____ ____ __ 208 Reliability of the analog model _______ 113 Appendix E. Moisture investigations _ __________ 216 Temperature of ground water ___________ 113 Index _____________________ 225 ILLUSTRATIONS [Plates are in separate volume] PLATE 1. Topographic map of the "Upper Mesa" showing trace of the Algodones fault and the effect of the fault on ground-water levels, Yuma-area, Arizona and California. 2. Topographic map of the Yuma Mesa, Yuma area, Arizona and California. 3. Geologic map of the Yuma area, Arizona and California. 4. Geologic map of southeastern Laguna Mountains and north end of Gila Mountains, Yuma area, Arizona. 5. Geologic sections A-A', B-B', C-C', D-D', and E-E' across northern Yuma Valley and northwestern Yuma Mesa, Yuma area, Arizona and California. 6. Geologic sections F-F' along limitrophe section of Colorado River and G-G' along southerly international boundary, Yuma area, Arizona and California. 7. Map showing altitude of top of coarse-gravel zone, Yuma area, Arizona and California. CONTENTS v PLATE 8. Geologic sections H~H' across margins of Yuma Valley and Yuma Mesa southeast of Somerton and /-/' across eastern South Gila Valley and northeastern Yuma Mesa, Yuma area, Arizona and California. 9. Map showing principal geologic structural features, Yuma area, Arizona and California. 10. Block diagram of the Yuma area, Arizona and California. 11. Map showing chemical character of water in the coarse-gravel zone, Yuma area, Arizona and California. 12. Maps showing thickness of clay, silty clay, and clayey silt in the upper 100 feet of the alluvium in parts of the Yuma area, Arizona and California. 13-17. Maps of the Yuma area, Arizona and California showing